• Help Wanted

    It’s a new year, let’s network!

    January 4, 2016 / No Comments

    Are you looking for a new job? Do you know someone who’s searching for work? Have you come across a position that would be just perfect for a friend who’s stuck in a stalled career? Let’s use social media for good.

    First, take a look at your friends list on Facebook and Twitter. Make a note of all the people you know who are unemployed or underemployed.

    Next, if you see a great career opportunity, share it! I do this several times a week and it’s such a joy to hear back when one of those postings pan out.

    Offer to write a professional or character reference. When human resources is weighing the merits of two potential candidates, the one with the sterling reviews and glowing letters of reference will probably get the gig.

    Send an attaboy/attagirl to your unemployed friend. Looking for work can be a demoralizing process, particularly when most employers fail to respond to applications in a timely manner (or at all). Sometimes, just receiving a note that says “heads up, you’re great” is all that’s needed to keep up one’s spirit while hunting for gigs.

  • Quote of the week

    January 3, 2016 / No Comments

    “I bit my tongue and did not tell my already suspicious friends that the country was also dotted with libraries that provided books to all patrons free of charge. They wouldn’t believe me anyway since I hadn’t believed it myself. My first time in a library in the United States was very brief: I walked in, looked around, and ran right back out in a panic, certain that I had accidentally used the wrong entrance. Surely, these open stacks full of books were reserved for staff only. I was used to libraries being rare, and their few books inaccessible. To this day, my heart races a bit in a library.” —Zeynep Tufekci

  • Lightbulb moment

    And so it begins…

    January 1, 2016 / 3 Comments

    Here it is, my friends: a new day, a new month and a new year. I know some people complain about how we, as a collective, simply accept when a year debuts, but I’ve always appreciated having a clearly defined moment to make a fresh start with calendars and resolutions.

    As I mentioned in a previous post, I intend to spend more time this year working on my fiction. Making stuff up is so much harder than reporting what’s actually happened, and it’ll be an uphill climb to get my imagination in shape. However, I’m determined to give it the old Girl Scout try.

    Another one of my goals is to engage in a series of 30-day experiments. The purpose of this activity is twofold — to build up my discipline levels and to explore new interests. Here’s the current game plan (subject to change, of course):

    January – Listen to a new song every day
    February – Walk for at least 20 mins a day
    March – Meditate for 15 mins a day
    April – Read a new poem every day
    May – Write a blog post every day
    June – Go vegetarian at least one meal a day
    July – Take a photo every day
    August – Record all of my dreams
    September – Write a postcard or letter every day
    October – Try a new recipe every day
    November – Write a new poem every day
    December – Perform an act of kindness every day

    In case you’re curious, today’s song is “Escape Artist” by Zoë Keating:

    If you have any additional song suggestions, feel free to send ’em. I’m pretty open to any genre.

    Lastly, in honor of new beginnings, I have redesigned my website. I hope you like it as much as I do.

    Happy New Year!

  • In Memoriam: A Look Back At Some Of The People We Lost in 2015

    December 31, 2015 / No Comments

    hourglass.jpgSome people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead. In 2015, these 15 obituaries featured the people who most resonated with me:

    * Alana Baranick, obituary writer
    * Leonard Nimoy, actor, photographer and artist
    * Maureen O’Hara, actor
    * Harriet Klausner, author
    * Wes Craven, director
    * Kenji Ekuan, industrial engineer
    * James Horner, composer
    * Bertrice Small, author
    * Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author
    * Ann Rule, true crime writer
    * Mary Ellen Mark, photographer
    * David Carr, columnist
    * Roger Rees, actor
    * B.B. King, musician
    * Rudy Perz, ad man

    Other wonderful obituaries that shouldn’t be missed (and people who shouldn’t be forgotten):

    * Jonathan Crombie, actor
    * Yogi Berra, baseball player
    * Christopher Lee, actor
    * Ben E. King, singer
    * Jackie Collins, author
    * John Nash, mathematician
    * Terry Pratchett, author
    * Bob Simon, journalist
    * Stuart Scott, sportscaster
    * Alex Rocco, actor
    * Ruth Rendell, author
    * Burt Shavitz, businessman
    * Vincent Bugliosi, attorney

  • 2015: The Year In Review

    December 29, 2015 / 1 Comment

    At the end of the year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced, both personally and professionally. What follows is my accounting of 2015:

    * Celebrated my 25th year as a journalist (and contemplated what that means for my future).

    * Produced hundreds of breaking news stories, including the battle against ISIS, the Charlie Hebdo attack, the Paris massacre, dozens of U.S. mass shootings, the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 in Taiwan, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the worldwide refugee crisis, the Baltimore riots, the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling, the change in U.S.-Cuba relations, the dangerous California drought, the Pope’s visit to America and the 2015 debate cycle.

    * Blogged for The Obituary Forum, The Blog of Death and Afterthoughts.

    * Passed the 41,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker)

    * Received the verified checkmark on Facebook (I exist!)

    * Penned 58 journal entries.

    * Wrote 3 poems

    * Worked on my novel.

    * Walked 1.11 million steps (more than 465 miles) and climbed nearly 1,000 floors.

    * Read 45 books and countless magazines.

    * Watched 25 films.

    * Completed classes in The Most Powerful Empires in History, History’s Greatest Entrepreneurs, the Biggest Wars in History, the Most Advanced Ancient Civilizations, the Greatest Cities Throughout History, the Greatest Battles of All Time, the Most Influential Speeches in World History, Significant American Writers of the 20th Century, Great Short Stories and Beautiful Inspiration Poems.

    * Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.

    * Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Author’s Guild.

    * Went house-hunting in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

    * Traveled to Boston and New York City.

    * Twice hosted vacationing friends.

    * Joined a CSA.

    * Saw Stephen King and Lee Child in person.

    * Shot off a large cache of fireworks.

    * Suffered from at least 22 migraines.

    * Celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary.

    * Grieved the death of my eldest cat, Buddha, and received the news that my youngest cat, Sera, has terminal cancer. My father also died.

    * Turned 42.

    End of the yearGoals for 2016

    * Save up enough money for a down payment on a house and move.

    * Work on my fiction.

    * Write more obits.

    * Read at least 50 books.

    * Complete a series of 30-day challenges.

    * Win the lottery.