Today is the sixth anniversary of the day I left my full-time job.
I was 27. I had decided to leave my job one month earlier. I was then acting Development Director — the highest position in the fundraising and marketing branch of my small non-profit. I had worked there off and on since I was 19.
My coworkers were my family. I came to work everyday greeted by people I loved and who loved me (I think…). I worked with students with stars in their eyes; learned all about their hopes and dreams. Watching them party and study, party and study. There were good points. There were bad points.
I looked around my office that fateful day, and I realized… “I’m too comfortable.” Continue Reading
Will and I are up late talking about talking to ourselves. He was talking to the record collection, you see…asking what should be played. The Stranglers song Tank won, btw.
He reflects that he always felt ashamed of how much he talked to himself as a child. He was ashamed up until he read that Alexander Hamilton shared the same habit. With Alexander Hamilton, he talked to himself so much that people actively complained about it. But he was a genius, so what were they going to do?
I remember a late night talking to a treasured photo of an ex-boyfriend. It was that talk that got me out of loving him…and into moving on. I think of what fun I’ve had over the years talking to myself…as if I were a character in Days of Our Lives and what I was heard would motivate the next murder plot…and as if I were another person, keeping myself company.
On this day of celebrating things we love, I’d like to take a moment and celebrate one of the best moments in Days of Our Lives history (in my opinion).
Back in 2003 (I think), Salem was stalked by, well, the Salem Stalker. Gotta love that alliteration.
Anyway, many main characters were killed, and here’s a video of the first of the seven murders. I love youtube.
On New Years Eve, Roman was killed at his and Kate’s wedding*. What followed was a very, very long day filled with police investigations and a lot of talking. Hey, there was a murderer in their midst. Everyone was a suspect and no one was safe.
This day lasted straight through the February 13th episode, in which Brady walked into mansion and said to Nicole, “Is it just me or has this day felt like weeks?!”
It was a rare moment where Days of Our Lives made fun of its very soap opera-esque nature. I loved it, and I love it to this day.
The next day was the Valentine’s Day episode (that probably itself lasted a week) in which all the Salemites were busily expressing their undying love and devotion to their partners. AND, it must be noted, every Valentine’s Day on Days of Our Lives, the men perform dizzying feats of romance — rooftop candlelit dinners, engagement rings in champagne glasses, miraculous returns from being held hostage.
On this day of recognizing love, let’s recognize the idiosyncrasies that make the things we love (like Days of Our Lives) what they are. And let’s be reasonable. A rooftop candlelit dinner is probably not in the cards, but a tender embrace and a pastry probably are. Life is perfect if you love it as it is.
I’ve been obsessed with Mad Men since my mom and her sisters got in a big fight about why her sisters wouldn’t watch it in October of 2010. See, my mom was a working lady in that era much like Peggy, and she took offense at the fact that her sisters didn’t like the show. They got it sorted out eventually and then all of us sat down to watch an episode.
I came home and spent the next two weeks doing nothing but watching every Mad Men episode there was. Since then, Mad Men has caused us to get cable (grrr…Comcast) and many a discussion about Don, Peggy, Pete, Roger…
In fact, when our downstairs neighbors moved and we got a Pete in their place we made jokes about keeping him away from our non-existent nanny. Oh yeah, we’re hilarious.
Like so many of my fellow Mad Men fans, I’ve been riding the stages of grief over the fact that AMC has taken the better part of two years getting the new season going. What’s up with that??
Well, AMC FINALLY announced the date of the premiere of Season 5. To commemorate this occasion (and anxiously wait for it), I — with the help of my most favorite graphic designer Lindsay and the web development skillz of my web shop, Artsy Geek — created Countdown to Mad Men, the second-to-second update about how long we have to wait for our next fix.
So, join me at CountdowntoMadMen.com and let’s wait with baited breath for the return of our favorite drunks, chauvinists and philanderers. And if you like it, help me spread the word. We all need something to look forward to. Continue Reading
Winning this is the first phase in my plan of TOTAL INTERNET DOMINATION. Which, you know, means more fun for everyone.
They don't look like aliens.
This story was once again inspired by Days of Our Lives. Once on Days of Our Lives there was an extremely (EXTREMELY) hot character named Rex who came down to Earth on a space ship with his also extremely hot sister Cassie. Rex and Cassie it turned out were Kate’s kids (the details are getting murky here) but before that came out there was this almost-incest moment between Cassie and Lucas. Good times.
Rex was not only extremely hot but also extremely smart. He built a laser that could turn coal into diamonds. This was going to mean total world domination for the DiMeras (who already pretty much dominate). Or at least it would have, if the ship carrying the laser hadn’t gotten blown up. That was a good day for Days fans; we love it when stuff blows up.
Despite all the power that Stefano DiMera has, it didn’t occur to him to just produce another laser that turns coal into diamonds. Oh well. Easy come, easy go
In an exhilarating turn of events, one of my New York City Midnight Flash Fiction Micro Challenge stories made it to the next round!!
They picked my favorite of my submissions (and possibly the only good one). Inspired by the Sami-Rafe-Fake Rafe story line on Days of Our Lives, and lacking a closing period to fit into 100 characters:
“I’ll stand guard.” She knew he would, that she could count on him. It was the impostor she detested
Pretty good, right? Who could blame them for choosing me?
Now it’s up to my good friends on the Internet to catapult me to the next level!
And now some ridiculously gratuitous Sami and Rafe photos and trivia:
Sometimes they just can't keep their hands off of each other. The first time Sami slept with Fake Rafe (the imposter), she felt like it was "the first time."
This scene included product placement for Chex Mix. Mmmm.
The portmaneau for Sami and Rafe is "Safe". Ridiculous eh?
Once in a while I daydream of a life where I’m a full-time writer. It’s when I’m not daydreaming of being a sculptor or a talk show host.
New York Midnight’s Flash Fiction Micro Contest found me in one of those moments, and without blinking an eyelash signed right up.
Contestants were asked to submit three 100 character stories today. Each entry had to feature a particular word, and we received that word at roughly 9am (my time) this morning. Entries were due at twelve hours later at 11:59 EST.
After I signed up I started thinking about it…100 characters. That’s less than a tweet! By 40 characters!! They obviously picked the length so that people could tweet their stories…smart.
Today faced with my word (“stand”) and a jam-packed day I got to thinking about the task at hand. What is a story? How can you fit a story in 100 characters?
Luckily I’d already discussed it with my best friend G. who’s an editor by trade and a voracious reader. She assured me that it was possible to write a story in a sentence, and that the best ones she had read were less-action packed and insinuated a larger and often obscure background story. I got that last tip too late to really incorporate it into my stories.
I feel so depressed. I don’t know why. It just sprang up on me.
Suddenly, in the middle of 90210, I started loving Smudge so much. I started bawling and saying how much I loved her and how she couldn’t be given away.
Then (after I composed myself) I went out on the balcony. Suddenly I loved Pleasanton + the town homes. I tried to convince Mom + Dad not to move, but it didn’t work. At least now we may not give Smudge for awhile.
I don’t know. 90210 was so sad. It seems like I’m living in their saga.
