Electrolicious

Today is my (hopefully) last day at Amazon. I won’t quit writing for them if I can’t find other work, but, just in time, I got a call from Sara Trilling at Creative Assets (my agency) saying that they wanted to hire me to do marketing/PR writing for them. Well, well, well! She said I could possibly do 3/4 time, some offsite work–hmm! Sounds delectable to me.

In other news, Andreas and I are heading to Iowa tomorrow. I won’t have access to a computer (I don’t think) so don’t expect updates. I’m worried I’m going to be very cold in Iowa City, but I’ll figure something out.

Yesterday was my father’s 58th birthday–good lands! Does that mean I’m getting old too? I like my dad too much for him to die any time soon.

Nauseus today….

It’s one of those Saturdays I hate. When I was a child, my least favorite kind of Saturday was the kind that was sunny, cold, and involved housework. This is one of those days. Sun is shining, but it’s feezing outside, and housework beckons. I am ignoring it.

Scott Haapala (a photographer for Lotus, and incredibly cute friend of mine) commented to me the other day “How can you know the right thing to do and NOT do it?” As you might have guessed, he’s both a philosophy major and a complete boyscout, but despite his peachy-complexioned morals, his question has merit, even for those of us who are, shall we say, less than boyscouts.

Just indulged in the guilty pleasure of seeing “Charlie’s Angels.” I hate to admit it, but it was totally fun. Clear to see how “The Matrix” permanently changed action films.

In other news, today I got a call from a guy checking references (one of my writers had applied for a job) and was like “Do you know anyone else who would be interested in Web Producing content for a youth-oriented lifestyle site?” I was like “Um, me??” I would like to find a way to get away from Amazon…

Now is the time when I admit something some of you already know: I have a musical skeleton in my closet. Ok, so I edit a national electronic music magazine. This you know. Let’s walk through my MP3s…William Orbit “Ruby Heart,” Tosca “Fuck Dub,” Cheb i Sabbah “Divine Passtime,” Christina Aguilara “Come On Over (remix),” N’Sync “Sailing - Christopher Cross cover,” Destiny’s Child “Bugaboo.” Uh you see my issue? My music ranges from epic classical electronica, dubby smoker’s delight, Indian-influenced house beats, and then sheer, unadulterated SHITE! What can I say? I know all the words to The Backstreet Boys “Shape of My Heart.” I know that Christina’s voice is better than Britney’s. I have an MP3 of “The Thong Song,” for fooksake (although it IS a 2step remix–forgive me a little on that one.)

Yes, I have a weakness (besides being a loud-mouth) and the name of the weakness is “POP MUSIC.”

I’ve been in Seattle for the last couple days, first doing work for Forrest-Pruzan, and today for Amazon. It’s been a good visit–last night I went down to Contour with N and Owen to watch Eddie and Scott spin. N and I hit the dance floor, and she start doing the bump with me, ramming her tiny little butt against my somewhat more ample one. Getting in the spirit of things, I poked my ass up in the air, pointed it at her, and bumped to my hearts content.

Unfortunately, she had shimmied out of the way, and I found myself madly grinding my butt against some surpised young man on the uncrowded dancefloor. I almost fell over I was laughing so hard. I apologized profusely to the poor young man who’d been victim to my bumping. He was laughing almost as hard as I was, but it definitely got the night off to a great start, and I was laughing solidly until I went to bed at 3am.

Do you like to play with words? I do.

Another late night last night, but for a cause, damnit, for a cause: today I’m heading up to Seattle to meet with the ENTROSians, then visit with dear TC, then head to a White Trash/High Class drunken houseparty at Owen & Scott’s. I’ve got my trashy outfit ready–when I put on the cowboy boots, daisy duke cut-offs, halter top that looks like a red hanky, and cowboy hat, I looked in the mirror and did not recognize myself. Those were my dreadlocks hanging out from under the hat, but that was the limit of my self-recognition.

Andreas is still in LA–I think he and Dot were going to head up to her parents’ cabin somewhere in the mountains. Nice! I know they’re having a great time.

And so, all is well in the land of soy milk and honey.

You know, in my enjoyment of being social and having a bedmate, I always seem to forget that my nights home alone are frequently my favorites. Last night I wrote six Amazon product reviews for the Kitchen/Housewares department (one hairdryer, two irons, three Dirt Devil hand vac things), sent two invoices, haggled through more Lotus stuff (God, feels like a neverending battle, sometimes), and watched West Wing (which wasn’t nearly as interesting as real life politics, this week).

Ever seen Sissy Fight? You’ll love it.

Feeling much less ill today, and even managed to make it to the gym. I watched the election results with a macabre interest. I know Bush will win (and struggle to have any sort of mandate), but Florida is sketchy. Extremely sketchy. Salon’s coverage has definitely been the best.

So, an interview on Friday with the folks at Entros. I’m a little hesitant, as my prior work with them ended not-so-greatly: I worked for the company from mid ‘97 until late ‘98, as an entertainment guide while I was in college, and then, after graduation, as a strung-along freelancer. I was ready to jump right into a “post college” career with the company, and they kept stringing me along until I quit to take an editing position at Microsoft. I can’t say I was totally sad when both the Seattle and San Francisco ENTROS facilities closed late in ‘99–their management methods left a lot to be desired, and I think it caught up with them. I was pleased with myself for getting out when I did.

However, that being said, the new ENTROS is much pared down and humbled. Gone is the General Manager from Domino’s Pizza with his creepy corporate techniques, gone is the controller who always “accidently” screwed up my paychecks (strangely, her mistakes were always UNDER payment…hmm…), and the drunk restraunt staff. Only the “creatives” are left: the GameMakers and PlayTesters. And they need me to write. And write I probably will. Especially since I haven’t heard back yet about Real Networks. *shrug*

And now, another poem. This one borrowed a theme from the first, and is my definitive “AUTUMN” wordplay.

Drifting Goodbye

Leaves fall
Because they want to be
The soil
Of the future

Tired of love letters
conveyed through the words of worms
Eaten by birds who
Perch on branches
Leaves commit lovesick suicide
A goodbye note drifting
Toward the earth

I have fallen in love with Nerve Magazine. Finally, some intelligent sex banter! Me thinks I must write something for them.

Reading the bios of the magazine’s staff was inspiring, daunting, impressive, and motivating. Of course the magazine is published in New York, like 85% of the nation’s rags, and of course most of the staff went to Ivy League East Coast colleges by Brown, Princeton, Duke, Exeter, etc, but one went to UC Santa Cruz.

Lotus seems to be at a big turning point, and there are moments when I wonder if that’s my cue to move on. It would be sort of a shame (just when I could finally get paid decent wages, I’d move on), but maybe it’s just a good opportunity to think about what I’m doing and where I’m going.

I still want to do this publishing course, but it seems strange to saturate myself in the Manhattan publishing world, when I’m just rediscovering my rural bliss in the woods. Maybe I just need to prepare myself. When I’m done in Olympia, where to next?

In the meantime, I’ve got a couple work leads in Seattle. Alan Pruzan, and old colleague at ENTROS just emailed asking me if I’d be interested in writing for them; and dear Courtney is working on getting me an interview at Real Networks as a music editor. Sigh. We’ll see what I can pull out of my ass this time. I always seem to be able to do it, somehow piecing together a decent career for myself, despite an inherent laziness and aptitude for working in my pajamas, so let’s hope my luck continues.

In other news, what a crazy freakin’ election. I really really was rooting (and voting) for Gore, but it looks like he may have been eeked out by a few hundred votes in Florida. Ug!