This year has brought great change for me. My girlfriend Molly and I moved to Richmond, Virgina in January. Molly got a “promotion” with Jetblue and is now management. This is the first time living out of Colorado in more than ten years and it has indeed been an adventure.

Over the last year I have been traveling back and forth to Colorado for work. I was able to keep a few of my clients in Colorado which was really nice. Most of my work is done remotely which allows me to work from so far away. I spend about two weeks a month in Colorado which means I have spent more time on a plane than ever before. Let me just say, I am a fan of Jetblue. They always take care of me. (except for a few unmentioned Boston gate agents) I enjoy flying and treat the back and forth as a mini adventure. I have lots of great stories.

I am not one for New Years resolutions but I really want to get back to my blog this coming year. I really enjoyed posting links and making comment on the things I read and watch. With the advent of Facebook, Google + and Twitter, I find myself posting there instead of here. This is my first attempt at rebooting my blogging self.

The South (yes Richmond is in the South, US)

I was born in the Mid-west and raised in the West so moving East always seemed like something I would get around to at some point. When Molly excepted the job in Richmond last December, I am not sure it sunk into to either of us what it mean to live in the south. Most people I talked to gave the small smile and said things like, “wow Virgina you are going to love DC”. We have found out that most people including the media think if you are in Virgina you are in DC. Which is really funny because Virgina is such a big state and is vastly different from DC and Northern Virgina. The DC area feels like a mini version of LA/NYC. Urban, trendy and sometimes very scary. My friend Deb lives in DC and we have had the chance to visit her on occasion. It is one of the pluses of living out this way. Over the last couple of years Deb and I have not had much time together. Being this close has been nice. We also got to do some site seeing in the Capital, always a good time.

Let me say this, America is America (with Texas accent). The difference between Colorado and Virgina is small. They got all the same stuff here that they have everywhere else (excluding a Trader Joe’s). America has become so homogenized that I sometimes forget where I am. Sure there are some scenery differences. It is greener here and a bit more temperate. The tunnel vision effect with all the trees is a bit displacing. I never understood the saying, “wide open spaces”. The West is wide and open. Truthfully though, I am not sure Richmond is at the top of the places I would like to call home permanently, but it has been a nice time so far.

Friends and Family

My parents are still in Colorado. My father has been working out of Tampa, FL for the last year and has had his ups and downs. I know he likes his job. I think he is really wanted to get back West. My mother has been doing the insurance thing for the last couple of years with Allstate. When I am in Colorado I spend my time with her and let me tell you, she is a busy women. If I had as much going on as her I would be Mayor of a major city. Very happen lady. My bro and his lovely kid are both in Denver and living large. I have had a chance to hang with my niece Madds and it has been very educational. Not sure who she going to end up being when she is all growed up. But heck if she isn’t fun to be with most of the time. (when she is not being a little brat ;P)

My friends situation is a fucking disaster. I made some really bad choices this year and it has left me disappointed in myself. I am not going to get into here. Let me just say if you are still my friend right now, thanks! You are a brave and understanding few. I will try to do better in 2012.

2012 Next Year

What is in store for the coming year you ask? Great question. Molly and I are very happy together. I just couldn’t be a luckier guy. She is truly the right girl for me. Never had a lady in my life that I fit so perfectly with. She is my best friend and life mate. Love that girl.

We are looking at options for a move this year. Molly has new opportunity with Jetblue and is on the hunt. Which means we get to pack again, really looking forward to that process.(not at all)

I would like to find some more work. Whether it be in Colorado or elsewhere. I have been quite busy with a number special projects. I would really like to find some new opportunity as well. I have been itching to start some kind of new Web/Video project but nothing has clicked yet. Really enjoyed working on the Clip Show and such and wanted to get back at. I think something in the gaming or political category would fit nice. Just cant figure out what.

Going to elect a new President this year. As most of you know I am very political. I have been following all the happenings with a close eye. Many debates have happened here at home between Molly and I. Love talking politics with her, she get so fired up. Really looking forward to the political year ahead. It is my super bowl.

Thanks for a great 2011 all. Those of you that have helped and supported me this year, I owe you big time. To the people in my life that I have wronged or let down, let me again say I am sorry and I will try harder. Have a happy and safe New Year and will see you in 2012.

Jim-

I finally started my long talked about audio podcast.  It is called Rhetoric Nation which is the name I picked last year when I was going to launch the cast as an all politics talk show.  However I have been a bit sour on the political front this last six months and I wanted to broaden the scope of the show to all things interesting to me.   I kept the name for two reasons, one I like it and the other I own the domain for two years.

So what can you expect to hear on this podcast?  Me and me and a lot more of me.  It will cover my views and opinions on a wide range of topics.  I am hoping to have guests join me and listeners participate  as the show progresses.

The show will record live on Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific on my tinychat channel – www.tinychat.com/jimkirks please join me so you can heckle me live.  Check the rhetoricnation.com site for upcoming topics.  You will be able to listen/download the show on Mondays on the main site and through iTunes.

Please take a listen to the first show and tell me what you think.  I know, I talk a lot.

http://www.rhetoricnation.com

I have installed the cool Qik live streaming App on my iPhone. What does this mean for you? Well you will get to watch me live from time to time. Most likely though you will be able to watch video I took live, days or hours ago. It is a really cool service and if you happen to catch me live you can chat in real time. See the new link on the right side of the page to see whats new.

Look for my live twitter notifications. Follow me on twitter –> twitter.com/jimkirks

VinVin asked me last week if I would be the first guest on his new show the Seemic Cafe. Of course I said yes, I love to see myself on camera. Let me know what you think. Thanks to the gang at Seesmic for making me look so good!

Chuck, Phill and I have launched a new audio podcast.  It is a super geeky show about the online game lord of the rings online.   Listen at your own risk.

Men of the Rings Podcast

Chris Baker joins the cool kids on Seesmic. Still hunting for his mic his first couple of post have been silent. Fortunately he has other means to capture his brilliance. Just look at that shot! Nice walk color also. Welcome Tophertron!

It is a new year and that can only mean one thing. Time to stop doing one of the many bad things you started doing last year, make a couple hundred lists and promise yourself that you will stay away from your crazy Aunt June. That last part of course can be replaced by anything, like chocolate, booze, kids, jim kirks, McDonald’s, lard or whatever you have decided to stave off in 2008. The new year for most, me included, means turning over a new leaf, or making it appear as though you have or are trying to.

In this new year for me I am seeking a new direction. I am taking 2008 to find a new source of income. In the last month of 2007 I spun most of my client base and put my business on the rocks. I am looking for new opportunity in this great big world of ours. I have spent the last couple of weeks putting the feelers out, contacting the people close to me and hunting for new ideas for what is next. I know that I need some time away from the tech field. It has burnt me out to the point where the gray in my hair is scaring small children. Where this leaves me as of right now? Jobless and a bit on the poor side. But the plussed out way the negatives for now and I have lost the desire to kill someone every time the phone rings. I am optimistic that I will come upon something good/positive/exciting/challenging in the next few weeks. Otherwise maybe just a greater at Wal-Mart?

Podcasting is still going to play an important role in my life in 08. Chuck and I have committed to another year of both shows and have started work on a few side projects. I know we both would love the chance to work with other podcasters in the field and still dream of making a dollar off our passion. Dreams!

Finally, drop me a line and let me know what you have planned for the new year. Leave me a comment or send an email my way. Would love to hear what is in store for you!

Happy New Year!!

Yesterday I posted my first picture to Flickr in nearly three weeks. This is the first step back for me to my social media world. Over the last couple of weeks Flickr is the one service that I have really missedl. I love the ability to post a picture directly to the web so that everyone can see my them instantly.  Over the last year I have found this ability to document my life with pictures really fulfilling.

So how was nearly three weeks away from social networking and how has it effected me? These are two questions I have been asking myself over the last couple of days. To tell you the truth, I am not sure if I have answer to either yet. I do know that after the first couple of days the need to be a apart of twitter, seesmic and the rest faded. I still plan a post later on this week to talk about how it effected my everyday and what has changed since the start. For now though, I want to give everyone a heads up that I will be returning X-mas eve day with a bunch of video, mostly seemic. I am going to turn the Twitter back on that day also.

Thanks to everyone that stayed in touch while I was disconnected.

Yesterday I attempted to remove myself from my computer and my phone. These two things tie me into my world in more ways than one. I belong to and I am apart of many different social networking sites. Twitter and the new Seesmic keep me in touch and up to date with most of my friends from around the globe. These two sites along with Facebook and the every evil Myspace also keep me socially connected. It has become increasingly apparent that I have a small addiction to these new web 2.0 social networking sites. I am not going to say that this addiction has been all bad, it just has consumed me to the point where some of my focus is a bit off.

My experiment yesterday, 24 hours with no tech, has given me some clarity into my minor addiction. It has brought me to this conclusion. It is time to remove myself from this world for awhile and focus back in on the things that matter to me. Which is to say, my business and my current podcasting projects. I also need to spend more time here in the Real World with the people in my life. I am not saying that I am done or that I will never come back, I just think it is time for me to take a long break.

I will still be blogging and I will continue to do the weekly podcasts. Please drop me an email or a phone call and keep me up to date with what you are doing.

Started a little beer drinking club on seesmic this week.