Blog Neglect

Well, I certainly have been neglecting this blog recently. My bad.

I have actually begun a new blog:

My Rejection Blog - A Celebration of Determination

I've been feeling kind of sorry for myself because I had hoped to find full-time employment in my field over this summer. I withdrew from my summer classes for financial concerns and had arranged my remaining classes in the fall to be online so that I could be available to work a 40 hour week. I began with very high hopes, believing that I would have little difficulty obtaining employment given my credentials, portfolio, personality, and creativity. Boy was I wrong! Talk about a wake-up call. I have sent out countless resumes, been on dozens of interviews, jumped through fiery hoops and juggled bowling balls to get noticed. But it's the same old story, "Don't call us, we'll call you." Which, of course, they never do. As the days and weeks went by without any success I began to become deflated. I spiraled into a serious depressive state spending days in bed sleeping, paralyzed, demotivated, and wondering if I'd be better off dead. I had begun this journey in 2013 with expectations of success, refusing to believe that failure was an option; no one could have talked me out of this decision even while some did try. I was determined and now that determination seemed to devolve into a hopeless and foolish endeavor that I was too quickly beginning to regret. Then I came across an interesting article in my Facebook feed posted by a former and respected instructor.

Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year

This opened my eyes. This paradigm shift of turning a negative response into a badge of honor spoke to me. I decided I would begin to collect my rejections. Become proud and, in fact, eager to receive these and document them in a blog to share with others. I would own rejection and make it my bitch! You know what life? Go ahead and dish out your worse. You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want to see me roll over and die. Bring it on life, bring it!

I hope that you will read my blog and comment. I hope that you might just be inspired by it. That would be a blessing to me. But I have already been blessed because now I know that I cannot quit because it got too hard.

The Hard Is What Makes It Great.

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New Meme

One of my Facebook pet peeves is those posts and memes that begin with, "No one reads my wall," or something similar and then they task you to leave a one word comment and then post this as your status, "No sharing, copy and paste this to your status." Under the threat that if you do not submit to this Machiavellian process you run the quite real risk of being "unfriended" on FB. I have often pondered a way to respond without being unnecessarily rude. So I decided to make my own meme in response:

My Own Reflection

How is it possible that I did not see

My own reflection in your eyes

How in the world did I not notice

Your passionate beauty of strength

Could it be that our glaze would always flee

Or we both concentrated on our guise

Maybe neither one of us could focus

Or find the frequency of that wavelength

But when I see your face light up

At the words I speak to you

When I feel that yearning and desire

I cannot turn away

You’re like a little stranded pup

Innocent and true

You set my heart on fire

To possibilities I might dismay

How did I not see that in your expression

Did you see that in mine

Was it you that initiated this destiny

While I only responded to your allure

So that’s my singular question

Which one of us dispatched that sign

Who committed that delinquent felony

This sanctified attraction all too pure

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Zeitgeist

The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time. (Google translation)

What is our Zeitgeist? What is this generation's mood, spirit, motivation? 

What are we excited by at this point in time?

And, conversely, what are we angered by???

Myself, I am exhilarated by the many avenues we have available to us as creatives. The immense technological advancements that are now at our disposal, the opportunity to express ourselves. That democratic freedom of individual expression!

Equally, I am angered by the silence and conformity of those who simply live by the status quo. Who will not speak up against injustice. Who do not claim their inheritance as evolved creatures of humanity. Who are afraid to stand up for their basic right to express this creativity and expression!

So, tell me. Am I a foolish idealist who seeks to destruct the very fiber of traditional moral society? Or am I a visionary who wishes to advocate new and forward thinking concepts that will change and modify this complacent world into a society that values creative endeavors, in fact, fights for change and improvement of our standard and no longer effective values and concrete ideas of what this existence should deliver to us as evolved human creations of this earth, of this time, of this genealogy, of this enlightenment? 

So, speak up, tell me if I am wrong . . . 

DWARF Rocks!

Congrats Sage, Dom, & Bailey! I love this cover design and, of course, the fact that you used the logo I designed for you. :D

What will they say about me when I'm gone?

Life is like a river

Streaming by so quickly

Just a subtle quiver

Piercing air so thickly

I wander ‘round the avenues

And think about the revenues

From darkest night until the dawn

What will be said when I am gone

I would like to paint a picture

Of colors nowhere found

To avoid that easy stricture

That in the end confound

I wonder what went right and what went wrong

I’m tired and I’m sleepy and I yawn

This day has been so difficult and long

What will they say about me when I'm gone?

Keep Dancing!

“I always tell my kids if you lay down, people will step over you. But if you keep scrambling, if you keep going, someone will always, always give you a hand. Always. But you gotta keep dancing, you gotta keep your feet moving. ”

― Morgan Freeman

Uncle Geno

Sergeant First Class Eugene “Geno” A. DiFondi Jr. passed away unexpectedly in Sun City, Arizona on August 7, 2015 at the age of 73.

Gene is survived by his wife, Valeri DiFondi of Sun City, AZ; his children, Christopher (Robin) DiFondi of New Hartford, NY, Mary DiFondi of Utica, NY, Michelle (Ron) Woodcock of Pennellville, NY, Beth DiFondi of Verona, NY, Eugene DiFondi III of Lansdale, PA, Anthony (Patty) DiFondi of Lansdale, PA, Karen (Mike) Sorrell of Rome, NY, and Robert (Cara) Hoyle of Deerfield, NY, his step-children Amanda Bonczyk, Worcester, MA and Austin Bonczyk, Worcester, MA.; his siblings, Jude DiFondi of Dewey, AZ, and Cynthia Nistico of Frankfurt, NY, and half siblings Raymond DiFondi, of Meza, AZ, Jean O’Connor of Forestport, NY and Peter DiFondi of Buffalo, NY and step-mother Carmela DiFondi of Utica, NY. He had many grandchildren and several great grandchildren. Geno deeply loved his golden retriever Maggie, whom he trained as a therapy dog. He is preceded in death by his father, Eugene DiFondi Sr. and his mother, Madeline DiFondi, both of Utica, NY, and his siblings, Anthony, Russell, and Ronald and grandson Nicholas Horton.

Geno was born on May 13, 1942 in Utica, New York. He graduated from the State University of NY (SUNY) in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He married Valeri Bonczyk in 2006. Geno served in the Armed Forces for 31 years. He was the second DiFondi to serve his country, just as his father did. His children will remember him as a driven father who encouraged them to pursue their goals. He will always be remembered for his larger than life attitude, with a flair for laughter and crazy antics. His fellow Soldiers will always remember him for his dedication to our country and his military units and for helping his Soldiers achieve their goals.

Geno was passionate about helping others and often volunteered his free time. He frequently donated goods to homeless shelters. Geno performed over 4000 hours of volunteer service with the America Red Cross in Utica, NY and was Volunteer of the Year from 1990 - 1991. In 1996, Geno was one of 5000 "Community Hero's" chosen to carry the Olympic Torch in the 1996 Summer Olympics for his involvement in community projects. He loved guns and shooting and was dedicated to the preservation of the Second Amendment. He was a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

There will be a service held at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors at a future date to be determined.

Tribute to Amy Winehouse

IMHO

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One of my friends posted this meme today. It sort of stopped me in my tracks, so to speak. I initially agreed with the sentiment, but after I thought about it for a moment, I felt that this was far too complex of a concept to sum up in some simple Internet meme. Yes, it is true. Suicide does transfer pain to others. That pain is not only given to someone else, it’s given to everyone else who cares about you. It is multiplied exponentially. Suicide is indeed the ultimate act of selfishness. Yet it seems to me that when someone who is close to you has decided upon this course of action, it should give you pause; rightly so. Because this is an opportunity for one to re-evaluate one’s own life and the course that it is taking. Who am I to judge someone for taking his or her own life? I have even considered this possibility on more than one occasion myself. Life can be difficult. Pain, not just physical pain, but emotional pain, can be very hard to deal with at times. Perhaps the choice to “check-out” may actually empower someone who feels they have no other choice. I’m not advocating suicide here; I’m just trying to understand it. When my brother committed suicide I was wracked with pain, grief, depression and guilt. I was paralyzed emotionally for more time than I care to admit here. Even today, after over three years, at times I find myself distinctly saddened by this loss. However, I must state that this experience in my life has given me the resolve to never again consider this as a solution. Life is short enough. My brother’s action has forced me to change my life’s direction. Today, my life is a celebration. Every day I am thankful for the opportunity and the courage to live this life on my own terms. Perhaps my brother, by taking his own life, saved mine. I’m not condoning his choice, I would much rather be celebrating life with him. However, in some way, his passing has actually blessed my life. This may be challenging for you to understand. I’m not really sure I understand this way of thinking myself. I’m not happy that he is gone. But the fact of the matter is, what transpired that fateful evening, and the events that occurred afterward, have given me a certain perspective on the true meaning of this existence. My point is that something like this cannot be summed up in one simple sentence - one Internet meme. Regardless of our current cultural, immediate, and connected electronic society, we must not disregard and equate an inopportune situation and an inappropriate deed into an artless black and white graphic with a sans serif font. This does no justice to our condition as mortal, feeling human beings.

Updated Resume Design

I dumbed it down and dressed it up LOL.