Just as Hard as it Sounds

So when I took my job writing exhibits, I knew it was a short-term 18-month gig. But I figured 18 months as a "real" writer was worth it, and by the end of the 18 months, I'd surely be able to land find another writing gig. Boy, am I naive! Today was my last day at the job, and I'm now laid off.

I'm sad to leave my friends behind, as I had many awesome coworkers. But I'm glad to be out of that wickety wak environment, and beyond ready to leave the museum world in my rear view. But how to transform myself into a writer, even with all this free time on my hands now, is just as hard as it sounds like it might be. It might shock you to hear, but writing here doesn't pay, and I'm not sure how to find writing gigs that do. And to be honest, I like writing, so I'm not sure I want to mess up that relationship by getting in bed with it and making it my livelihood.

On a Diet

On the way back into town from a weekend trip, we stopped at this place just north of Phoenix that's known for its pies. I'd never had their pies, and even though I'm not a huge pie fan, I figured we should try their pie at least once. As we walked through the parking lot and through the door, I couldn't help but notice that everyone around us was, well, big. If the average weight of a restaurant's customers is about 250 lbs, you probably shouldn't be eating there.

Hungry Piggies

While I am by no means obsessed with Angry Birds like many of my friends, I do think it's a fun, clever little diversion. But am I the only one who wonders why I'm supposed to side only with the birds? Am I just supposed to stand by and let the birds reproduce willy-nilly ad infinitem while the piggies starve to death? I think we're just not giving those piggies enough credit. They're resourceful, crafty, and smart enough to design and erect some really effective fortifications. I'd rather be playing Hungry Piggies, to be honest. Screw those birds!

Monkey of the Day

Today's monkey is a bit of a throwback, from Vintage Printable.

Monkey of the Day

Thank you, Boing Boing.

Work Less for More Happiness

I've always said that I would gladly work fewer hours for less money in order to have more time off. My favorite work schedule ever was a 32 hour workweek. Sure, I didn't make a ton of money. Guess what? I still don't! But my current 40 hour workweek doesn't leave me time for the things I used to spend my free time doing - long hikes with my dogs, trying out new recipes, exploring the library for something new to read. In part, all of that was a major lifestyle change that happened when I moved from Nashville to Flagstaff, where I learned to cherish the experiences that come from being in an outdoorsy small town over the things that money can buy. So while some might read the intro to this NYTimes article & think, "This chick be crazy!" I'm thinking I should follow in her footsteps...

Monkey of the Day

Colbert delivers today's monkey

In Which I Meet a Hero

This weekend, one of my favorite things on earth, Wiretap, came here to do a performance. (Why in God's name a Canadian show decided to time their arrival to Arizona in JULY is beyond me, though). Jonathan Goldstein is a genius, and in addition to being a Wiretap junkie, I've followed his stuff on This American Life and in print (both his essays and his novel). So I was beyond excited to meet him and have him sign his novel. But I was completely crestfallen when he told the hipster asshat in front of me in line that he LOVED the guy's tattoo. Of a bear playing a guitar. Which then made me all deflated and self-conscious and not wanting to seem like a loser groupie, so I lost all desire to explain what a mega-fan I am and to beg him to take me on as an intern on his show. So instead I just shuffled forward and had him sign my book without speaking anything more than "hello."

Aside from that, the performance reaffirmed just how awesome Wiretap is, especially since I learned that Doug Savage's sticky notes were a pivotal part of Jonathan's presentation. From now on, though, I might stick to listening to Wiretap rather than trying to seek it out in live form.

Thank You, Interwebz

And thank you to my awesome friend Sara for pointing me to Compy 386!, a site that fills a gaping hole I never before knew existed.

Stuff You Don't Hear Often

Me: "Got any brothers or sisters?"

Co-worker: "2 brothers."

Me: "What do they do?"

Co-worker: "Well, one of 'em is a mechanic, and the other one's in prison for robbing a bank. He was a Navy SEAL and then just kinda took a left turn..."

Wow.

But it did get me thinking what would I say if my brother were in prison? Here are my reply options thus far:
"He's, uh, a homebody. A shut-in, really."
"He's working on a correspondence degree in law."
"He's a tattoo artist."
"He's a fitness enthusiast. A body builder of sorts."

What is this 'Vaca'?

I'm in LA for a couple different work things, and had dinner last night with my BFF & her fiance Josh in Santa Monica. I was mulling over their beer selection, and said something about how the beer I wanted was kinda pricey but since I was on vaca, I'd get it anyway. Then Josh tore me a new one. "Vaca?! VA-CA?? You are here for WORK. Yes, you might be out to dinner with friends, but this is no vaca."

He went on to explain that, in his world, vacation is time off from work used 1) for fun and 2) not to visit family or go to a wedding or a funeral or a birthday party or anyone else's event. By that definition, I have not had a vaca since Thanksgiving 2003. You read that: SEVEN YEARS. Because we live in Arizona but our family lives in Tennessee, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, California, any time off I take from work is for traveling to visit family. Especially since certain family members refuse to visit here. I can't remember us having had any family visit us since January 2007.

That's it. Plotting a summer vaca.

A real vaca.

Craigslisters

I find Craigslist to be awesome on so many levels. It draws out the weirdos, those who exhibit the most bizarre of behavior when it comes to the exchange of goods. The Best Of section is a source of neverending comedy. It's a haven for horrible grammar.

Now I can also add that it gave birth to a great blog. Thank you, You Suck at Craigslist for doing a lot of the heavy lifting in sifting through Craigslist for comedy.