Thoughts on Those Things

I love all things social. I love marketing. I love PR. I love excellent content and design. I love to be entertained. I love Michigan State University.

These are my thoughts on those things.

I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening.

I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.

I feel like I am overreacting about what I experienced. But I can’t help but be thankful for whatever caused me to make the choices that I made that day. My mind keeps replaying what I saw over in my head. I hope the victims make a full recovery. I wish I could shake this odd feeling from my chest. The feeling that’s reminding me how blessed I am. The same feeling that made me leave the Eaton Center. The feeling that may have potentially saved my life.

—Jessica Redfield (real last name: Ghawi) was shot and killed last night at a midnight screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ along with 11 others when a gunman opened fire in a theater. The above is from her blog, written in June, after she narrowly escaped another senseless shooting at a mall in Toronto. (via newsweek)

This is worse than “Amercia.” Who is tweeting for this brand? Hashtag: FAIL.* *Please excuse the c-word in this screen shot. I do not endorse that language.

This is worse than “Amercia.” Who is tweeting for this brand? Hashtag: FAIL.*

*Please excuse the c-word in this screen shot. I do not endorse that language.

LOVE these guys! Can’t wait for the next album + tour. :)

backstreetboys:

In case you missed it on GMA this morning…here’s the special announcement!

Very respectful correction. Shame on the author. hitrecordjoe: BURNING dAN in GQ First of all, I’d like to thank both of the Jims and everyone else at GQ for putting me on the cover of their magazine this month.  That kind of exposure is a huge help to all the work I love to do, and I’m deeply appreciative. I’m writing this because I have a problem with what their article says about my brother.  I’ll be honest, it really made me feel terrible.  Here’s a quote: ‘…the elder Gordon-Levitt died of an alleged drug overdose in 2010.  “It was an accident” is all Joe will say about that.’ Using the word “alleged” technically allows the writer to say whatever she wants.  The “allegations” to which she must be referring were made by a handful of gossip websites.  They are factually incorrect according to the coroner’s office and the police department.  I don’t like publicly speaking about my brother’s death, but I’m making an exception to correct this irresponsible claim. By the way, while I asked the writer not to dwell on how he died, I did say quite a bit about how he lived, and how much he means to me.  Dan was a brightly positive, genuinely caring, and brilliantly inspiring person, and I liked the idea of such a wide readership learning about him.  My parents and I are disappointed with what the article chose to focus on regarding this sensitive subject. thanks J

Very respectful correction. Shame on the author.

hitrecordjoe:

BURNING dAN in GQ

First of all, I’d like to thank both of the Jims and everyone else at GQ for putting me on the cover of their magazine this month.  That kind of exposure is a huge help to all the work I love to do, and I’m deeply appreciative.

I’m writing this because I have a problem with what their article says about my brother.  I’ll be honest, it really made me feel terrible.  Here’s a quote:

‘…the elder Gordon-Levitt died of an alleged drug overdose in 2010.  “It was an accident” is all Joe will say about that.’

Using the word “alleged” technically allows the writer to say whatever she wants.  The “allegations” to which she must be referring were made by a handful of gossip websites.  They are factually incorrect according to the coroner’s office and the police department.  I don’t like publicly speaking about my brother’s death, but I’m making an exception to correct this irresponsible claim.

By the way, while I asked the writer not to dwell on how he died, I did say quite a bit about how he lived, and how much he means to me.  Dan was a brightly positive, genuinely caring, and brilliantly inspiring person, and I liked the idea of such a wide readership learning about him.  My parents and I are disappointed with what the article chose to focus on regarding this sensitive subject.

thanks

J