Rediscovering Los Angeles,

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Rampart Village, Los Angeles, CA

One of the best feelings in the world is discovering a new place where you know you’ll find yourself again because it’s somehow an integral part of you the instant you find yourself in its space. I felt this way the moment that I saw the radiant photo for JT, and I still feel this way about the site now, as I enter its 101st post with this text!

That feeling goes beyond the web-page though, as it extends across to so many of the places I find in my travels through the city. Earlier today I visited Miguel Contreras High School with The PLUS ME Project, and there was just such a brilliant sight there that I can still see it now: nestled just outside of downtown on 3rd street, the school has an absolutely magnificent view of another skyline besides downtown’s that a lot of L.A. aficionados aren’t as familiar with: that of Mount Baldy’s snow-covered mountain tops! It was galvanizing. And even now, to think that while I enjoyed the warmth of rich sunlight this morning in L.A., not far away there stood this an entirely polar universe of snow and temperatures below zero, I mean it was just humbling!

The world is so vast, but even for The L.A. Storyteller, there are moments where it feels like I’m just so crammed in by all the concrete and metal and fumes which surround me as I make my way through the city. Still, while it might be true that L.A.’s traffic can feel overwhelming at times, it’s also true that it just depends on the particular moment in which one finds themselves in.

For me today, as I stood on 3rd street in front of MCLC’s doors at 10:00 am, with the heavy morning commute out of the way and most people tucked into their offices, the entire place was free of traffic, noise, and the tensions that spring from these things. And as I took a breath before it all, it just dawned on me how no matter where we are we’re always just a small part of things there. The world and its movement are infinitely bigger than we are, but rather than sulking over this, it’s exciting to rejoice over any little bit of the universe that we get! And especially so if we get to stand amid sunshine and warmth on one end to muse at snow-covered mountain peaks on the other end!

And so it looks like I’ll have to go back to 3rd street soon, and not just for an appointment with the school there.

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Thank You Los Angeles, with Love

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Dear Friends, Family, and Other Members of this Community,

Today it is my distinct pleasure to inform you that together:

WE DID IT!

After fifteen days, we officially reached our fundraising goal this morning to make the impossible, just possible! Now, a new camera awaits the pages of JIMBO TIMES. And I hope you’ll stay tuned, because our journey together has only just begun. After all, JT is designed to tell ‘L.A. stories’ for the people of Los Angeles, making this first camera OUR investment.

Our fundraising effort is also a bookmark by which to remember that when people reach out to one another, they find not only that they’re not alone in this world, but that they are respected, appreciated, and ultimately loved by others who can recognize a fellow human being in need.

Thank you so much once more, and please know that all of you have a friend in both mom and I as we continue forward alongside The City. Together we wish you an amazing new year in peace, health, and magnificent success.

From another gorgeous day in ever sunny Los Angeles,

Jimmy “JIMBO” Recinos & Mama

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Reeling from Our News Cycle

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It’s been difficult to write, more difficult than usual.

The news has been especially disturbing as of late, and I can still recall the days when I’d criticize mom for paying attention to the news on television, back when we still had a television in our living room. Years later, I find myself clenched to my seat, unable to look away; scared, angered, and disheveled by the scene on the screen of my laptop all at once.

To make matters more difficult, I don’t know what else I can really say to anyone else at this point. For a long time, my writing’s operated on the premise that I could appeal to reason within others the way others have appealed to the reason within me, but at this point, I’m not so sure anymore.

At this point, I don’t know who’s listening, or if anyone is listening at all. At the very least, I tell myself, the writing will go on some kind of record, for whatever that might count, except that there are so many records, so many of which are just obsolete, all just describing a moment of helplessness before the act of a great crime or tragedy against humanity, but they never actually contesting it or fighting back, just merely recounting.

The idea, then, that I can at least write to educate others about injustice in hopes of raising a general awareness to prevent more crimes against humanity offers little respite from the great sense of disappointment that my efforts at this have produced so far. Toni Morrison once said “the purpose of freedom is to free someone else,” but what’s the point of freeing one person’s mind if three times as many will still remain enchained at the end of the day?

Continue reading “Reeling from Our News Cycle” →

When You Don’t Get the Job: How to take “No” for the Win

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As seen on LinkedIn.

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As my job hunt continues, a few more ideas have come into perspective about the process. Below are a few tips I think can help my fellow job hunters out there following the application process!

    1. There is no such thing as a wasted application. Even when you don’t get the job, while you can look at the applications where you got a no as throwaways, they’re actually quite the opposite. Think about it this way: your portfolio is growing, and the more applications you have to review, the more templates you’ve got to build the one. After all, it’s likely that as you get more in touch with the kind of job you want, you’ll increasingly reach out to employers who will probably have the same requirements as the others, with slight variations; in turn, the more material you have to sift through which corresponds to the subtleties of these variations, the more likely you’ll create the application that reaches just the right employer when just the right time comes.
    2. There is no such thing as a wasted interview, because here’s a shocker: Learning how to rock an interview is just like learning how to ride a bicycle, tossing a frisbee, or dancing your heart out: it takes practice! And as always, the more practice you have, the better. But how can you measure whether you’re getting better or not, you ask? By recording your interviews. Do this by writing about the process, calling a friend or family member immediately after the interview wraps up to chat about it, or even by vocally recording your thoughts as soon as you get the chance. Make a note of what was asked during the interview, how you responded, and how you could have responded even better; just like the application, it’s going to help you track the oh-so-little things which can and will make all the difference next time.
    3. Always, always, always thank any potential employer who takes the time to speak with you. Saying ‘thanks anyway’ with a smile shows confidence and class, and it also makes you more competitive for potential opportunities at another time. This step might be the easiest to overlook, but it’s a crucial one. Unless you plan on job hunting for about a year before you hit the lottery and move to the Cayman Islands, you’re probably better off keeping a likable record with the employers that could have been so that at least you build rapport from the process. More importantly, it’s about constructive thinking: when you walk away from something, do so with hindsight, and let the experience enrich your perspective.
    4. Take all of these tips and use them to find yourself, believe in yourself, and narrow down your focus. As you review your applications, interviews, and thanks anyways’, think about what felt right about them and what didn’t. In my own experience, I’ve found that in certain cases where I wasn’t exactly feeling the job was the best fit, my skepticism showed in the applications and later even came off in my tone during interviews. For example: the earliest applications I sent out had quite a bit of fluff in them, and whereas before I didn’t know why potential employers didn’t “buy it”, I can now see that employers can easily spot the fluff. Yup. Two weeks later, that old fluff has been kicked to the curb, and it’s reflected in my latest applications as I’m now more sure of what I do have to offer and what I don’t. Call me overzealous, but I’m confident this can only make me a better applicant as I continue on.
    5. Cliche as it might be: Never give up! Ever! No matter how many “nos” you get, remember that history is filled with stories of successful individuals who got bouquets of “nos” before they finally got the “yes”. Now it’s your turn to receive, and I say you take those bouquets and thank every single one of the senders for helping you right along the way! Because you’re always on the way. Every single day. Believe it. You’re worth it. You. Freaking. Rock. Now get back out there. And win. It’s what you’re supposed to do.