Happy New Year!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Pre-Santa

I've been meaning to write some things, but haven't gotten around to it. Work update: I'm still employed and am learning with each day. Everyone at the office is gearing up for the big convention in Anaheim in 2-3 weeks. I finished my article about the nascent years of the Stan Kenton National Stage Band camp. I spoke to two educators, Clem DeRosa and Ray Santisi, and Paul Erskine who went to the camp starting when he was 7. My other article should be published soon in Music Inc. about retailers in Texas. Aside from those articles I've been doing the news stories on downbeat.com every day and writing product summaries for Music Inc.

I will be going to the convention in California. My first work trip should prove to be exciting. I'll be gone for six days and, from what I've heard, the convention is sensory overload. I'm looking forward to my seemingly yearly voyage west. This trip won't solely be pleasure like my past trips.

With almost two months down, one to go, I'm somewhat unsure what the future has in store for me. I think I'm doing a good job. So we shall see if my contract gets picked-up. Otherwise it's back to the classifieds and Law and Order.

The publisher did tell me I'm doing a "great job" as he handed me a Christmas bonus check. I think I'm liked by most people in the office, so I got that going for me.

I'll hopefully write more tomorrow.

Here's the thing

One of my coworkers is an adamant fan of NBC's The Office. I watched an episode last night and have seen the first season and most of the second. Here's what bothers me about the office sitcom. Why would I watch a show after I get home that is about being at work? It seems to go against what I believe in: leaving your job at work.
Most offices have their oddities and quirks. At my last job there was a guy who discovered eBay about 10 years after everyone else and loved to spread the word and sing the praises of buying others garbage. He would gleefully tear open his packages with fervor usually reserved for Christmas morning. One day, the package was a woman's sweater with an American flag motif. After standing and saluting the sweater, I asked if this was for a friend or foe. The ladies garment was for his buddy who taught history and has a penchant for sweaters.

There's the compulsive gambler. The religious zealot with firm, unwavering views that will endlessly attempt a conversion. The moron who somehow earns more than you. The advice-giver, doesn't matter the topic, he'll tell you how to improve your love life, fuel efficiency, diet. The quiet one that everyone placates for fear of their going postal. The guy with no sense of volume modulation when speaking. The person who uses speaker phone too often.

Why do I need to watch other people's office lives? To view the oddballs that comprise their menagerie? The show's hyperbole allows you to look at your own environment and laugh, especially when the printer displays "PC Load Letter," and provides the environment to chat around the water cooler. This separation and parallel work situation enables workers to indirectly criticize their own situation. Their boss may not be as culturally insensitive as Michael Scott, or returning from a Jamaican trip with their attractive boss, but the fictional caricature allows the average peon to assert their supremacy.

Although my office life doesn't come with theme music and credits (it'd be cool if it did), I'll be content to leave my desk job at work and not tune in for the re-airing Thursday nights.

Week 1

Week one has come to a close. I made it through without napping. I've truly amazed myself. The job involves copy editing and some data entry tasks. Next week I'll start writing stories for another one of their publications that deals with the retail music industry. So I'm looking forward to writing again. One of the major benefits of working at Down Beat is the vast library of CDs. I've started to stretch-out my ears with the help of the editor to try new artists and explore the wonder that is jazz. The top of the stack for last week were:


There were some others that were good but I can't recall the specs. There were some vocalists. A little Freddy Cole which I found a little slow. I sampled a McCoy Tyner album as well. I listened to the debut CD for Hope Watts (I looked for info, but I must have here name wrong) which is a little edgier than what I usually listen to. I also checked out the batch of CDs being reviewed for the next issue.

One week down a few more to go. The people are nice and include me in their daily run to Starbucks. I go along for the exercise.

One downer is that they use macs. I'm not totally opposed to macs; I had to use them for film editing. I am anti-dirty macs without cd drives and no form of Office loaded.

Yesterday I went to ND with my uncle and his family. Miserable ending but great seats and a great game. I've seen some great games with unfortunate endings. Luckily the Tribune was merciful in their report about the game. They only had a few pictures and didn't dwell on ND's collapse.

At last!

At last
my job has come along
my beggarly days over
and life is like a song

Ooh At last

That's not exactly how Etta James sang it, but I think that was what she meant.

I have found a job at long last. It only took four months and two weeks. After being told I'm monotone, not lively and discriminated against for my cursed Y chromosome I have found a job I want. I will be working for Down Beat magazine as an editorial intern. Now you may be saying, that's not a real job, it's an internship. And you would almost be correct. It's a start and a chance to prove myself. The internship provides invaluable experience in writing and editing while working in a musical environment. Plus it's paid. So I can start spending money again.

I would like to thank (as if I've won an award) all of the alumni who have helped guide me. I think a helpful factor in securing this internship is that one of the editors is an NU alumnus. Go 'Cats! I also have to give some gratitude to my friends and family for putting up with me on this manic roller coaster of emotion. At least for the next three months that ride is closed.

One thing that I firmly believe sealed the deal was pouring on the prayers. None of the job hunting articles I read said anything about praying. I was pushed to the end of my sanity. I'm not one to quote from the Good Book on tape, but this is appropriate:

"So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Last week we ran out of mustard.

So, this weekend I'm going to dust-off the party hats, pop open a bottle of the good stuff (sparkling grape juice) and toast to the road ahead. I'd say it's been fun, but it hasn't. Looking for a job is one of the most painful, futile, arduous exercises in this world (Though I do hear that childbirth and kidney stones are quite painful).

I will continue to post about my new intern experiences, quirky ideas that keep me awake at night and I hope you'll continue to read along for Stories from the Job Front.