This is the place to find out what new and exciting events are unfolding in the life and times of Je Kemp.

Saturday, October 09, 2004

Flame on


Flame on, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Last night I was cooking some hamburgers.

Friday, October 08, 2004

What has the web become? Can the web be all things for all people? or it it just a sorry excuse for reality. I have been doing some independent investigations and dear readers. Proper syntax and grammar alone will not let my blog hover above the rest. Let's face it, I am a social burnout. I am happy to be broadcasting this happy news to such a large forum.

Let's commence with the list,

Problems, Real & Perceived:

1. I have let others get the best of me.
2. I am aware of the worst aspects of myself.
3. I am constantly broke.
4. I did not go to a good college.
5. I don't know the "right" people.
6. I do not have wealthy parents.
7. I am not a "trust fund kid".
8. I don't read the New Yorker.
9. I am not interested in brand names or labels.
10.I don't jet around the world to attend pointless conferences.
11.I don't have time to get a haircut this week.
12.I can't afford to buy new clothes.
13.I don't own an automobile.
14.I am a lousy gardener.
15.I can't afford to buy good cheese.
16.I don't watch television.
17.I stink of cats
18.Cats seem to like me better than people
19.I don't really trust anyone.
20.I work for the media.
21.I live on the wrong side of the tracks
22. I lack good judgement.
23.I don't have an agent.
24.I have no talent.
25.I have made unwise decisions
26.I don't like to listen to rock and roll.
27.I don't like hypocritical "baby boomers"
28.I think I enjoy electric shocks
29.I think america is evil.
30.I am sick of partisan politics.
31.I don't know who I am.
32.I don't care who I am.
33.I descended from slaveholders
34.I don't follow the rules.
35.I stare at people.
36.I feel hollow inside.
37.I drink too much.
38.I have a weak will.
39.I avoid telling people my true feelings.
40.I hide from myself.
41.I am not afraid of evil~doers.
42.I am afraid of myself.
43.I dream of happier times.
44.I will videotape garbage rotting on hillsides
45.I make strange noises
46.I ride the bus sometimes
47.I want to be someone, someday.
48.I try to be normal inside.
49.I have grown weary of hipsters.
50.I get what I want
51.I never get what I want
52.I like cold air and numb fingers
53.I hate myself when I smoke.
54.I don't care about "fitting in"
55.I just want people to like me.
56.I want to like me.
57.I can be self~centered at times
58.I am aware of routine.
59.I take photographs
60.I have read too many books.
61. I have trouble knowing what I want.
62.I am aware that I will not get rich someday.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Historic Buildings in Atlanta


The Mark, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Old buidings are actually hard to find in downtown Atlanta, they have for the most part been torn down in order to construct parking lots.

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

This is the newswire item of the week. It has all of the elements sensational news requires....

Romanian mistakenly cuts off penis, dog eats it
04 Oct 2004 13:52:15

BUCHAREST, Oct 4 (Reuters) - A elderly Romanian man mistook his penis for a chicken's neck, cut it off and his dog rushed up and ate it, the state Rompres news agency said on Monday.
It said 67 year-old Constantin Mocanu, from a village near the southeastern town of Galati, rushed out into his yard in his underwear to kill a noisy chicken keeping him awake at night.
"I confused it with the chicken's neck," Mocanu, who was admitted to the emergency hospital in Galati, was quoted as saying. "I cut it ... and the dog rushed and ate it."
Doctors said the man, who was brought in by an ambulance bleeding heavily, was now out of danger.

The corporate life, for some, a virtual Eden of money, travel, conferences, and perks. For others, it is a revolving nightmare of miscommunication and complete paranoia. Today marks my 5th anniversary with the company I work for, CNN. I remember when I started out, I just needed a little extra income and low and behold, five hard years have now passed me by somewhat like the ghost-like opportunities for advancement with this company.

This anniversary does mean something to me. My commitment to them shows that I am loyal despite uneven treatment during economic downturns. If you want to know the truth, I am trapped here, a victim of my own success. Now that I receive a steady paycheck and no longer lead the fly by night life of a young adult. Moving from apartment to apartment, taking opportunities as they appear, living life one day at a time, not worrying about the grim realities that lay over the next pass on the road of life. That is not me, I own a house, a shithole little house on the wrong side of town. Sketchy is what people with affluence would call it. Not that I have ever even been robbed or assaulted by anyone in this "sketchy" neighborhood.

There was a time when I did not have just wonderful commitments to cover. Homelessness is a concept that causes me concern. I tricked myself into thinking that there is a future for me here. I tried to join in, in essence become something that I am not. I was never interested in broadcasting as a career. I remember dreaming of one day owning an outdoor store, selling tents and the like but after a brief stint with REI, I discovered that this dream was built on sand and our modern internet society could never go for such a thing. I had to shift my focus onto something else. I have always enjoyed having the ability to understand video, film, computer systems, etc. I have never been the guy with the flashing "12:00" on his vcr. No sir, I have been able to set the clock on every electronic device I have ever encountered.

When at CNN.com, I embraced their culture, I loved my work and my responsibilities, I was part of the conduit that informs the world of relevant & newsworthy events. I was proud to be responsible for being the first on a story, When the Kursk sank, The world knew only twenty minutes after I saw it on the wires, I had found pictures & video of the submarine at port, I made my superiors proud, I made myself proud to be part of the team and then the bottom dropped out and they sent me home. The dot com crash of 2001. Why is it when the bubble bursts, no one at the top suffers? I saw the internet as the holy grail of job booms for my generation. I can thank the greedy nature of America for dashing the dreams of thousands like me. Did I get rich off the internet? No. Did I lose my shirt from the bust? Almost.

I went to work after being laid off with a company called metricom, I tested wireless bandwidth. The pay was good and the work interesting to say the least. They went under after I had been with them for three months. I was feeling pretty desperate by this point and was considering going back to waiting tables when I got the call from CNN domestic. They wanted me but I had to take a pay cut. I accepted their offer.

What is the point of this? I am computer literate, I don't need much instruction, I readily understand the basic mechanics of electronics. I never even applied to my present position. I am known for my expertise with streaming video. I am nothing but an overeducated robot. Too bad I can't afford the bandwidth to host my own streaming media site, alas, perhaps one day when I am old and gray and no longer sexually desirable....


Reflections at five years with the company. Message to self, don't be here in five more years because if you are, you need to go ahead and find a high place and jump.




Tuesday, October 05, 2004

There was some talk last night about developing a theme for the little bar that is now in my backyard. I really liked the tiki concept. Thatch and bamboo poles for the ceiling, Some sort of fiber weave or split cane for the walls with split bamboo accents throughout. Bamboo stools, nautical lighting, along with a collection of tiki mugs should round out the concept. Now I just need to raise the funds and get cracking!!


Target, Rooftop Bullseye logo.


Target, Rooftop Bullseye logo., originally uploaded by jekemp.

You can see the familiar bullseye logo of Target from the comfort of you seat at 30,000 feet.

Monday, October 04, 2004

Afterhours


Afterhours, originally uploaded by jekemp.

A picture from Friday night down in the bar. It seems that a rift is forming between friends who have money and want to go out drinking all night everynight and the more socially conservative friends who feel that alcohol is best consumed in smaller doses and in the home among your closest confidantes.

On the note of alcohol, I drank some Czech Absinthe over the weekend and I must report that it is much stronger that the absente we can get around these parts. I must not have drank enough of the stuff as I saw no green fairies this time...

Saturday:

I served as dj at my friends loft warming party over at the Arizona Lofts. I realized that I don't live in the right part of Atlanta and this community like many other like it around the intown area seemed to be some kind of 20-30 something compound. I guess its nice to own my own home though, in the long run anyway as being around too many people my own age make me depressed.