testing

.....

pemberton's original formula

latest non-news

[Major music store chain] might be a possibility--I stopped by there yesterday to buy some strings and picks, and the guy there mentioned that there's an opening in the accessories department. I wonder what that pays. On the way home I had this idea for a story set in a music store where the different departments were like high school cliques and the guitar salesmen are like jock bullies and the drum salesmen are the theatre geeks and the accessories salesmen are just the plain wallflower nerds.

Today I'm thinking about stopping at Lowe's and Target. Maybe Home Depot as well.

I need a nice cold glass of Coke.

I'm aware that my posts lately have been singularly incoherent; I feel like my attention span is withering away to nothing. On the other hand, I managed to create the following in Flash--my first real Flash project!



It'd be better if the damn video wasn't so choppy. Anyway.

Must snap out of this funk

I'm telling you. I'm getting to where I have a hard time reading job classifieds on Craigslist. They just seem so intimidating. And they word 'em in a way that makes me think there's no way I'd ever get the thing, or if I did I'd be burned out or fired the first day.

See, I'm not afraid of the work, per se. It's more the having to pass someone else's litmus test, putting myself at another person's mercy and making myself vulnerable. I hate being on my back with my arms and legs spread open.

Maybe that interview I went on did in fact make me feel more insecure. Maybe I should post my resume online instead, and start getting people to come to me.

Ugh again

Once again, I've been in a weird mood a lot lately.

I submitted an online application at [a large music store chain] and already I'm wondering if I'd really like to work there. All those intimidating questions about whether I feel comfortable going up to people and striking up conversations, and whether I'm cool with sales goals and getting paid on commission and such. Well, they probably won't call me anyway. When they asked whether I had music retail or music industry experience, I said no. It didn't occur to me that playing in three bands and having my music on a nationally released CD on an actual label might count. Oh well, there's always [the other large music store chain] right across the street.

Don't mean to bellyache, but I suppose I'm just stressed, depressed, and poorly dressed. Maybe this camping trip tomorrow will help.

Today's cool link...

http://www.youtube.com/user/45junkee

This guy has something like 370 videos of 45rpm records (mostly if not all British issues) spinning on his Sony turntable, helpfully accompanied by stills of the labels and artist photos. Heavily weighted towards '60s British Invasion and psych/progressive singles-I heard some very cool tracks by The Move, The Herd, The Pretty Things, and some early, rare Pink Floyd (like "Candy and a Currant Bun", the B-side of their first single). Also some old reggae and comedy records too (the late John "Mr. Humphries" Inman sings!) Audio quality is excellent to boot. Great stuff.

"and now you're gonna have to get...used to it"

Billy, quit that. Okay, so your job interview didn't pan out, the little animated Associate Graphic Designer on the Target.com "Careers" page made you feel doubly inadequate, and the only jobs at Best Buy that you feel like you can handle probably pay $7/hr. Maybe I'm just dispirited at the moment...I'll go back to my Best Buy online application later when I feel a little more up.

they come, they go

Job interview yesterday. Job tryout today. Another day of being unemployed tomorrow. Oh well...at least I got to take the train to Hoboken and walk along the riverfront admiring the Manhattan skyline. On the downside, I was so stressed that I broke down and bought a pack of smokes, and consumed several of the little buggers. I've been bad.

I need to do some more homework, particularly on Illustrator. At any rate, I don't think I would have liked the job much. Too much about raw speed and cranking 'em out at an insane pace that I'm not used to. Well, at least I tried.

I also watched The Little Mermaid this evening with Cherie. I actually liked it. Well, I never said that I unconditionally disliked latter-day Disney movies...anyway, these days it's their live action bull-crap that irritates me to no end. I would really like both Hanna Montana and the smirking little non-actress she portrays to disappear immediately. And for next year's cleverly named fake-starlet to never materialize at all.

My head hurts. I'm going to bed.

Cool links--a new feature with a dippy name

I want to start doing what I started doing on my old blog, but for real this time. Each post, I'm going to include a cool URL for you to check out. Here's today's to start off with:
Collectable Records
Click on the labels section especially, for the most awesome collection of (vinyl) record label designs from around the world and from the Edison era to at least the late '80s. Hundreds of brands are represented.

from an iMac 24

My fingers are typing these words on a solid, silky, and slim-as-shit aluminum Apple keyboard. Yeah, I suppose I've returned to the orchard, so to speak. I rather like my new iMac, I must admit. Yeah, baby.

I've installed CS3 on here as well. They even included a whole disc full of video tutorials. I'm gonna go through those later.

they're heeeeere

Whoop! Yip! Whoopee! Yahoo! Yeah baby, I'm bad, I'm bad!

Translation: the iMac and the D80 arrived today. I didn't miss the UPS guy today, nosirree. I pulled the camera out briefly to fondle it, push some buttons (no battery in there yet...I just like pushing buttons, you know, testing the, er, ergonomics, yeah yeah).