And Now a Word From Our Sponsor
Those of you dropping in from cyberspace who do not know me personally may want to skip past today's post (but check back tomorrow when we move on to more universal subjects). It seems that the Poobah's launch into the blogosphere stirred up some old correspondents who want to know what's up with me. In the interest of efficiency - if not personal connectedness - I'd like to take this opportunity to answer some of the burning questions that you, the audience, wants to know:Q: How can you, a poor air traffic controller's son, afford to be without a job?
A: The truth is I can't. At least not indefinitely. But I am frugal by nature and was the recipient of a lucrative separation package - there's also a great corner where I wash windshields for pocket money. So I'm taking a much needed sabbatical as I mount a job search. Lest you think I'm only sitting around blogging all day, I'd like to report that as of this morning I've sent out 39 resumes, gone to eight interviews, turned down two jobs, am waiting for the results of a recent interview and have another interview pending next week.
Q: Do you miss working?
A: As anyone who knows me personally will attest, I'm not a strong proponent of work per se. I personally think that work is one of the worst things that humanity has every visited upon itself. It ranks right up there with pestilence, disease and disco music as far as I'm concerned. So the answer is, ummm, NO! WHAT A STUPID QUESTION!
Q: Where'd the pictures come from? I didn't know you could take pictures.
A: I started my photographic career with a Brownie box camera (which I still have) at age 5. Along the way I've photographed famous people (Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffet), events (school busing riots, gubernatorial elections), personal friends and family (a shout out to Mom and Claire) and a wide assortment of landscapes from cities to wilderness to interiors. My next gallery addition will be about a Japanese garden. Stay tuned.
Q: Do you do this whole blog thing all by yourself?
A: Of course not. I bought it at Blogs R Us. Dumbass! I may seem inept in real life - Lord knows I've certainly been told as much by many bosses - but I actually can do things. I cook, collect flags, play the drums, tutor the illiterate and operate power tools. I'm also a licensed airplane mechanic, world traveler and contributor to a famous controlled language.
Q: Where do the ideas come from?
A: The voices in my head give them to me.
Q: Where did you learn to write?
A: If you mean the actual forming of the letters, Mom and Dad taught me before I went to school. If you mean the stringing together of words, I'm not sure that I've learned that yet. What little I have mastered is a function of painful practice and baffling variety. I've written stories since my first long-form essay in third grade about a trip to Mars. I've also written magazine and newspaper articles, technical materials, corporate communications (er, forming communications frameworks that yield increased synergies across the enterprise) and short stories. As many of you know, I suffer from lack of confidence in all the things I do, so I now expect you to praise me lavishly while say "aw shucks" and kick cinematically at imaginary rocks on the street.
Truth Told by Omnipotent Poobah, Thursday, June 16, 2005
