Just an average guy, screaming into the void, hoping for an echo in return.

  Here it is, the first picture in history: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first photo ever, "View from the Window at Le Gras," from his estate in France in 1826 or 1827 using a technique he'd invented called heliography and a camera obscura. Today, most of us walk around with an incredibly powerful camera in our pockets. We don’t think twice about taking photographs of our world, from our pets to beautiful landscapes to our family and friends. We’ve come a long way from what the first photo ever taken looked like.   Follow me on: LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/josevelazquezjr/ On the radio at: Eagle Online Radio On Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jvthedj On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jv_the_dj/

Seriously, is this the best we can do for America in 2024?  Trump seemed young. Biden seemed old. Trump made stuff up. Biden didn't seem to know where he was, especially at the beginning and end. I watched equal parts CNN and Fox. My takeaways... Ask Sean Hanity on Fox and as expected he thought Trump eviscerated Biden. Ask Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and as expected she thought Biden won the night. CNN fell somewhere between them. David Axelrod noted Biden had clearer issue stances, but Trump controlled the pace and tone. In a polarized America, issues alone aren't going to win the White House. Van Jones, a staunch Biden supporter (his words last night, not mine), and a variety of journalists sitting in on Democrat watch parties all came to the same conclusion. "Democrats, we have a problem." Maybe this debate won't change much in the long-run. Most people seem to have made up their minds already. And there's a long time between now and November. But from the repo

  A  wise man once said "nobody ever became rich because of credit card points or airline miles." Before you make me walk over hot coals, remember it's hashtag # financefriday , so let me explain. When you know how to use credit wisely, then benefitting from points, cash back, or miles is great. Hey, why not? But if you do, you're not the target demographic. Credit card companies gladly give you the benefits because they're dangling their bait for far bigger fish. That's because a large percentage of the U.S. population with credit cards don't know how to use them wisely. Basically, as a nation, we are in debt up to our eyeballs. How deep? According to the Federal Reserve, in Q1 of 2024, credit card debt crossed $1.12 Trillion dollars. TRILLION. Credit card companies know this. And so they prey on the vast majority of Americans who don't know how to utilize credit cards wisely. They sucker you in with perks and points and miles and hope you'll t

You ever been so driven to achieve a goal you'd move heaven and earth to attain it? When I was in broadcasting school, I was so focused on completing it I put sleep aside. Didn't hurt that I was 19 at the time. As you know, 19 year olds don't need much sleep. When I got up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready to head into Boston, I'd put a couple of changes of underwear and t-shirts in my backpack. I was never sure I'd make it home that night. I lived about an hour north and took the train into the city. Then a 20 minute subway ride and a 15 minute walk to school. Class started at 7:30 and didn't get out until about 4:30. From there I'd head back to the train station, but I wouldn't go home. I worked at the station's commercial plaza at a "Strawberry's Records and Tapes." It was a record store chain in the northeast. I worked from 5-11. The last train home was at 11. When the manager wasn't there, my coworkers would let me slip out 1

So I'm probably the last person on earth coming back to this blog platform, but I'm dusting it off. Since I wrote on here last life changed significantly. I am no longer a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. I retired in 2020 and am thankfully living an easier and slower pace of life. I now have a freedom beard where a clean-shaven face used to be.  People who knew me before the beard are still deliberating whether they like it or not. My answer? Some are also deliberating me living un-apologetically as my true self, and saying what I want. My answer? I might use this platform as a sounding board moving forward. If you want to learn more about where I've been or what I've been up to, please feel free to check me out. Follow me on: LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/josevelazquezjr/ On the radio at: Eagle Online Radio On Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jvthedj On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jv_the_dj/ If you're still around, wassup? I'll be posting often