Friday, July 30, 2010

Seems Life Works in Mysterious Ways

So my recent history w/trying to find & keep a paying job in the legal field has been downright horrid at best. I've pretty much gotten comfortable with working on my creative stuff, preparing for my singing debut next Friday (see my FB if you're friends w/me; if not, send a friend request) & helping out in my ventures regardless of pay rate.

I'd actually just spoken to some of my entertainment colleagues when the phone rings. It turned out to be a recruiter from a staffing agency that saw my resume on HotJobs.com & liked what it said about my unconventional experience. Apparently, there might just be a job out there for someone w/unconventional experience like mine. For once, having a JD was helpful! After being told I would indeed get paid i.e. not be working on deferred compensation or downright lied to about getting a salary, I thought I'd at least come in for an interview.

I went in and I suppose my having a personality didn't harm me at this point b/c she said she'd pass on my resume to her client. However, if this client gave me an interview & actually took me seriously (forget hiring me) I'd be shocked. How come?

A) I hear this is a major law firm. I'm the antithesis of the BigLaw associate stereotype.

B) I hear it's a corporate atmosphere. For my views, it's code for "become a conformist." I really can't pretend not to have one & while I don't discuss work stuff here, I just can't censor a blog that exists as my personal rant platform. In my own experience as management/supervisor, I don't want to pick people who have no personality at all & whose pages are the same as everyone else's.

C) Law firms tend to be against anyone having an outside life. I will not give up my entertainment stuff or my creative endeavors. Disclaimers on my stuff? Sure. Not discussing confidential matters? No problem. Not pestering your clients? You don't even have to ask considering I work in entertainment & there's a code against that kind of thing. I never ask for favors since I think it's rude to use people in that way.

Giving up my endeavors? Not on your life! That's a deal-breaker. You have to look out for yourself first & foremost. I'd also have to be stupid to give up viable entertainment opportunities considering not everyone gets those.

The job itself sounds really interesting & I think it would be something I could do well, even enjoy. I'm just not sure there's room for my personality. You're not going to convince me that it's a wise use of time to scrutinize private social networking pages or that such things aren't used to engage in unlawful discrimination against people. Telling me to be what I'm not is like stabbing me in the chest with a knife.

I'm also still going to feel as I do about job interviews but I think I do better when I don't try to impress anyone & just be who I am whether you like it or not. I really think we need a new system and I say that from having been on both sides of the table. Sorority recruitment week is much the same thing; you think you're learning things about people but you don't find out about the important stuff until you let these girls into your chapter & spend time with them during your own events. I remember that after the first time we went through it, I wished I'd had some more meaningful questions to ask & gotten some better insight into our recruitment participants.

If by some miracle, I actually got serious consideration or even got this job I would die of shock + be forced to re-evaluate my perception of big business. Do I think it will happen? No, but I do thank that recruiter for speaking to me & not making me feel like my background is inferior or deficient because it's not like everyone else's. That is a welcome change.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Gloria Glitter Show

Check this out. This is a venture I'm going to be getting involved in & I'm to be performing in it in the near future through creating a character of my own. Considering I don't have the same level of experiences & credits as most actors I know, it's a huge accomplishment for me to get this opportunity. I figure it's also something I'll get to say I did that a lot of people never did & wished they could.

Oh, and the viewpoints on this blog also don't represent the views of anyone involved with this show.

Lately, it seems my only good fortune is coming from the entertainment industry. I think fate must be screaming at me that my stuff there is going to pay off.

Part of the reason I went into the legal field was the uncertainty & difficulties of being an entertainer of any sort. I figured that I didn't need to spend more of my life being broke since I already did that as a child. Now everything I'm doing in the legal field seems to be falling apart unless there's some entertainment industry connection or creative bend to it.

So as I was writing yesterday, I came up with some great questions I'd like to ask career advisers & the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" crowd:

1. What do you do when your integrity just won't let you work for a scam artist or get treated like a serf?

2. How does one get a job working for someone else in the legal field without compromising personal integrity or ethics?

I just don't see stuff like that happening unless you form your own company & make your own rules. Maybe I'm also too moral, too honest for certain jobs. I feel if you don't keep your personal integrity or adhere to your basic principles of behavior, you're just asking for trouble. I like being able to sleep at night, you know?

So I'll probably practice my singing & continue writing. At least now I can probably write a killer book based on my life experiences & use the rage, depression, and personal fears I've had to confront in writing instead of hurting people.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

General Musings, Part 3

Sometimes, I accumulate all these links I want to rant about then realize I have too freaking many. So, here we go again:

Apparently, this is what all the umemployed lawyers should be doing. However, let's think for a few minutes on this.

What if you're not working in the criminal arena? And will the FBI hire new attorneys?

What if you don't want to live in DC or any old place in the country?

Finally, I don't see anyone who knows me really being happy with the idea of me having access to weapons & other things you get from being in the FBI. I think they'd view it a bit like handing a machine gun and keys to a tank to Travis Bickle. There's only going to be disaster from that.

I like how Jason Latshaw thinks but perhaps he should hang around some bitter, unemployed attorneys who lack career prospects before endorsing their membership into a government organization responsible for bringing wrongdoers to justice. If some of these attorneys haven't become wrongdoers yet, I think they will pretty soon out of economic necessity, anger or psychological problems. I witnessed some of this firsthand when I did my first and only document review assignment.

Okay, pretty much all of mine & my husband's exes are, in fact, crazy. What do you call someone who:

* Puts hair clips on a cat's tail to discipline him
* Demands their significant other to immediately end all friendships with members of the opposite sex existing long before the relationship started
* Tries to elicit sympathy from your family members by discussing your relationship problems with them instead of his/her own family
* Tells you "I want to get married." & is only dating you for that reason
* Claims he/she wants to be a musician and live in New York City but then moves to Arizona and makes zero effort to find a band, practice or perform for anyone
* Sleeps with everyone in a major city (male & female) while lusting after a military member stationed overseas & dating you
* Still calls you after you mention that the person brought roaches into your parents' home
* Gets you soap as a Christmas gift when you shower regularly & have no problems with BO
* Drinks like a sailor and picks fights with strangers while you are driving

You'd have some of our exes. Oh, and saying "we're soulmates" in my world just means you're in lust up to your eyeballs with me. There's 3 simple options to the whole crazy ex thing:

1. Don't do the same shit everyone else did. I'll be the first to admit that women as a whole are crazy & some of us deserve the negative things people say about us. If you want someone to give you a chance, stop repeating everyone else's behavior.

2. Find someone whose ex stories are as bad as yours. Worked for me.

3. Create an act & take it to the road. Use the experiences to become a comedian, writer, something creative. It's cheaper than going to a therapist. I do some of that as well.

This topic has been done too death. If you think the choice not to breed is selfish, then how about you get a hobby? How about working in the court system or in a family law office that handles lots of cases dealing with children in awful situations? Perhaps adopt a few kids in this country.

Otherwise, keep your damn mouth shut & take your religion back to your church. I think once we accept this reality & make voluntary sterilization more accepted (i.e. no Spanish Inquisition for childfree women over 18 to get it done), we might be able to meaningfully tackle the abortion issue.

I think medical providers should be held liable for rejecting someone for sterilization who later has a child that becomes neglected or abused by the same woman either directly or indirectly. Local government & the court system should be able to get involved as well since that doctor's attempt to play God wasted the court's time & the government's resources having to intervene in neglect & abuse situations. Might teach some doctors to stop assuming a grown woman is broken if she doesn't want to give birth.

The ones who live in this century are a treasure & should be nationally recognized for treating women like adults instead of baby incubators.

Also said this ad on Craig's List for an "intern assistant."

Looking For An Intern Assistant (NY)
Date: 2010-07-15, 2:32PM EDT
Reply to: gigs-cbhqp-1844679924@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Looking for an intern assistant for a growing fashion jewelry company. I need a reliable person who is trustworthy and willing to work and learn. Please send me an email asap!

* Location: NY
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay

PostingID: 1844679924


I hope they just forgot a slash in between those two words. Otherwise, this has crossed a new level of ridiculous. No one needs to "assist" an INTERN. If your intern needs an assistant, then the intern is a moron who should have been tossed out before that ever happened. Or that person is no longer an intern & needs to be called something else + paid a proper salary.

Damn link is gone but thank you to the other states! It's not just me. Keep your eyes peeled for the revolution since this just looks like another sign in that direction.

I agree with the people who said Mom needs a hobby. If I let my family pick a spouse for me, they'd probably have picked Psycho Boy. They'd have never met my husband & they still think I should be okay with the idea of seeing him attend my sister's wedding, where I am standing up for her as a Matron of Honor. They seem to think I should be okay with it even if I was there alone.

I think it's because the women in my immediate family never had exes; they married all the guys they dated. At least they like my husband & my in-laws like me; if either of them were still talking to our exes socially or bringing them to family events, I guarantee that we'd tell those family members it was disrespectful to our current person & we'd cut that family off in a flash. I feel that if you're going to marry someone, you need to not put them in uncomfortable situations or force them to hang around exes. The idea of it is downright offensive & distasteful to me.

Yes, I definitely speak as someone who doesn't believe there's such a thing as truly being "friends" with an ex as a general rule.

This guy is awesome. It would cause chaos but I still think espousing anti-establishment views is an awesome thing & support any political figure who has common sense + thinks outside the box regardless of what the press might say. Bravo!

And finally, this.

This is all b/c the media got involved. $1 million says that if the media hadn't intervened, this woman would still be tossed out on the street. I'm glad for her not letting bigots in government push her around; we know bigots are out there & with all the old rich white men in government, I'm not the least bit surprised.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Hello, All You Happy People You

I borrowed that from Droopy. Cartoon dog, Tex Avery creation? I still like watching cartoons & Tex Avery did great stuff. Love Screwy Squirrel even though he apparently though Screwy was too nasty to people. I also figure I can dress as Red if I get the right outfit made for me & find a hair stylist to create the hairdo (might also have to get my hair cut but it's not like I'll ever get waist length hair).

On Sunday, I auditioned for a comedy show at the invitation of the person who created & stars in it. I swear, when I tell people I act & sing it's like an invitation for me to come in for auditions. This is the second time someone did that & was impressed w/my work.

I'm working on getting involved in this comedy show, my 3rd entertainment venture. After doing this reading, first off the producer found out I can sing & second, I was told to create a character who could show up on occasion but wasn't necessarily integral to the plot (largely b/c of my busy schedule & not knowing what I might be doing in a few months).

So right now, I'm developing ideas for characters & will get to perform at major comedy clubs in the city. As I was on the subway going home Sunday, it hit me that I don't have nearly the resume of the working actors I know but I'm here getting this shot. Kind of a leap from community theater, you know? I'll be in a show that people pay $ to see in the heart of Manhattan's Theater District!

Working on a different confidential project as well but I figure doing this stage performance will do a LOT for me professionally & personally:

A) Prepare me acting wise for the other project
B) Give me the chance to get on stage frequently, which I never get to do enough
C) Sing before an audience, something else I don't get to do except at karaoke
D) Develop a following that might see my other work or research other stuff I do, thereby not just helping me personally but the business ventures that have me
E) Furthering the dream, baby.

I'm not even thinking of large scale success; I'm just looking at the small stuff right now. Plus, it makes me feel more like a real creative type instead of someone who's just telling you about some play she did in high school.

I can also put this down as a great accomplishment that's mine & most people in my shoes can't claim.

So in light of the fact that being a performer is in my blood, why would I really consider most legal jobs? I found 2 ads today in the section that gave me a good laugh. First, the one for a lawyer:

Admitted Attorney needed in Manhattan (Downtown)
Date: 2010-07-19, 2:39PM EDT
Reply to: zhangandassociates@verizon.net [Errors when replying to ads?]

Manhattan small law firm needs an admitted attorney, no experience required. This law firm majorly practices in Immigration area. Good environment and good pay. Please email resume if interested.

* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.


PostingID: 1851488139


With all due respect, let me decide for myself if it's a good environment & good pay, all right? Your good environment could be my nightmare.

And continuing in the tradition of ridiculous internships:

Writing/Research Legal Internship - Fall (TriBeCa)
Date: 2010-07-20, 9:40AM EDT
Reply to: job-gjf58-1852812824@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Great Opportunity! Boutique international legal recruiting firm seeks a motivated, well-organized and student for an internship starting at the end of the summer into the fall. Candidate must have very strong writing and research skills and will be responsible for drafting our guide to top US and UK law firms in Asia and the Middle East as well as possibly overseeing our blog. Additional responsibilities will depend on your interests and skill set i.e. marketing, advertising, producing additional content, etc. The firm is run by a Harvard Law School grad and, while small, we provide a great work environment and an energetic atmosphere. Please note that this internship is unpaid with a possible stipend and commissions depending on the time commitment and candidate. This is a great opportunity for a undergraduate or law student to get work published, become intimately familiar with the Asia and Middle East legal markets and make contacts in the international legal world. No language skills required.

* This is a part-time job.
* This is an internship job
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 1852812824


I really, really fucking HATE Craig's List posters & people in general who think going to Harvard Law school (or any Ivy league school for that matter) is supposed to impress me.

It does not. Oh, Lord it does not!!

Am I supposed to start grabbing your dick & massaging it?

Do you think telling people that means they're going to take off all their clothes & say "Take me. I'm yours?"

Is it some special exemption from civil and criminal law that we're all supposed to abide by? I wasn't aware of that law.

My classism might be acting up here but saying that in your first exchange with me or on a job ad just makes me think "What a sad, arrogant person who has nothing more to show for him/herself than to broadcast that fact."

If you're meeting me for the first time & want to make a good first impression, you don't want to tell me that unless I ask you where you went to law school or you say it casually if you ask where I went & I tell you. I have no shame for where I went to law school & don't base my self-worth on such silliness. If you do, then you are a very sad person who needs to find some inner peace ASAP. Leave the legal profession if you must.

If you don't expect such reactions b/c you went to an Ivy League school & treat all people equally regardless of race, age, social class, gender, etc., then you're not going to have problems with me.

Guess it also means I can be even more candid & so forth on this blog. After all, there's a reason creative types are known for being a bit (sometimes a lot) off the beam.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Entertainment Internship Issue

Seems even Dear Prudence weighs in on an issue in being an entertainment intern. I saw this letter a while back:


Dear Prudence,
I landed a dream internship in the entertainment industry and on my first day on the job got to be part of a fabulous evening-long project that culminated in a victory party at a bar. Due to pressure from my supervisors, who were buying the drinks, and poor decision-making, I wound up too drunk to drive home. One of the bosses took me home with him, and when we got there he repeatedly tried to kiss me. This confused me, because I had been certain that he was gay. When I rejected him, saying, "I don't understand," he told me that he found me incredibly beautiful and sexy. Twenty minutes later, I was throwing up in his living room while he tried to play nurse and let me sleep it off on his couch. The next day he begged me not to quit, although he didn't apologize for putting the moves on me. I intend to stay at this internship, because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do I write the incident off as a crazy, drunken night and nothing more, or confront him about it? Harassment on my first day, though committed under inebriation, is a pretty heavy issue to just sweep under the rug. What should I do?

—Harassed and Hungover

Dear Harassed,
Get the full DVD set of Entourage and discover that yours could be considered a tame first day on the job in the entertainment industry. Certainly your supervisors should never have encouraged an intern (or any employee) to get drunk. But if you are old enough to have an internship, you should be old enough to know your own limit. Now you do, so that was a valuable evening. There is no Most-Powerful-Man-in-the-World exemption for hitting on an intern (even if the intern flashes some thong); and there's no Hollywood one, either (especially if the intern is inebriated). Your boss gave you a revolting welcome to the industry, but at least he backed off and got all Florence Nightingale after you ralphed in his living room. Although I'd love to be there, as would any reality-show producer, when you clarify your surprise and horror at his unwanted advances by explaining, "I was certain you were gay, so I couldn't believe you were trying to kiss me!" there are some things that are best left unsaid. His begging you not to quit indicates that he knows he behaved terribly. Now that you've both showered, sobered up, and returned to your desks, you need to show your boss that you have the good judgment to forget about your unfortunate start, and instead spend the rest of the summer showing that you are great at your work.

—Prudie


So memo to me: make sure to recruit interns who know how to behave like grown ups. Make certain that the top brass also behaves like grown ups.

Take home message: if you can't hold your alcohol or not become a lecherous cretin/fight instigator/other undesirable behavior that will cost a company lots of $ in lawsuits, damages, harmed reputation, etc., then do not drink at business functions.

Anything where you're dealing with a boss is a business function; I don't care how cool the boss is or how much fun the event is. You will still be judged on how you act if anyone in authority over you is present.

It's a reason I'm in favor of professional distance & would never even hang out socially w/professors when I was a student in their classes. If you want to date your professors or your boss & they're cool with it, that's fine but if you don't, I think it's better not to put yourself in situations where someone could get the wrong idea.

Anyone running an office should take note of this. I sure have. I couldn't see something like this happening at any company I deal with & if I heard about it, you'd better believe I'd be keeping a careful eye on that intern. There are lots of people who think they can sleep their way up in this business & not face any consequences. Some even try to accuse others of sexual harassment if the higher up rejects him/her. I also wonder what sane supervisor would pressure an underling to drink, since you really can't assume all people are happy, fun drunks. My father, for instance, is what I call an asshole drunk.

Situations like this are exactly why you'd better have a well written, detailed sexual harassment policy as well as some forethought not to put alcohol in front of people who can't handle themselves properly when they drink. What if this intern had been a potential investor, director, producer or someone else who might get deeply offended if you try putting the moves on them? I'm probably the only non-drinking attorney in my profession so respect for others & behaving like a grown up when you drink is going to especially be something I'm concerned about.

Honestly, I think we should lower the drinking age since it could cause fewer problems w/too much drinking in America but that's another story.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

How NOT To Run A Business...or How to Get on The Angry Redheaded Lawyer's Shit List

Well, at least in the doghouse. Not redeeming yourself pretty much means you'll be on the shit list. Being on my shit list means "Pray that I never hit hard times or you're going to need a 24 hour bodyguard & even that might not be enough."

I don't put people on my shit list or in my doghouse for no reason. You don't get there by giving me a weird look or doing something small. No, you have to do something extreme, something that would make a rational person dislike you. Sincere apologies will also get you out of there.

However, I encountered more instances of appalling behavior that makes me wonder how these businesses & people are going to stay alive with good reputations.

First off, a warning about an entertainment scam artist. I saw the following Craig's List ad last week during my husband's vacation:

Prominent Management and artist development company is seeking interns (Midtown)
Date: 2010-07-09, 3:44PM EDT
Reply to: jasondivamaker@gmail.com [Errors when replying to ads?]

Prominent Management and artist development company is seeking interns to work closely with the Senior CEO on exciting Fashion,TV and Music accounts. 



The ideal candidate will have a strong desire to work in the Entertainment Business as well as a basic understanding of the public relations industry. 

S/he will be equally passionate about assisting in media pitching and planning major events. A positive, can-do attitude is a must, as well as strong writing ability. Previous internship experience is a plus. Must have reliable transportation and be able to work flexible hours 

Candidates without resumes will not be considered. Only those who fit our requirements will be contacted. Send inquiries to jasondivamaker@gmail.com with a PHONE number so you can be contacted if you dont leave a number we cant call you back. THIS IS A 4 MONTH NON-PAID INTERNSHIP AFTER YOUR 4TH MONTH IS UP YOU WILL START BEING PAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO IF YOU THINK YOU SHOULD BE PAID NOW AND YOU DONT NEED TO LEARN ANYTHING THEN YOU SHOULD NOT CONTACT US WE DO NOT WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME THIS IS NOT FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!! 



Thank you for your interest! 
Lisa Rosenburg
310-6215857

* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay

PostingID: 1834297844


Here's what I wrote in response to this ad, as someone who knows plenty of industry people & knows this isn't the normal sort of ad you'd see:

Sounds like you know nothing about business or the down economy. Furthermore, you apparently wish to insult people who have references & the people who work or worked w/them.

If you want the benefit of someone's prior experience, you need to PAY them. Otherwise, just take the newbies that you can get & pay for the training.

I'm also willing to bet that you're just trying to extract free labor for 3 months + make someone pay for their transportation to be at your beck & call only to say after the 4th month that you're broke or make up some excuse not to pay someone.

Do you work for a man named Bennie Barnes/Bennie Balbonie/Rico Barnes??? That's what this ad sounds like, especially when you get all demanding about a freaking INTERNSHIP. You should be running a law firm w/your unrealistic expectations & demands.


Rule #1 in good business: You NEVER pass up the opportunity to speak to someone w/experience. I have gotten many a gig & contact this way. Every legitimate business person I've met appreciates dealing w/people who have experience.

Not talking to them is the exact same thing as turning down an actor with years of experience to work with a total newbie. Or rejecting SAG actors for projects that are exempt from SAG coverage to work with a non-union actor without considering either person's resume. There's a common premise that union actors are more serious about acting + have more experience that non-union actors. Whether that's true or not is a different story.

But as a general life principle, experience trumps newbie, agreed?

So this is what I get in response to my rationally written, polite e-mail:

YOU SOUND LIKE ONE STUPID ASS BITCH THAT WHY YOUR STANK ASS IS ON HERE LOOKING FOR WORK AND NO I AM NOT THE PERSON YOU THINK I AM I WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE CREDITABLE AND WELL KNOWN AND IT'S YOUR LOST STUPID AS DIDN'T P DIDDY WORK AS AN INTERN EVERYONE IS NOT TRYING TO GET OVER WE WERE HONEST WITH YOUR STUPID ASS AND TAHT WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU SO FUCK U U DIRTY BITCH

The only other person I knew of who wrote e-mail in this way was my former scam artist boss whom I asked about in my e-mail. I noted the all caps, bad spelling & cursing; all signs of a scam artist.

Furthermore, how would this "jason williams" speak to one of his artists or their people? Try speaking like that to a music exec or one of their interns sometime & see where it gets you. I had to post this little exchange on Craig's List to warn potential interns that some people in this business have respect for their interns & employees + this screams "scam artist." Some do not behave like ghetto trash, which is what I consider this person to be based on that little exchange. Talking like that to total strangers is a good way to get your head blown off or become disfigured. For all this schmuck knows, I'm a raging lunatic who's been following him for months & just waiting to hire someone to kill him.

Rule #2: Use professional writing when you speak to anyone on a business matter. Otherwise, your scam artistry is not just showing but screaming at people. Legitimate business professionals do not curse at total strangers or send out messages like that one.

If this guy is legit, he will never last.

Aside from this little exchange, I'm also pretty pissed off at an attorney I contacted to see about interest in product placement. An attorney named Lev Ekster started a business called Cupcake Stop that just opened a location in Chelsea. Since I'm working on a project where I'd like to see about product placement but don't have $ to pay anyone for it, I wanted to see about a fellow attorney who is one of my LinkedIn contacts. Since I work in this business, I like to try helping people in my boat & who might appreciate more exposure.

So I decide to send an inquiry about it, figuring it couldn't hurt me to at least ask. He sets up a meeting w/me a few days later. I explain that I won't be available the next week b/c my husband will be out of work & I like spending time with him. Mentioned not having tried the product yet but that I'd explain why I contacted him in this meeting. Well, the meeting never happened. I was dressed in business attire, which I normally don't since no one's paying me the $ for it. I had to stop by the court house that day to investigate my former employer & make sure I couldn't continue working there.

Apparently, he got interest from the Food Network in getting a reality series about his shop. I read about the story through the ABA's website. Since I could care less about anyone's celebrity status & sort of fight that struggle myself, I'm the last person you'd call a Johnny Come Lately. If there's anyone who doesn't need to ride someone's coattails or won't bother groveling to you, it's me.

I've tried contacting this guy to no avail. His employee even got my cell number & business cards; I should have demanded his # & did ask for it as a fairness since I don't normally give mine out + was kind of forced to in that situation. I sent an e-mail + Facebook message yesterday asking point blank if he was still interested in meeting with me. I appreciate the free cupcakes I got but responsible business people follow up personally on things. He's yet to do so.

Quite frankly, that has me pissed. Does he think that now that the Food Network contacted him, he can treat me like shit? Better think again. Reality TV doesn't make you a real actor; I also think getting 2 feature films that will be in the marketplace THIS MONTH & my company getting more known before this reality show gets on the air means it might pay to be nice to me. That doesn't even cover other stuff that I do or people I know.

Oh, and being on a national show is not the same as being in an ABA story. MUCH bigger audience, more BS to put up with & unless you've had to do it yourself or had a stalker, you don't have a clue what it's like. I had local celebrity status, a stalker ex + an ex who made me apprehensive after the break-up.

I also know a bit more about this business & it benefits anyone who's not been in it to know someone w/that knowledge. Those people could use others to talk to who don't have an angle or want to ride coattails. Smart people would never want to be famous; they'd want to work behind the scenes.

Rule #3: You miss a meeting, it's your mea culpa. You'd better be doing everything in your power to rectify that situation or you're going to burn bridges.

Rule #4: If you don't want to do something for someone, tell them directly. Don't be a dick job interviewer who never follows up w/an interview candidate. That's something else I've told people off for.

This guy has simply confirmed why I don't give a shit about doing anything for attorneys as a group. If you're a friend or at least someone who has respect for creative types, I'm much nicer but that loyalty I feel to fellow creatives isn't one I share w/fellow attorneys. The ditching doesn't make me nearly as mad as the lack of follow-up.

So for any attorney entrepreneurs who don't already know me & get pissed b/c I dislike them on sight, you have Lev Ekster to thank for that. He's not the first attorney to piss me off but his acts have definitely added to my general dislike & lack of sympathy for attorneys as a whole. If he bothers to redeem himself to me, I'll be completely shocked.

He's also the one who friended me on Facebook after setting up this meeting he never showed up to or personally apologized for ditching but the fact remains: I didn't take shit from people in high school when I worked in retail so why would I do it now?

Honestly, I think that's why attorneys aren't getting sympathy when it comes to the loans & "law school scam". Maybe if some of you were more likable to the general public, they might give a damn. Most of you make me look like Simon the Likable from Get Smart & I definitely have my share of detractors.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Administrative Stuff & Rant

Okay, I finally added a profile pic since I could & figured I'd add Daria since more than one person in my life says I'm the real life Daria. In fact, that's how I met my husband even though I was never as bitchy as she was to her boyfriend.

Also added tags to my entries so I can keep up w/what I ranted on vs. what I didn't. Makes finding particular entries a little easier for readers as well. Go ahead, pass along my rants to friends if you want to. Dissenters just better be prepared to talk to me directly & debate me w/facts.

Going through all of it, I realized I still have a few rants in me & didn't update on a few things. I've got a major one I'll probably be doing tomorrow since the guy I was supposed to have the business meeting w/over a week ago has been MIA. After ditching the meeting in the first place & not personally contacting me on that, I might add. But more on that tomorrow on the off chance this guy's had some kind of phone & computer malfunction that's made it impossible to reach me in over a week. I have more ghetto trash to warn you about as well. Business owners & entertainment types, take heed.

My husband's layoff was rescinded since public sentiment & the City Council intervened to avoid the massive library system shutdown. Less pressure but the job hunt is still on. Now my husband just needs to sit down & figure out what he wants to do instead, what he's passionate about and how he can do something else that will pay more money + not make him want to murder everyone he works with.

I've been getting good news on the job front where I'm at but do you think the employer I left after three days has bothered paying me like he claimed he would???

Hell no!

So now, I've dismissed this guy as another scam artist. Because I have zero loyalty to attorneys who aren't my networking contacts (all of whom have some understanding of how creative types function), I'm not publicly identifying this guy.

If a piece of information helps a large group of people who'd never do the same for me, I shed no tears for any of them if they find themselves in a situation I could have warned them about.

I'm sure those of you in entertainment would feel the same about warning people who've screwed you over or sabotaged you in some way. Attorneys as a group don't deserve that type of public service from me so if you're really curious, you'll have to ask me directly so I can tell you in private.

Officially, I think I'm done looking for a steady paying day job since I know what I want to do & just need to get paid opportunities for it. Those days may be coming soon & I don't care to screw over people I've agreed to help out. Short term work is cool; long term work is not unless you already work w/me or spoke to me about it.

Really, I don't think my head is there for job hunting subterfuge. I saw a job listing today for a Legal Recruiter that read more like an Exec Asst to CEO position & I proceeded to write a Peter Gibbons tome asking questions instead of sending in a resume. Not sure if my honesty will win points or not but I just don't care anymore. After all my experiences, I don't think it's possible for me to be your typical job hunting candidate. I feel more like one of Marie Hilley's kids after they discovered their own mother caused their illnesses by poisoning their food.

How can you possibly trust any employer if all the job ads you answered that led to jobs were for people who never paid you for the hours you worked? I have to ask questions about something as basic as that; how many people can say the same?

Speaking of mothers who aren't right in the head, I read this gem of a story today.

Since I saw no space to comment there, I'll do so here.

First off, what the holy fuck is wrong with you if you have a child you give up for adoption, look him up when he's a teenager & then have sex with him, especially when he's 14. This woman claims she had sexual feelings for her own son. Her flesh & blood! Can we say "sick"?

Second, she claims she doesn't know why it happened & is going to get counseling. In my personal opinion, this is not something you can get counseling for & be cured of. I took Abnormal Psychology in college; we never had the discussion about people having sexual feelings for their own children, or even that it was a mental disorder that some of us future psychologists should be on the lookout for.

This sounds to me like something that needs a simple cleansing of the gene pool since this is a genetic issue. If mandatory sterilization were allowed, I'd argue that this woman should get it. After all, would any of you men want to stick your dick in any orifice of a woman who had sexual relations w/her child???

Even in your horniest moment, I can't see that happening. You think Harold & Maude is creepy, this is downright sick. At least Harold & Maude weren't blood relatives!

I have to wonder what else happened in her life & how the child is reacting but I still wonder how this child ended up doing the deed w/his own mother. Did he know beforehand? Was it like that episode of Strangers with Candy where the new guy Jerri likes is actually her son but she doesn't know that until later on? If you've not had the pleasure of seeing it, watch that show. It's not PC & a total satire on after school specials.

Let's not defend incest based on what went on in royal families or biblical times. This isn't biblical times & this woman is not royalty. If you think that sort of thing is cool, you need far more than counseling & I say this as a crazy person.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Karaoke

Okay, I know people think karaoke is cheezy & all that. Perhaps that's true if you can't sing or live someplace where everyone who performs is terrible at it or the song selection stinks. Being forced to perform by "friends" also sucks if you hate being in front of crowds or can't sing.

But if you fit into one or more of these categories:

* A strict singer not a songwriter or musician
* Have a voice but no looks to make it in the business
* Not pursuing this stuff full time due to the need to pay bills, not living in a major city or having a steady career
* Are so talented people should be paying you to sing

then karaoke is one way in which you can hone your stage performance skills. I have a whole nuanced view on karaoke so here goes.

Karaoke for me is performing in front of strangers w/careful decision-making going into selecting the right song for yourself & your audience. One of the things I do is avoid picking something too overplayed, too well-known or too much like what other singers have been doing that evening. I'll be more likely to pick something older or lesser known. Some songs are also never in a book so if I see particular ones, I feel I have to sing them.

If you go to a karaoke place w/someone who is a performer, be prepared for the person to pour over the book for a long time. My husband comments on me doing this & noticed that a friend of mine we took to a karaoke night who was visiting from out of town did the same thing. She sang for my university's choral group & has real talent so I felt vindicated that it's not just me who considers this kind of thing. She, in fact, told me in college that I should try singing professionally b/c I'm that good at it. The most accurate category for me is semi-professional. I've had interest from professionals but I'm not in a position to spend the money to become famous or anything. I also can't get out of not singing if I ever go to karaoke w/someone who's heard me sing even once.

Karaoke is NOT singing in a private room, only in front of people who've heard you before or are your friends or singing at your home. That's hanging out w/your friends, who will say you're good even if you couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

I think the true test of knowing whether you have real talent is when someone who can't stand you says you can sing. If people who hate your guts or don't really like you say you can do something, that means you're really good. Friends will be worried about your feelings & I think strangers who aren't in the business might also be concerned about that. I think to know you have real talent, you need feedback from strangers (especially talent scouts for your craft) & enemies.

So needless to say I'm the good singer in the group. When you go to karaoke in NYC, you will hear very good singers. Let me say that again w/feeling: VERY GOOD singers. I used to go to a karaoke place in Atlanta w/friends of mine & there were good singers there but anyplace I've been in NYC had some really talented people on stage. You'd better have balls of steel or be very good yourself if you want those crowds to give you applause. It's a true test of ability.

Because I'm a performer, I refuse to go to any karaoke place that has a food or drink minimum. First off, I don't drink & will get sick if I have anything but water. Second, I consider it paying to hear me sing & that's total BS since I'm talented enough that you should pay me. I would do singing contests if they weren't based on fees or popularity contests where people just cheer loudest for their untalented friends. I've only participated in such schemes where friends were around & wanted me to sing. Third, I don't patronize places that make one get something like they're trying to convert you to Jesus or something. If you don't force us, we might get something on our own.

These sorts of things aren't an issue in some places & the place I went to in Atlanta never harassed me about that. I even ended up dating a regular who introduced himself by buying me a bouquet of roses after I sang one night.

We used to go to this place in the city that didn't harass people on such things & had some very good singers. But after trying to go last night w/friends who were visiting, never again. To spare you New Yorkers, it's Keats Restaurant in Midtown.

We go in & first off, the singers we'd seen there before are gone. Now we hadn't been in a while but those singers had been regulars at one time. It's also much louder & filled w/more bad singing.

A waitress immediately approaches & flings menus in front of us. Now when we'd gone before, we weren't accosted by staff the instant we walked in. The menus also listed very pricey items. As I flipped through the song catalog, my husband & our friends were discussing leaving b/c of the waitress being absolutely insistent on getting orders. I figured someone might get bitchy about me getting water when I don't drink & will get sick if I have anything else. They don't sell bottled or sparkling water so it would be strictly tap.

My husband suggests telling people that you're Mormon if you don't drink so an establishment will get in trouble for trying to violate religious freedoms if they push non-drinkers to drink.

They wanted to go so I said "Fine with me." Though they are now doing it every night, it's a big disappointment w/minimums EVERY night that are apparently voraciously enforced. My husband wishes he knew where those regulars are singing now. I wish I could find a karaoke place that doesn't charge you to sing either in cover, per song or food/drink minimums. I only know of one place I'd go that has that & I'd have to be wanting to eat at that spot before going to meet their high minimum amounts (I believe it was $15 per person the last time I went). The food's pretty good but you have to be in the mood for it.

Generally, I consider minimums insulting since I am a performer & I put a lot into any stage performance that I do. That's just how I am. Whether I'm cheap or whatever, I do find it incredibly offensive to be told to pay you to hear me sing. Even subway musicians don't have to do that! You can be off-key & stupid in the subway without having to buy alcohol or pay someone to hear you. I've heard it.

So I'd love some suggestions on a karaoke place that meets my standards for any night other than a Tuesday (Friday or Saturday greatly preferred) & is located someplace reasonably safe + convenient to my home (as in, no driving).

Friday, July 9, 2010

Grocery Store Scanners

For those of you not fortunate enough to know about this, I'm going to tell you about something great that one of our local grocery store chains adopted but that I discovered more recently. Get ready....

The in-store scanner. What you do w/this handy machine is scan your grocery store member card at the main machine. A scanner lights up & you take that with you to scan your items.

Once you've scanned all your stuff (even if you've got 5 shopping carts full of things), you get to go to the Self-Checkout register. You scan the scanner on the part indicated at the checkout stand & your entire total is entered into the computer. You pay, get your receipt & get the hell out of there.

We LOVE this thing, I'm not kidding. You don't have to wait for some slow cashier or shopper with enough food to feed all the African nations for 2 months. No mysterious items scanned in b/c your child decided to grab items off the shelf when you weren't looking. No long lines b/c the store management refuses to staff the proper amount of people due to greed or orders from the dickwads running the corporate sector.

It's a brilliant invention that saves time & is long overdue in my book.

Now I know here in union friendly NY, people would piss & moan about job losses among low skilled workers. Let's consider a few things.

1. These jobs pay nothing.
2. Many, many people don't bother having any kind of work ethic & make the shopping experience suck for many of us (I get to say this since I worked retail for 7 years & did do my job low rate & all, thank you very much).
3. Management is always trying to save a buck & aren't corporations first beholden to their stockholders? You can bet I'd be convinced to buy stock in a grocery store if they used scanners & kept some well trained staff who behaved appropriately to customers + were accessible if the machines messed up.

Even my husband, a union member, is anti-union when the union allows dead weight to keep working b/c they've simply not been fired when they were incompetent or lazy while people who are better workers are tossed by the wayside despite being far better at their jobs than the dead weight.

There's far too much protection given to lazy deadbeats in the whole union scheme so I think something new is needed. Something b/t no union at all & unions that provide no incentive to do anything above the bare minimum.

I don't know if this is going on in the South or other regions but why the hell hasn't Wal-Mart adopted this model? Aren't they all about dicking the low level workers? They'd at least stop being known as Ghetto Town in many places & stop hiring some of the rude asshole types who work at many of them. It might inspire more people to shop there since they wouldn't be waiting 30 years to buy some printer paper and a pack of soft drinks.

I still don't miss Wal-Mart & don't want to see it in NYC. Target is the better choice as well as some local businesses that have polite, properly trained staff members. I kind of hope the small business makes a comeback in the bad economy. At least decent ones, not overpriced shit holes run by deluded owners who obviously have zero experience in retail or the service industry as a whole. I cheer when idiots like that go out of business.

When the local comic book store in our neighborhood closed, I was thrilled since that guy overcharged & never bothered to search for anything b/c he was always doing inventory.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The Sanctity of Marriage (Yeah, Right)

I just saw this story yesterday about NY state FINALLY getting w/the 21st century & adopting a no fault divorce law.

So people opposed to the new no fault law claim that the sanctity of marriage will be destroyed if NY adopts it? Let's consider a few things:

1. The other 49 states have a no fault divorce law & the Earth is still turning. God hasn't sent any meteors to the states allowing this or the US for legalizing abortion.
2. You can get married if you're under 18 in some states & get a quick marriage in Las Vegas. See Britney Spears.
3. Gay people aren't being allowed to get married but you can get a divorce by yourself in most places & simply say that you're just not getting along w/your spouse.

If you ask me, I think the sanctity of marriage has long since disappeared. Claiming there is sanctity in marriage today is like saying bubble gum is a health food.

Now that doesn't mean some marriages don't have sanctity. I certainly think mine does considering I love my husband, have never & would never cheat on him and don't view my relationship as "till death do us part...until someone better comes along." There are people who manage to have marriages lasting for decades & are still happy.

Problem is, the divorce rate is still very high & I'm sure the rate of unhappy marriages is up there as well especially when people can't afford to get separated.

If you want to make marriage sacred again, how about not allowing people to get married without basic counseling, full disclosures of anything that could be a deal-breaker & institute a waiting period.

Let's also not allow divorce without reasonable guidelines for domestic abuse, infidelity, etc. Finally, stop encouraging "starter marriage" or marriage with someone who's a terrible parent if you wish to have kids (to be disclosed long before you walk down that aisle).

I see no reason why gay people shouldn't get married. Not every married couple has children & it denigrates my relationship to say that gay people can't marry b/c they can't breed naturally.

If you want religious aspects in a marriage, get married at your church. Your church should also get to marry anybody it wants to & not marry people who have beliefs they don't agree with. State marriage & religious marriage should have long been separate in my opinion.

But that argument against no fault divorce in New York still makes me chuckle.

I also saw this Craig's List ad & wonder if one of the scam bloggers might have posted it:

Student Loans (Midtown West)
Date: 2010-07-05, 6:50PM EDT
Reply to: gigs-kxspd-1827148968@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Hi. I am currently seeking a young, attractive male willing to pay back student loans in exchange for my company. Athletic build is a plus. I will dazzle you with the knowledge I've obtained from five years of school and accumulating debt. ;-)

* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay

PostingID: 1827148968


If any of you did, great stuff guys! Seriously. Let me know what responses you get.

Monday, July 5, 2010

The Heat Wave

I love living in NYC but one thing I don't like is not having central air in the summer, especially on heat wave days.

When I lived in CT, we had 2 A/C units in our windows. One day when it was over 100 degrees, we were just lying down in the living room near the A/C or sitting in the bedroom w/the door closed. Around here, we do much of the same.

Unfortunately, we have our A/C units in a spare room & the kitchen, both of which have outdoor views where there are people. So we have to keep the doors open so our bedroom & living room won't be completely unbearable. Ceiling fans help but being in this place isn't the same as central air, even when you can have Naked Day. I also don't wish to have people see me naked who aren't married to me, thanks.

Since sitting at the computer is Hell, literally, I may not be posting as much in the next few days. At least we got a new standing fan to make it a little more tolerable in the living room. Writing even gets hard in all this heat.

And for any people in the Southwest who dare to call us Northeasterners & Southerners pussies, you try dealing w/that heat in our humidity. You people get dry heat & less humidity; why the hell can't we see some of that on our coast? I've never been farther west than Texas but I've heard that 100 out there is tolerable unlike here where you'd be about to die.

One day, I hope to do some traveling & that will be one region I visit.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Debt & the Inevitable Public Outcry

Okay, I found this story on debtors going to jail a bit of a misnomer. It's not really "debtor's prison" but more like "don't miss your court hearings & if you didn't know about them, yell loudly about lack of service." I don't have the official source b/c of MSN's stupid attempts to make you do Bing searches to get anything.

One time, my late brother in law was taken to court by creditors over an unpaid debt. The judge asked him if he could pay; he said no. Creditors didn't get their money & because he had no income, there was nothing to garnish. Not to mention that by law, you can't garnish more than a certain % of someone's pay & you can't garnish wages to the point of the person becoming homeless.

So stay out of Minnesota, Arizona & Washington where the court system is apparently pro-creditor & wishes to avoid pesky little things like due process toward the average person. Any police officers who refuse to jail people on stuff like this will deserve esteem in my book. You can't blindly follow orders on everything or you end up just another drone. Have some of these judges lost their rational sense or a duty to uphold sane laws as opposed to being mercenaries for the aristocracy? You're just encouraging a debtor to go kill a man so he'll have a real reason to be in jail or prison instead of a few grand in credit card debt.

Will student loan providers be far behind? What good will putting bright minds in prison do? You don't want people like me in w/the general prison population b/c I tend to give others ideas & would likely attempt to organize a prison riot to make the one in Natural Born Killers look like a minor scuffle. We were also the classic "good kids" in school & I think lawyers would be doing lots of prison breaks.

Hearing about this already ignites my righteous indignation but I believe in not going down without a fight unlike some people.

So reading about this as well also interested me. Had shades of my family relationships, oddly enough.

I can also see that happening even though most people (presumably not living in dysfunctional families but we know it's a crock) would find it off. A lot of blood relatives hate each other.

I tell you this: if I was her, I'd tell the father to piss off permanently & disown him. He'd have been dead to me ages ago. When your family life was not Leave it To Beaver, that word doesn't have the same meaning for you. Family in my book are those people who are there for you no matter what, don't have an angle every time they talk to you & accept you for who you are. They might not like when you do something but they won't ditch you for it.

I have a somewhat shaky relationship w/my father in particular but I will give him this: he's never let me push him away. I know I've pushed him away pretty hard & in my experiences in the legal clinic, I saw fathers give up. This father is apparently another one who didn't bother to have that relationship & gave up.

I still don't have a perfect relationship w/the man but I appreciate who he is much more than I did as a kid. I could never see him trying to do that & I know he's not trying to ride my coat tails. However, I don't delude myself into saying he'll change or that his addiction is okay w/me; it's not.

When you hear about stuff like this, though you appreciate what you have a little more than you did. That's one reason I think working in the legal clinic was so valuable to me; it made me appreciate my family, screwed up as it may be, a little more.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Is It a Scam??

I decided that before I'd make a definite decision about that day job I was working, I'd go read up on the case the company was involved in. Since I didn't get anything in my online searching, I decided it would be a good idea to go to the courthouse & read the complaint + other paperwork.

Good thing I did. The lawsuit was for something far too close to what I was asked to do. Not identical but I think there's enough of a credibility issue in that demographic, especially considering it was a default judgment, that I can't risk my license or my professional reputation on such a company even if I don't get a bounced check & the things that were gnawing at me were nothing unusual. Sometimes, you have to listen to your inner voice & take action.

Honestly, I really prefer a day job that doesn't require much investment for me. I already know what I want to do; if we were getting paid for it, I'd be all set. I wouldn't have to deal w/all this nonsense. Overall, I think I'm better off continuing to write, doing my freelance work from home stuff & keeping up on my entertainment endeavors.

I don't want a day job that requires me to work on weekends, wear shoes that kill my feet, or rely on me way too much. It's so easy for people to rely on lawyers too much; it seems I in particular have this problem b/c of being competent as well as someone most people don't want to kill. There's a shortage of people like that & unfortunately, I have a conscience. I'd feel bad if I let someone rely on me that heavily & then had to leave to do one of my entertainment endeavors. The people in my entertainment endeavors understand; they generally don't demand total fealty or expect you to be someplace the rest of your life.

Since I also promised I'd do this, I'll be revealing the name of the talent management company to avoid: Catalyst Management. I suppose I should give Jeffrey Patterson this: he knew better than to try engaging me further. Maybe he recognized that he doesn't know shit about this business; I don't know. If he doesn't, I'm sure others will tell him in so many words.

I'd like for other industry people to let me know how he treated them even though my views aren't going to change unless I hear some severe mea culpa, which I haven't seen at this point.

I had a business meeting today that ended up being canceled. Luckily, I had to dress nice to go to the courthouse & I have a monthly Metrocard. If I didn't, boy I'd be really pissed. Next time, I'm wearing sneakers and dressing as appropriate for the weather. That way, if I get any more cancellations I can at least go stroll around the city comfortably.

But they don't call me "the enforcer" for nothing; 3 strikes & I'm done. I don't grovel to anyone & I will be a success on my terms--just ask my former legal client who seemed to think it was okay to speak to me like an employee & expect me to be the ghostwriter I never agreed to being. Having money, being famous, I don't care. That means nothing to me: I care about your personality & how you treat me. In fact, having money or being famous will probably just lead me to think I need to be on the defensive + you're going to live up to every bad stereotype that exists.

Treating me like shit has consequences & I don't forget. I also don't forgive easily; if you have a problem with it, take it to the people who screwed me up mentally & caused me to be that way. Psychological factors, you know?

But looks like I'll be coping for now.