The good news: I got a free copy of the new Sega Gamecube game Sonic Riders, a game I plan to do a little write-up on. The bad news, it's going to be one of the last articles I write as the online editor for Hooked. As an interesting note, the first mock article I wrote in 2002 when I was interning at Hooked was a fake Sonic-the-snowboarder article I used to test out the software. Thus, it looks like my career at Hooked was bookended by the blue blazing hedgehog.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
I don't know why it is, but I feel very little sympathy for human drama on television. Be it some stupid scripted show or a real life documentary, my heart strings are never more than slightly twanged. But throw in just about any animal in a similar situation and I turn to a blubbering fool. And not just real animals, I feel sincere disappointment when an affable CGI dinosaur fails to escape from a persistent predator or when an animated tunafish is enveloped by the deadly tentacles of a fierce primordial jellyfish. In fact, I still feel unadulterated rage at the rip-offs dealt to my feline heroes in "Animal Face-Off". Be it boa, bear, or ape, the show always has poor kitty eventually impaled on a tusk or swallowed whole. I go to sleep thinking about these things, which either means I was a cat in a prior life or am really good at avoiding reality :)
*Note: There is a mistake in the link on Wikipedia-- the lion defeats the tiger, which only makes sense since I was rooting for ol' orange stripes.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
The last few days have seen me in "regroup" mode, trying to figure out how to stick out this latest setback. It's been an oddly peaceful time, despite an overwhelming influx of bills from my back procedures. The house is quiet and sunny in the day, illuminated to a greater degree thanks to the snowfall from the previous night. Xanadu is happy to have me around to bug, especially when I have so much on my mind I end up accidentally feeding her canned food three times a day. In the meanwhile, I'm watching MST3K, playing the occassional NES game, and realistically planning ahead for the next few months. In all this chaos, I DID get a new car: this beautiful '32 Studebaker :) It probably runs better than my real car, even though it has plastic wheels and no visible engine!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Right now, I'm in employment purgatory. At Hooked, we've all been promised short-term contracts through February-March, which means I can't collect unemployment or start hunting for new projects. I think what stinks the most is that the return from Utah was to mark the beginning of writing my Colorado Guide in earnest. Instead, I'm scrambling to make ends meet and to some how position myself in "survival" mode for a month or two until something else comes along.
I've been keeping busy by preparing my office, trying to relax when I can, and indulging in thoughts of the future and not the past. I'll learn more on Monday from what I can tell. Until then, I'm producing as many red blood cells as I can--those suckers who "donate" blood and plasma don't realize you can get up to 8 dollars per pint! Heh.
I've been keeping busy by preparing my office, trying to relax when I can, and indulging in thoughts of the future and not the past. I'll learn more on Monday from what I can tell. Until then, I'm producing as many red blood cells as I can--those suckers who "donate" blood and plasma don't realize you can get up to 8 dollars per pint! Heh.
Monday, February 06, 2006
"They drew Mohammed as a Terrorist!"
*Starts burning foreign embassies*
That REALLY helps, guys.
*Starts burning foreign embassies*
That REALLY helps, guys.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
I went over to my office tonight, to sit and look out at the black, starry, mountain sky. I like the smell of the office, of books and paper, gear and grease. I can shut my eyes and remember first visiting it in 2000, at the grand opening party of the Boulder branch. I recall starting there as an intern in 2002, down on my luck, desperate to make something of this writing pedigree I'm supposed to possess. I remember getting news of my hiring, of progressing from office to office until finally last month, I had a sunny room with a view of the mountains. I envisioned myself working there late into the night, long after everyone had left, the stillness helping fuel the words for my book.
It was an office that brimmed with confidence, talent, and kindness. There was a hope we were making the world somewhat better and the indisputable energy that gave life to so many creative excursions. I take one deep breath, say goodbye, and neatly box up the hope and success that denoted that period in my life. 2002-2006; a time of great chaos, of losses beyond measure and gains never to be forgotten. Unlike the past, I feel better things down the road and I have no regrets having served my tour at Hooked. As a neophyte to the magazine world, Nancy, Doug, and Chris gave legs to my dreams; they were true mentors. I'm more at peace with this departure than it may seem. I soak in one last private, sensory charge; I know this setting will be summoned in seances in old age. And it will be sad because these times are fading, but I know there is nothing more for us here. And with one last glance at the past four years of my life, of the triumphs and failures, I turn out the lights and lock the door.
It was an office that brimmed with confidence, talent, and kindness. There was a hope we were making the world somewhat better and the indisputable energy that gave life to so many creative excursions. I take one deep breath, say goodbye, and neatly box up the hope and success that denoted that period in my life. 2002-2006; a time of great chaos, of losses beyond measure and gains never to be forgotten. Unlike the past, I feel better things down the road and I have no regrets having served my tour at Hooked. As a neophyte to the magazine world, Nancy, Doug, and Chris gave legs to my dreams; they were true mentors. I'm more at peace with this departure than it may seem. I soak in one last private, sensory charge; I know this setting will be summoned in seances in old age. And it will be sad because these times are fading, but I know there is nothing more for us here. And with one last glance at the past four years of my life, of the triumphs and failures, I turn out the lights and lock the door.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
So, out of the blue Hooked is gone. No severance, no goodbyes, just a day to clean out and we're gone and the mag is history. Our editor in Chief had no idea, and I believe her-- I've known her since the Planetoutdoors days. Right now, I'm stunned and worried about moving on. There's only so much damage one's spirit can take before it is extinguished. This is the third major job now that's disappeared, all without any warning.
I've really got nothing to say. To my friends: I'm ok, really. A little Punch Out!! and Tetris will help get things into perspective. Who knows what happens next...
I've really got nothing to say. To my friends: I'm ok, really. A little Punch Out!! and Tetris will help get things into perspective. Who knows what happens next...
Hooked on the Outdoors is no more...
Ah ligaments, nature's quitters. So it turns out I have some damage in my back and shoulder as a result of blowing it on a rail while snowboarding. Those pesky ligaments, man. Time to upgrade to titanium alloy, all weather, non-fleshular internal tendons. It's really not a bad injury, though deep breaths are a bit tricky. Balloon inflating is out of the question for the next few days, as is screaming "Go Packers! Packers win the super bowl!"
So here I am back in Boulder. Xanadu seemed mad to see me at first, but at least she didn't express her displeasure by leaving a steaming mound on the carpet. After getting fed and properly cuddled, she warmed up a bit. My house is a mess, as I began unpacking last night but fell asleep around 9:30 PM. Weak.
So here I am back in Boulder. Xanadu seemed mad to see me at first, but at least she didn't express her displeasure by leaving a steaming mound on the carpet. After getting fed and properly cuddled, she warmed up a bit. My house is a mess, as I began unpacking last night but fell asleep around 9:30 PM. Weak.
