05 March 2009
03 March 2009
150 Lumps O' Goodness: A Sesquicentennial Of Sorts
I know what I said yesterday about being tired and pulling back, but truly this was too good to pass up.
The Family Unit and I went out for dinner at a nearby pan-Asian eatery. They put ‘diner’ in the name, but I have to believe that the Chinese equivalent of a US diner would be a very, very different creature indeed. I doubt Toto or Kenny G would be the music of choice.
One thing they do have is these big bins along the wall, under the condiment racks, containing big piles of fortune cookies. As part of the evening’s entertainment for Wee Lass I took her over to the fortune cookies so she could pick out some for us.
And lo, look at the fortunes I found! How about that for a tweak on the nose from the Universe?
Sitting there in the light of the table lamps, the “designed-to-make-everyone-happy-so-noone-ends-up-enjoying-it” type music, the clatter and blare of the open kitchen hard upon my ears, my vision narrowed in on those fortunes. It was an illuminating moment.
Combined with the common human fascination with round, even numbers, the fortunes served as the perfect base for this, my 150th blog post in 150 days. Given that my 100th post was a bit of a fireworks display, I thought something more sedate would be nice.
150 posts. Wow. I know there is a lot of hard work involved in that. But I have also had lots of good luck as well. I won’t try to figure that out, I’ll just ride the wave, and have another cookie.
Happy 150th, everybody! Thank you for giving me some good cookies!
02 March 2009
That Collar Looks Smashing, Don't You Think?
T-minus 7 days and counting.
I am preparing for launch. The wheels of the Universe have turned in their own mysterious fashion and through whatever machinations of Fate, it has happened.
I have somehow found myself gainfully employed. The fittings for the collar went swimmingly, and on Monday, March 9th, I will once again be captaining an ergonomically correct, full-motion and probably black or dark blue desk chair.
I cannot confirm the color, because I have not seen the actual chair yet. But I have seen enough of them in nearly 20 years of architectin’ to be very familiar with the type. My workstation was not complete yet, but I have been assured that it will be ready by the time I show up. I have no doubt that it will be. The workstation will have the accoutrements of modern business, the usual suspects: phone, task lamp (maybe), computer. I hope to have unlimited access to Post-Its.
The company I am going join has a good reputation, does some interesting work and is stable. I thoroughly enjoyed my interview, and they reciprocated with interest. It looks like I will be getting my hands on work that has interest for me, and should keep me suitably engaged. I am hoping to fully utilize the skills and talents I think I brought to the table. I believe I’ll have the opportunity to perhaps create some good work. Plus, this job makes some other things possible.
In a week, I will be back to the singular pleasures and subtle delights of the regular workday. I will have a new commute, twice as long as my old one, through the heart of Charm City. My new workplace will not be as easy to get to as my previous place of employment. Perhaps this will be offset in part by access to an even broader array of eating/drinking establishments. There is the typical pizza place, a burrito joint (I like burritos, especially with pinto beans), and at least one place that has free Wi-Fi access. I expect I will be availing myself of their hospitality to do some Internettin’ away from the office and in the relative anonymity of a busy café. Also nearby is an Irish pub/restaurant, within easy walking distance. It has a decent reputation; I am eager to determine how well they handle the pouring of a pint of Guinness. Professional curiosity, you know.
For obvious reasons, a significant portion of my time will have to be dedicated to making my new position a success. It has to. Given the current economic situation, I would be foolish to not do my best. And I have always striven to do my best, no matter what I am engaged in.
I don’t know exactly what this means for my presence here on Irish Gumbo, other than to say I will have to pull back a bit. I need to do that anyway, because of my desire to develop some book ideas, do some marketing for publishing and that sort of thing.
I also need to pull back for some personal reasons, and because I am low on energy. I have been putting a lot of myself into the blog, occasionally more than I should perhaps, and it is catching up with me now. To be candid, I am approaching exhaustion. But I will not be giving it up. I can’t. I’ve learned too much, had a lot of fun and made some wonderful, wonderful connections.
I am preparing for launch. The wheels of the Universe have turned in their own mysterious fashion and through whatever machinations of Fate, it has happened.
I have somehow found myself gainfully employed. The fittings for the collar went swimmingly, and on Monday, March 9th, I will once again be captaining an ergonomically correct, full-motion and probably black or dark blue desk chair.
I cannot confirm the color, because I have not seen the actual chair yet. But I have seen enough of them in nearly 20 years of architectin’ to be very familiar with the type. My workstation was not complete yet, but I have been assured that it will be ready by the time I show up. I have no doubt that it will be. The workstation will have the accoutrements of modern business, the usual suspects: phone, task lamp (maybe), computer. I hope to have unlimited access to Post-Its.
The company I am going join has a good reputation, does some interesting work and is stable. I thoroughly enjoyed my interview, and they reciprocated with interest. It looks like I will be getting my hands on work that has interest for me, and should keep me suitably engaged. I am hoping to fully utilize the skills and talents I think I brought to the table. I believe I’ll have the opportunity to perhaps create some good work. Plus, this job makes some other things possible.
In a week, I will be back to the singular pleasures and subtle delights of the regular workday. I will have a new commute, twice as long as my old one, through the heart of Charm City. My new workplace will not be as easy to get to as my previous place of employment. Perhaps this will be offset in part by access to an even broader array of eating/drinking establishments. There is the typical pizza place, a burrito joint (I like burritos, especially with pinto beans), and at least one place that has free Wi-Fi access. I expect I will be availing myself of their hospitality to do some Internettin’ away from the office and in the relative anonymity of a busy café. Also nearby is an Irish pub/restaurant, within easy walking distance. It has a decent reputation; I am eager to determine how well they handle the pouring of a pint of Guinness. Professional curiosity, you know.
For obvious reasons, a significant portion of my time will have to be dedicated to making my new position a success. It has to. Given the current economic situation, I would be foolish to not do my best. And I have always striven to do my best, no matter what I am engaged in.
I don’t know exactly what this means for my presence here on Irish Gumbo, other than to say I will have to pull back a bit. I need to do that anyway, because of my desire to develop some book ideas, do some marketing for publishing and that sort of thing.
I also need to pull back for some personal reasons, and because I am low on energy. I have been putting a lot of myself into the blog, occasionally more than I should perhaps, and it is catching up with me now. To be candid, I am approaching exhaustion. But I will not be giving it up. I can’t. I’ve learned too much, had a lot of fun and made some wonderful, wonderful connections.
Whither Irish Gumbo? Give me a moment to catch my breath. Then let’s figure it out, you and I.
01 March 2009
Tidbits: Lessons In Humility
Ah, Sunday, another day of rest. In so far as it is possible to really rest trying to keep an eyeball or two or a four-year old with more energy than the Sun. It is a bit unfair to blame all my current malaise on Wee Lass; she is an innocent in all this. Sometimes I think if she were a story the title would be “The Accidental Vampire”.
The primary reasons why I am feeling an overused Coppertop is…well…everything else. Keeping up with the blog and all the great bloggy friends I have made and looking for a “real” job while trying to write enough stuff to jump start a budding writing career and deal with some profound personal changes: all this has depleted my reserves to an all-time low. Life right now seems a bit like watching a really exciting soccer match between two great teams, but not having enough energy to do more than say “yay”. No stomping of feet, no jumping out of my seat, just “yay”.
There are some notable exceptions, a few of which I will share herein, this my randomish Sunday post for the first day of March.
The primary reasons why I am feeling an overused Coppertop is…well…everything else. Keeping up with the blog and all the great bloggy friends I have made and looking for a “real” job while trying to write enough stuff to jump start a budding writing career and deal with some profound personal changes: all this has depleted my reserves to an all-time low. Life right now seems a bit like watching a really exciting soccer match between two great teams, but not having enough energy to do more than say “yay”. No stomping of feet, no jumping out of my seat, just “yay”.
There are some notable exceptions, a few of which I will share herein, this my randomish Sunday post for the first day of March.
REASONS TO BE HUMBLE
People talk, you hear things. More accurately, people comment, they blog things. Recently, I may have blogged some things that apparently had a deep effect on some nice folks of my acquaintance. They were kind and generous enough to let me know. Witness this from That Baldy Fellow at Nick Nack Blog Attack/The Tales Of Squire Kirk the Elder, on “Books, Unwritten”:
“I wasn't going to comment as I can't think of something adequate to say that does justice to this post. But I didn't want to not comment and leave you thinking it hadn't been read.So I'll simply say that it's another post that makes me wish my own writing was a lot better...”
He is a fine writer in his own right, so this was complimentary, indeed!
Then there is this lovely sentiment from one of my favorite bloggy/doggy friends, Henry the Dog at Henry the Dog Blog, on “Taken down a Peg”:
“…To be honest, you're sometimes much too intellecutal for mum and me (and I'm going to leave the transposed spelling of that word 'cause I think it's funny given the context of my comment) and so we don't always 'get' you. But we 'get' you more often than we don't and anyway even when we don't 'get' you - the sound that your words make is nice, like music.”
It isn’t everyday that a wonderful little dog can make me all misty, but Henry did it. “Music” he says. The musician in my heart weeps with joy at such a high honor!
And then there was this one, from Jan at Jan’s Sushi Bar, on “I’ll Stop the World and Melt”:
“….I just sat and cried while I read this. No, really, bawled my fucking eyes out. I've got a companion piece coming. Sort of. It's about feeling overwhelmed, anyway.”
The lovely Jan did write that companion piece here, and in it she linked to my post. And if you haven’t seen it yet, READ IT NOW. It is a well-written and powerful (and when I say powerful, I mean it made me tear up) account of confronting some uniquely female issues. If you are a woman, I suspect there will be some “amen, sister!” responses; if you are a man, I sense some enlightenment in your future. Her honesty and candor and deeply heartfelt essay will stick with you. Not unlike some of the tasty-sounding recipes she has posted, mmm, mmm.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that comments such as those leave me gobsmacked. I am thrilled that people are interested in what I have to write, and I am also deeply humbled that something I have said could have such an effect on people. It is a needed reminder of the reach of the electronic medium we inhabit, and of the potential we have to affect someone else. The computer screen has a way of making us forget that there is someone else on the other side of it. All the fermentations of the brain that we pour into it end up somewhere, whether we remember it or not. I am fortunate and deeply grateful to have a method of effectively emptying the flea market/brewery/dance hall/wildlife sanctuary that is my mind. That there is someone returning the serve I’m dishing up, well, that is tasty icing on a very nice cake.
There a whole bunch of good folks I need to think, and many of them know who they are. I’ll get to you, my pretties, I just need to rest a bit, get some energy back…
People talk, you hear things. More accurately, people comment, they blog things. Recently, I may have blogged some things that apparently had a deep effect on some nice folks of my acquaintance. They were kind and generous enough to let me know. Witness this from That Baldy Fellow at Nick Nack Blog Attack/The Tales Of Squire Kirk the Elder, on “Books, Unwritten”:
“I wasn't going to comment as I can't think of something adequate to say that does justice to this post. But I didn't want to not comment and leave you thinking it hadn't been read.So I'll simply say that it's another post that makes me wish my own writing was a lot better...”
He is a fine writer in his own right, so this was complimentary, indeed!
Then there is this lovely sentiment from one of my favorite bloggy/doggy friends, Henry the Dog at Henry the Dog Blog, on “Taken down a Peg”:
“…To be honest, you're sometimes much too intellecutal for mum and me (and I'm going to leave the transposed spelling of that word 'cause I think it's funny given the context of my comment) and so we don't always 'get' you. But we 'get' you more often than we don't and anyway even when we don't 'get' you - the sound that your words make is nice, like music.”
It isn’t everyday that a wonderful little dog can make me all misty, but Henry did it. “Music” he says. The musician in my heart weeps with joy at such a high honor!
And then there was this one, from Jan at Jan’s Sushi Bar, on “I’ll Stop the World and Melt”:
“….I just sat and cried while I read this. No, really, bawled my fucking eyes out. I've got a companion piece coming. Sort of. It's about feeling overwhelmed, anyway.”
The lovely Jan did write that companion piece here, and in it she linked to my post. And if you haven’t seen it yet, READ IT NOW. It is a well-written and powerful (and when I say powerful, I mean it made me tear up) account of confronting some uniquely female issues. If you are a woman, I suspect there will be some “amen, sister!” responses; if you are a man, I sense some enlightenment in your future. Her honesty and candor and deeply heartfelt essay will stick with you. Not unlike some of the tasty-sounding recipes she has posted, mmm, mmm.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that comments such as those leave me gobsmacked. I am thrilled that people are interested in what I have to write, and I am also deeply humbled that something I have said could have such an effect on people. It is a needed reminder of the reach of the electronic medium we inhabit, and of the potential we have to affect someone else. The computer screen has a way of making us forget that there is someone else on the other side of it. All the fermentations of the brain that we pour into it end up somewhere, whether we remember it or not. I am fortunate and deeply grateful to have a method of effectively emptying the flea market/brewery/dance hall/wildlife sanctuary that is my mind. That there is someone returning the serve I’m dishing up, well, that is tasty icing on a very nice cake.
There a whole bunch of good folks I need to think, and many of them know who they are. I’ll get to you, my pretties, I just need to rest a bit, get some energy back…
MORE INTERESTING THAN CSI: POUGHKEEPSIE
Speaking of people I need to thank, I want to direct your attention to the debut of an interesting new website/magazine called The Open Case, devoted to solving unsolved crimes. According to the creators, it is “Part magazine, part social networking site, part private investigator, the site is a cross between Facebook and America's Most Wanted.” That description alone is reason enough to spend some time on site. I do have an ulterior motive, in addition to that. See? Motive? Pretty good for a crime-related site, yeah? Hehheh.
The motive? Well, one of the contributing columnists is a gentleman by name of Rich Shea. Rich is, unlike myself, a professional journalist and writer (and a good one, I can tell you!) and is writing a column/blog entitled “Popular Forensics”. This debut edition for Rich revisits Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”, which is coming up on its 50th (50th!) anniversary later in the year.
I, uh, have not, um, read “In Cold Blood” yet. *shame* It is one of those books that is perpetually on my To Read list. However, after reading Rich’s very fine explication of the book (and the movie based on it) I am inspired to bump it to the top ten on my reading list. I was familiar with the story, but Rich illuminated it in a whole new way for me, one that made me want to read the book and really understand it. It’s a pretty safe bet that you will too. So please, drop by The Open Case and check them out. Who knows, you may have some useful information on one of those cases…
Disclosure: In addition to being a fine journalist and writer, Rich is also my former neighbor* and current good friend. Rich and I have had numerous discussions about writing professionally and all that it entails. We both are also pursuing creative writing avenues, and have shared stories and volunteered editorial time critiquing each other’s works. His advice and guidance have proved very valuable to me**. Seeing as he is a professional and has the credentials to back it up, that is another example of the icing on the cake.
*The reasons he is a former neighbor have nothing to do with me. Really. He and his family simply needed more spacious digs. Besides, the records were expunged, so you’ll never know, will you? Hehheh.
Speaking of people I need to thank, I want to direct your attention to the debut of an interesting new website/magazine called The Open Case, devoted to solving unsolved crimes. According to the creators, it is “Part magazine, part social networking site, part private investigator, the site is a cross between Facebook and America's Most Wanted.” That description alone is reason enough to spend some time on site. I do have an ulterior motive, in addition to that. See? Motive? Pretty good for a crime-related site, yeah? Hehheh.
The motive? Well, one of the contributing columnists is a gentleman by name of Rich Shea. Rich is, unlike myself, a professional journalist and writer (and a good one, I can tell you!) and is writing a column/blog entitled “Popular Forensics”. This debut edition for Rich revisits Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”, which is coming up on its 50th (50th!) anniversary later in the year.
I, uh, have not, um, read “In Cold Blood” yet. *shame* It is one of those books that is perpetually on my To Read list. However, after reading Rich’s very fine explication of the book (and the movie based on it) I am inspired to bump it to the top ten on my reading list. I was familiar with the story, but Rich illuminated it in a whole new way for me, one that made me want to read the book and really understand it. It’s a pretty safe bet that you will too. So please, drop by The Open Case and check them out. Who knows, you may have some useful information on one of those cases…
Disclosure: In addition to being a fine journalist and writer, Rich is also my former neighbor* and current good friend. Rich and I have had numerous discussions about writing professionally and all that it entails. We both are also pursuing creative writing avenues, and have shared stories and volunteered editorial time critiquing each other’s works. His advice and guidance have proved very valuable to me**. Seeing as he is a professional and has the credentials to back it up, that is another example of the icing on the cake.
*The reasons he is a former neighbor have nothing to do with me. Really. He and his family simply needed more spacious digs. Besides, the records were expunged, so you’ll never know, will you? Hehheh.
**Such as teaching me the value of disclosure. It can save a lot of hassle in the long run.
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