DesMob

Check it: 8/7 Central is at it again.

A neat tool for artists in DSM: DesMob.

Modeled after Portland's own artist hub, it's a way for artists to connect with each other and community - who's site is currently down because of over-trafficking.

Anyways, Immediate uses I see:

- Gives me a face to a name

- Connects me directly to each artist's website, portfolio, and twitter

Things that could be sweet:

- Networking events

- A way to feature projects that artists work on together specifically because of DesMob

I am interested to see how this works out. Hopefully, we are able to use this for more than just learning what other artists in DSM look like.

Lyric Arrangements

A new song I've been working on:

Modern Voice (working title...)

On a dark street, the city ends,

And I push down signs ‘cause they’re all pretend.

some believe they’re true.

Gave up plastic, looked for a trend

But we all gotta trade, we're all gonna spend,

It's shattered in two

What's been broken into

Hostages that we take in

Tied up our habits, they’re growing thin

D

o you know what to do?

W

e’ve all got answers, but it just depends

W

hat they make of you, what you make of them

Are they coming to you

?

A

re they coming for you?

Now, they're stealing words from the common man.

Clumped up herds for the affluent.

What is this coming to?

They read from scripts into a lens

When they're calling out, are they calling you in

Is this getting to you?

Is this getting through?

It doesn’t matter how you take the streets

W

hen the streets aren’t the place to be

Anymore.

Music of 2010

Finally, for those interested, I have gathered my top albums from 2010:

1. Delta Spirit, "History from Below" & "The Waits Room Ep"

2. Ra Ra Riot, "The Orchard"

3. Nathaniel Rateliff, "In Memory of Loss"

4. J. Tillman, "Year in the Kingdom"

5. Sufjan Stevens, "Age of Adz" & "All Delighted People Ep"

6. Cold War Kids, "Behave Yourself Ep" (ps. they're releasing a new album soon!)

7. Dr. Dog, "Shame, Shame"

8. The Arcade Fire, "The Suburbs"

9. Damien Jurado, "Saint Bartlett"

10. Dawes, "North Hills" (I know it was 2009, but I came across it this year...)

11. Local Natives, "Gorilla Manor" (my top album)

12. Broken Bells, "Broken Bells"

13. Theodore, "Hold You Like a Lover"

14. Yeasayer, "Odd Blood"

15. Freelance Whales, "Weathervanes"

Albums I wish I would have listened to more:

1. The National, "High Violet"

2. Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record"

3. Jonsi, "Go"

4. The Black Keys, "Brothers"

5. Deerhunter, "Halcyon Digest"

6. Deer Tick, "The Black Dirt Sessions"

7. Ray LaMontagne, "God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise"

Looking forward to:

1. Cold War Kids

2. Bright Eyes

3. The River Monks

4. Fleet Foxes

Question of the day

Why did I write a book during the recession?

It required innovation.

It was something purposeful to do.

The people I met have become friends and mentors.

It was an opportunity to give something back.

We are a generation that was set up to think we'd have it all. When that was no longer the case, I set out to figure out what I wanted to do and trust I could do it with the help of my friends and family.

Check out this article. It really gets to the point of it all.

So If One Thought Thinks of Me

Since November 2008, I have been patiently editing a nonfiction manuscript about my experiences losing my best childhood friend to brain cancer, working with women in prison in Australia, and working with youth homelessness in Iowa.

It has been a long haul. After the nice, long Thanksgiving weekend, when I was able to hide all over my family's house as to escape noise and distraction, however, I have finished editing - at least for now.

I will be submitting it to a publisher today.

I'm not sure where this will take me. For now, I'm simply comfortable knowing I could write the back cover:

"This is a story about figuring out what you want to do, and trusting it can be done.

"Following the death of his best friend, working with imprisoned women, and graduating from college at the beginning of the economic recession, Danny Heggen set out to relearn trust, write, and make a difference in his community. What happened from there continues to grow."

I want to write. I want to help my community. I want to help others figure out what they want to do as well.

Random comment of the day

Less martyr, more barter.

What's up, Word Nerds?

For all my friends who enjoy words, here is a list of common word errors.

Compiled by Washington State University, it pretty much covers everything - even the correct use of fiancé and fiancée (boy and girl respectively).

Thanks, WSU. You do excellent work.

Coffee and Books - in Des Moines?

As I was running late to a soon-to-be canceled meeting this afternoon in Des Moines' East Village, I stumbled upon Plain Talk Books & Coffee. To its name, the store did not stand out. Only a little table and chair on the patio caught my eye.

Inside, the store had an amorous two aisles. I could hardly contain myself - not because of the books or the coffee, but because it's simply a small book store -

in Des Moines -

a rare find.

Even more rare was the fact that it been open for two years.

Since getting home, I've dug around to learn more about it. This book shop provides job training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities - how sweet is that?

If you're ever near Hammer Pharmacy, you're near Plain Talk Books & Coffee. Stop in, say hello, and fall in love with one of the only small book shops in Des Moines that's still open.

Riding with a Writer

"I worked in Paris - as a ghost writer. The lady, she was terribly interesting. And what a great opportunity to write and earn a living? And to practice my own writing - I was getting published back in those days. And it was a year for myself to see the world, to live some place else. To speak French - to do something I wanted, but to have nothing more than what I had.

"It was wonderful. In the end, I came back to the states. I started my PhD. That's how I came to Iowa. That's how I met my husband. He was working as an electrician - fixing a light in the hall way - talk about a class difference. He'd gone to school but not for an academic degree. And so he's why I stayed here."

Part of me wanted her to keep talking - to hear stories of her time abroad, to learn more about the lady she wrote for, to learn about where she was published.

The other part flinched at how she spoke about love with the back of her hand.

Practicing #1

I like talking.

Friends, family, strangers - you name it.

To anyone.

About anything.

Even if I'm not interested, I can still make an effort to learn something.

Yesterday, I talked with my sister.

Today, I still miss her.

Hearing her voice reminded me of how much she's grown up.

I don't like talking on the phone.

Struggle #1

I suck at character development.

Forty-five Years After Social Change

My white and tired legs,

shaking from the day standing

in the sun, begging for rest,

thank me for giving them a seat

on Chicago bus number 60, heading for Racine street.

Next stop brings

an old woman with graying hair and black hands,

carrying things in recycled shopping bags.

I watch her head,

heading towards the back of the bus,

looking for an empty seat,

and when she gets to me,

three rows from the back,

I stand

and give her a place to rest those bags and feet.

Odd Ages

No matter how much technology or noise I add to my life, I will remain a human being at the core.

And that's odd - as I am reminded of my interaction with technology each day, while longing for less static and something more personal.

I cannot escape this wireless tangle.

Though I've Never Woken Like This Before

"Feeling your side of the covers fall over me as you got up, I listened to the twelve steps you put between me and the bathroom. My eyes shuttered for a minute, as thoughts of you came. And I was woken again when your voice called to me.

"Jumping up and running to the bathroom, I found you sitting on the floor, head in hands. Your hair just long and dark enough to cover your swollen eyes.

"I asked, Darling - what's wrong? My legs were tired, shaking as I crouched down.

"You'd been awake all night, moving in and out of the bathroom, though I hadn't woken until this last time. There was now nothing left in your stomach, yet your body wanted to continue getting rid of whatever sick remained.

"No, you're not going to die, I said, comforting your worries. And then every summer-fear began streaming through my mind: West Nile, Lyme disease, spinal meningitis. So I said, Listen, it'll be all right. It's just the flu, as I held your hand.

"Then you asked me if I'd leave the bathroom for a minute. So I did. When I came back, you pointed out the blood that settled down at the bottom and proceeded to collapse on the floor.

"With all my 5am energy, I picked you up, wrapped a sweater around you, and brought you here," and I tried to keep my fears hidden as I looked at her sitting in that hospital bed.

"I'm sorry you had to see what was in the toilet," and she said embarrassingly and looked down at her robe, feeling around at the opening in the back. "Has anyone seen my butt?"

"Just me and the doctor," I half-smiled, seeing color coming back to her already pale face.

She half-smiled back. "I'm glad you woke up."

"There's a first time for everything. But I've been awake for awhile."

To get started

It's not that I've forgotten how to write, it's just that I've stopped. So now it's time to start collecting my thoughts and patiently begin scribbling them again.