Someone finally asked about the whereabouts of my blog posts; to everyone inquiring, to the both of you really, my process was amicably interrupted. First, I left my journal on the roof of a moving vehicle; after retracing my steps, it’s been verifiably lost. Someone in the world may have notes detailing my day to day life, if they’re capable of painting my picture through words, then I expect a six-hour long TMZ segment dedicated to my insanity. The culprit most likely tore out the first quarter of used pages, and kept the really nice pen that was attached. Second, following the Martin Luther King Jr. post, I had mistakenly scheduled a string of black history themed posts, before it dawned on me that February is Black History Month. Meaning to push back my blog queue, everything went awry when I lost the filler content that wasn’t transcribed from my journal.

Lastly, it’s hard to cultivate an audience without concentrating on a single subject area. I write fiction, non-fiction, about health, style, technology, and other endless possibilities and combinations. I just write, to clear my head, or elaborate my stance from social discussions without resorting to arguments. As much as I respect journalists, their profession has turned into copywriter hell; as a contrarian, it’s hard to sell to the status quo. I’ve always thought that whether you like my writing or not, I would’ve been glad to receive criticisms and compliments alike; where compliments make you feel good, criticisms make you better. With expectations like those, you quickly learn that the only thing worse than destructive criticism is silence. My Quora query on the topic is home to cobwebs and tumble weeds, maybe there isn’t an answer; and yet, we’re all convinced that winners don’t fit into square pegs.

If you find yourself impatiently waiting for my scheduled blog posts, then let me know in any manner you see fit; through the channels on jorenerene.com will work best. As with all endeavors, I appreciate any and all interest, thank you for your participation.

Postscript: Special thanks to Tiantha and Jillian!

The words hack and pivot are the most overused words in the startup community. If your hack doesn’t immediately gain traction, then you pivot. Remember the company Color? Didn’t think so, everyone with deep pockets put chips in their pot and lost, so how does a failure recoup their losses, let alone their reputation? They relentlessly pivot through all forty one million dollars invested in them. We’re in an age where failure is a form of success, you know all the rhetoric: it’s not how many times you fall that matters, but how many times you get up. Motivational posters line our walls reminding us to never despair, to remain stubborn in one regard and not another, success is but a pivot away. Even spiritually, numerous parables suggest, when one door closes another opens. What happened to sticking to your guns, holding to your word, or staying the course? Too much advice has a way of contradicting itself.

Let’s call it what it is, it’s very difficult for me to lose, quit, or admit defeat without winning nonetheless. My pivots assess what’s necessary in the long-term over short-term requests; already evident in my sobriety laden stash of V8 cans. I asked myself if it was worth the time fretting over daily deadlines. Like all of you, I have more important priorities than this blog, and decided against the added stress of constant revisions. Going forward, please expect new posts at noon on Monday through Thursday of every week.

To my ego, at least my pivot isn’t a severe 180 degree turnaround, nor have I hijacked millions of dollars in the process. Do not be afraid to do what’s best for you. Enjoy your wins and losses!

After publishing the Open Times Hack Day post, I received a lot of love, and excitedly opened an email addressed from Marci Windsheimer of the New York Times! Her email started with an exclaimed Hello! And continued to express how much her organization loves external New York Times coverage, then she accused me of plagiarism and avoided threats through suggestive compliance language. The thing is, she was right; by the very definition of the word, I had lifted text and re-appropriated it for event background in my opening paragraph. I learned two important lessons in the hours that followed.

The first lesson was composure, disavowing my first instinct to explain a misguided shortcut, in favor of accepting my error. I quickly responded to request judgmental leniency, and confirmed my immediate resolve to correct the mistake. Edits were quickly made, each blog was updated shortly thereafter, and links were re-issued with explanations to affected outlets.

The second lesson was exposure, specifically to the cold reality of business. Allow me to reference the words of William Butler Yeats: But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly, because you tread on my dreams. My responses to Marci included my possible desire to work at the New York Times pertaining to Journalism or Technology, that I deeply respected their organization, and felt fortunate to merely receive communication originating from within their walls. After completing a rewrite of the original paragraph and sending it off for her review, all I received was a two worded thank you, consisting of the words, "Thank you." After addressing me like a fifteen year old girl with exclamation points and the word love, releasing dopamine and conveying feelings she quickly shattered, I felt something besides thanked. I felt as if she were a machine that erroneously labeled me something since it happened upon the exception instead of the rule, without getting to know me or any more of my work. In return, as much as I professionally appreciate the corporate policy correspondence, I personally look forward to an opportunity to leave Marci with two words that aren't thank you - save the "you."

The journal I regularly carry solicits questions regarding its benefits, to which I usually reply, "There are some, fewer than I anticipated." It dawned on me recently that I don't write as often as I'd like to - and this will sound crazy - because I think I'll run out of words; where my writing personally begins to feel repetitive, even as the content wildly varies. Reading and writing is something I've always been good at, along with math and computers, and sports and ... if you don't get the drift, my attention wanders even as my commitment ensures an above competent ability. In response, I have decided to write every day, to grow as a communicator and reap the unforeseen benefits of better recording my observations. Be a pal, read me, comment and leave suggestions, and I'll be sure to reply; thank you and best wishes!