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10:49 PM: Holdailies Triolet VII
My total output stands at nine.
I fail at Holidailies.
I pledged I'd write here all the time—
My total output stands at nine.
I've naught to say of Palestine
Or even of Israelis
My total output stands at nine.
I fail at Holidailies.
(But at least I've kept my triolet tradition going...)
P.S.:
This project took a ton of work,
So thanks to Chip and Jette!
Recoding every portal quirk...
This project took a ton of work.
They toiled without a single perk;
I'm really in their debt.
This project took a ton of work,
So thanks to Chip and Jette!
12:30 PM: On the bright side...
...at around 7:30 PM last night, there was a discussion and book signing for Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, by Michael Davis, which I attended with My Sister The Graphic Designer. She picked up a copy of the book, which I am looking forward to reading once she gets through with it.
As exciting as it might have been to meet the guy who wrote a book about Sesame Street, I confess he was not the big draw. Also there was Christopher Cerf, whose resume is approximately five miles long. Random House editor, co-producer of Between the Lions, and writer of a couple hundred songs for Sesame Street, for starters. On any other night, he might have been the big draw...
...but also there was Roscoe Orman, who plays Gordon. Roscoe is one of the warmest people in the known universe. That my sister and I -- at the tail end of the line -- got out of there close to 11 PM was largely because he took the time and effort to make a personal connection with every single person there.
That said, he wasn't the big draw either, if only because I'd met him back in 2005, along with Sonia "Maria" Manzano -- who unexpectedly turned up in the audience last night -- and Loretta "Susan" Long. The big draw was somebody I hadn't met before.
The big draw was Caroll Spinney. Which is to say, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. I'm gonna let the photo do the talking here.
Squee!
2:00 AM: Would you like some whine with that interview?
So the good news is that I awoke this morning to see an e-mail from a company I'd sent a resume to, asking if I'd be available for a phone interview this afternoon. This was the first nibble of interest I'd gotten from anybody in well over a month. "Huzzah!" I thought. "The December drought is over, and somebody may want to hire me!" Furthermore, the company seemed a good fit; they wanted a copyeditor for a fast-paced Web site, and the job posting even went as far to note that a sense of humor would be a plus.
Then came the actual interview. I went down in flames.
Given a specific question, I can do pretty well. I may go on for a half-hour chasing down tangents in order to provide something resembling a complete answer, but it'll have some focus. Open-ended questions are another story. I freeze, I babble, I go round in aimless circles. It's even worse on the phone, where I have no visual cues to see how I'm going over.
"Describe your job experience."
[sigh]
I don't know what a good answer to that might sound like, but it sure wasn't what I came up with. I pretty much brought up every aspect of things I've done that don't resemble the job in question, while leaving out points of direct comparison.
(Would it have been acceptable for me to ask something like "Could you tell me a bit about what you're looking for first?" Because given some context, rather than a complete vacuum, I think I might have been able to formulate a coherent response...)
At any rate, it turned out that this was the first day of the first round of interviews, and that they were still advertising in hopes of getting a really large list of applicants they could whittle down over the next few weeks. I figure it's a safe bet I've been whittled away by now.
Later in the afternoon, I spent awhile wistfully watching and rewatching the Connected Venture office lip dub of "Flagpole Sitta". I know that video isn't representative of your typical office. I don't even believe it's representative of their office.
But I am so tired of being unemployed.
Monday, December 15, 2008
I picked up some chocolate-covered mandelbrodt from the bakery department of a local kosher supermarket. I was a bit skeptical that it would be worth the bother, as the bakery is hit-or-miss; their seven layer cake is decent, but their cinnamon sticks are really quite awful. But one bite of the mandelbrodt and I practically swooned. Dense almond chocolate goodness, and atypically moist. (Mandelbrodt is usually dry and crisp. I regard this as an improvement.)In other news, I'm working my way through the first season of Mork and Mindy, which I got on DVD by virtue of drinking an awful lot of Diet Pepsi. While a bit dated, and while Mork's character never was at all consistent -- he's just a framework for Robin Williams to do his shtick -- it's still entertaining.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I suppose this is a copout entry, but I should like to share a few links.
If you've read or seen Pride and Prejudice and you've used Facebook, hie thee immediately to Austenbook, which retells the novel in status lines. It's brilliantly executed. (Found via Jed.)
While updating my links page, I found a translation of "Baby Got Back" into American Sign Language. I'm sure I'd appreciate it much, much more if I knew any ASL, but it's still pretty funny without that knowledge. (The relevant bit starts around 1:20.)
If—and only if—you've seen many episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh!, check out Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series. Despite the name, it's actually a parody that's both affectionate and merciless in shredding the series. Also see the wiki page, which lists some bonus episodes not found at that link. (I particularly like the "live action" one in which Little Kuriboh recites the entire first episode on camera, in response to YouTube taking the original down for copyright infringement.)
This is a couple of years old, but perhaps you haven't seen it... Library Smut, some gorgeous photos of libraries. I take no responsibility for drool shorting out your keyboard. (The photos are from this book.)
Finally, Jin Wicked has art for sale. As I write this, the clearance section has a couple of prints still left at the utterly absurd price of $1 apiece, which is definitely below her cost of production. She also has a bunch of eBay auctions underway. Please don't let one of my favorite artists starve...
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
And on to the facts behind Two Truths and a Lie.
I've played lead kazoo on "I Can See Clearly Now" in front of a day camp, backed up by a professional five-piece band. It was one of the best experiences in my life.I was a staff member, not a camper, and I'm actually not sure how many instruments were in the band -- it may have been six or seven -- but this is true. I love music, and the kazoo is the only instrument I've mastered.
I'm not much of a dancer in general (to put it mildly), but I learned the kazatzka way back when. I dance it at weddings, and it tends to go over well.This one is a lie. A friend tried to teach me the kazatzka as a child, but I was never able to get the hang of it. (As an aside, it wasn't until I went looking for a relevant link the other night that I discovered it's called the "Cossack dance" by some, suggesting an etymology for the term, presumably by way of Yiddish.)
In a graduate-level course at the University of Michigan, I wrote and sang a song about L.E.L.'s "Fairy of the Fountains," to the tune of "Coward of the County." This may have been one of the many, many factors involved in my leaving that program.This is all too true. I was working on a term paper about the poem in question, and my mind is ruled by prosody. I couldn't stop noticing that the phrase "Fairy of the Fountains" had the exact same meter and alliteration as "Coward of the County"... I ultimately had to write two verses of the song just to get it out of my head so I could work on the paper. And having written the thing, I couldn't not share it... which I suppose means I ought to present it here as well.
The first two verses of this song are mostly as written and presented in 2002; I amended a few awkward phrases and wrote the final verse just now. I would note that my entire paper was about the fact that while earlier versions of this story served to impute a higher, fairy lineage to the French royal family, L.E.L.'s version is all about the dire consequences of mixing fairy and (fallen) human blood.
Everyone considered her the fairy of the fountains
If she appeared, you knew the king wouldn't last too long
Her name was Melusina, but folks called her "the fairy,"
But something always told me they were reading Mellie wrong.
She was just a few days old when her dad surprised her mother
His armor, crown, and all the rest gave her the creeps, they say.
I still recall the final words her mom said to her father
"Thy suspicion's parted us for ever; wo the day!"
And she said:
"Promise me, Mel, not to cast a fairy spell
Submit yourself to Jesus if you can
It's a sin for you to mix
Human blood with magic tricks
So daughter mine, I hope you understand
Leave fairy stuff alone, 'cause you're half man."
She was just past puberty when she stuffed Dad in a mountain
Her Mom read her the riot act, and said "You are perverse!
Each seventh day from here on out, you'll have to be half-serpent
Unless you find a man whose trust will someday break your curse."
Mel hung 'round the fountain, and soon was wooed by Raymond
He courted her a year and more, and asked her for her hand
She said, "I'd be delighted, but there's one small condition.
A spell's been laid upon me, so try to understand."
And she said:
"Promise me, Ray, that on the seventh day
You'll step aside, let me go off alone.
Put away your doubts and fears
'Cause it's just for seven years
So husband mine, I hope this is okay
Each seventh day be sure to stay away."
Raymond tried to keep his word, but jealousy consumed him
The fancies that arose in him, they set his brain on fire.
He had to know where she would go; he couldn't live with doubting,
One fateful day, he followed her, though this made him a liar.
Untold months of waiting were bottled up inside him;
No longer was he holding back, he walked into her cell.
Her upper half was human, but her lower coils were scaly!
She shrieked when she beheld him, and that was her farewell.
But she might have said:
"You promised me, Ray, that on the seventh day
You'd step aside, let me go off alone.
But your fears came to the fore
Now I'm cursed forevermore
I'll cry for your descendants through the years
For both our sins, I'll never dry my tears."
Everyone considered her the fairy of the fountains...
Monday, December 08, 2008
5:20 PM: On Deciding the Next Decider: The 2008 Presidential Race in Rhyme
Calvin Trillin's columns are a lot of fun to read.
He writes of food, and parking spots, and politicians' greed.
His narrative persona is unique, you can't deny:
A Kansas City New York Jew who thinks he's Everyguy.
His quirky brand of humor draws on subtle observations;
The nuances of daily life, and all of its frustrations.
I went to see him Tuesday; he arrived there close to eight
(At a reading called for seven, but The Daily Show ran late).
His newest book, it turns out, is about the past election.
A narrative account of the eventual selection
For president of our great land, of a man who shuns teh drama:
The senator from Illinois, Barack Hussein Obama.
The problem with this picture is he wrote the thing in rhyme.
It's almost all in couplets, and I can't say they're sublime.
As a nonce work, it's okay; I mean, I'll grant it's kind of cute,
But the shtick gets old too fast, and there's nothing that's astute.
So while I like his prose about Manhattan bourgeoisie,
When it comes to lightweight verse... heck, he's not as good as me.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
This is a last-minute replacement entry; I've been offline for the past six hours or so due to what I devoutly hope was the final installment from a week of technology-related mishaps. Those following my Twitter feed have the general idea of that; I'll probably have a full report here over the next few days. I wanna go to sleep, but I refuse to miss Day #2 of Holidailies, so instead I'm going to follow my sister's lead. Of the following three claims, two are true. One is not. Give me your best guess in the comments... you stand to win absolutely nothing if you're correct!
One: I've played lead kazoo on "I Can See Clearly Now" in front of a day camp, backed up by a professional five-piece band. It was one of the best experiences in my life.
Two: I'm not much of a dancer in general (to put it mildly), but I learned the kazatzka way back when. I dance it at weddings, and it tends to go over well.
Three: In a graduate-level course at the University of Michigan, I wrote and sang a song about L.E.L.'s "Fairy of the Fountains," to the tune of "Coward of the County." This may have been one of the many, many factors involved in my leaving that program.
(Clarification for new readers: No, Erin's not technically my sister.)
Friday, December 05, 2008
9:12 PM: Holidailies Introduction
It's time once again for Holidailies, in which journallers attempt to update their journals every day for a month. This year, we're kicking off on December 5th for a change.
I'm Shmuel. Apparently I've made it to middle-aged, even if I keep celebrating my 19th birthday every year. When I started this journal in 1999, I lived in Queens. Since then, I've spent time in Ann Arbor and Boston before returning to New York City this summer. I'm now in a basement apartment in Brooklyn. It's tiny, and there are issues with mold, insects, and things that go bump in the night, but it's the best I can do just now. (Most of my stuff is in storage back in Massachusetts. I miss my stuff.)
At the moment, I'm a freelance editing professional... or an unemployed editor, take your pick. Though if you're interesting in starting or continuing a collection of almanacs with my name in the credits, the fourth in that series (and the first at this franchise) is now on sale. Meanwhile, I'm looking for work, like so many others in these dark times.
One side effect of being unemployed is that I've been without medical insurance for close to two years. As a direct result, I haven't been to a doctor or a dentist -- the latter is an issue -- and I've gone off my anxiety meds. I'd say I'm holding up pretty well, all things considered.
My social life remains close to nonexistent, outside of Second Life... except that now that I'm back in New York, I've been hanging out with My Sister The Graphic Designer most Thursday evenings. So that's something.
You may, if you wish, compare this with last year's introduction.
Monday, November 03, 2008
8:43 PM: Eleventh-Hour Election Post
Election Day is tomorrow. I suppose it's past time I posted my take on it...
All things considered, I'm feeling really good about this election. Four years ago, I explained why I wasn't going to vote for any of the major-party candidates. (In the end, I did write in "Al Sharpton" as my protest vote.)
There are, of course, intelligent positions for wanting either George Bush or John Kerry to be running the country for the next four years. If you think that either of them is well suited for the job -- if you really and truly want either of them running the country, as opposed to merely preferring one over the other -- then by all means, I encourage you to go ahead and vote for the one of your choice. That's the way the process is supposed to work.As it stood, I was unhappy that Dubya won, but equally relieved that Kerry lost. Both of those feelings have remained strong in the four years that followed.
If, on the other hand, you don't think either is an especially good choice, but you're planning to vote for the one of the two whom you dislike the least, I would strenously suggest that you be a part of the solution, rather than perpetuating the problem.
By contrast, this time around we've somehow been blessed with two major-party candidates who appear capable of doing the job competently. Short of one of them dropping dead and promoting one of the potential veeps—down the rabbit hole of what-ifs lies madness—there's no bad outcome here. No matter what happens tomorrow, the country wins.
This assessment is predicated on the assumption (hope?) that, once past the election, the candidates will snap out of campaign mode and revert to their normal selves. Judging either Obama or McCain on the drivel they and their campaigns have been spewing for months now, I'd have to conclude that they're just a pair of dirty lying politicians and go through yet another election cycle voting for someone other than the top two choices. (Calling McCain a clone of Dubya is as ludicrous as calling Obama a socialist, and vice-versa.) But I'd rather believe that each candidate has concluded that it's impossible to win a U.S. presidential election by fighting fair. If I were more cynical, I might even conclude that they were right; as it stands, while both have disappointed me, I'm inclined to judge them by their non-campaign modes.
There's more to go on in McCain's case, and I suspect that he's actually better equipped to be an effective president than Obama is at this point. He does have more experience: in general, in Washington, and in working across party lines. And if Obama is elected, I am going to be fervently hoping the conservative members of the SCOTUS hang in there until a non-litmus-test based administration gets in. Still, there are legitimate policy disagreements between McCain and Obama, I prefer the latter's positions more often than not, and I do think he'd be competent at the job... so tomorrow I plan on gritting my teeth and muttering darkly while flipping the little lever next to his name.
But after that, I'm going to be happy no matter what. It's nice to feel able to vote for a major-party candidate for only the second time in five presidential elections. It's even nicer to have both candidates be somebody I could see myself voting for.
Some days, it's nice to be an American. I think this one's worth celebrating.
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