random spewage day

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On December 17, 2002

In Fluff, Rants

Today is random spewage day on gohlkusmaximus.com. First, as you no doubt noticed, I made a few changes to the site. The gray background was bringing me down.

Speaking of gray backgrounds, I believe the rainy season has begun here. It’s still novel. Ask me again if I think so in 3 months.

I’ve just been saving up the links—I’ve been alternately busy and slothful. During the busy times, I’ve been applying for jobs or working on my freelance project, which is going pretty well in fits and starts. I’ve also been preparing an application for law school at UW-Madison for fall 2003. [Update: I never actually applied.]

You may think that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. You would be half-right. One thing I’d really like, I realize now, is at least a modicum of stability. That is a truly ridiculous thing to ask for when you’ve just moved halfway across the country with no job lined up. I also want the ability to feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. It doesn’t seem right now, though, that I’ll achieve those ideals easily, or soon. Therefore, I’m exploring all of my options. (Seemingly all at once, which is a bit confusing and exhausting. Or is that the stress of being in a still-new place?)

I haven’t really gotten into the habit of picking up any of the “alternative weeklies” around here, since I’m not usually anywhere where they’re distributed. Unfortunately, that means I would miss Dan Savage’s Savage Love unless I read it online. Another somewhat guilty favorite I started reading in the Star Tribune is the syndicated advice column of Carolyn Hax. At first I thought she was mean, but now I believe that she’s just opinionated and direct. I don’t really want to examine why I’m entertained by advice columns. Maybe I should write to one and ask.

Ever wonder why airfares change so much? Wonder no longer: the crazy math of airline ticket pricing is explained.

Speaking of arcane and secretive procedures, want insider news about Congress? Here you go: The Hill and Roll Call. Which is better?

Probably neither. Try these instead:

But my life, like yours, I hope, does not simply consist of depressing political news and advice columns. I also read comics from time to time on the web. As we all know, in the world of web comics, there are hits and then there are misses. These two are good enough to merit a repeat visit: “Her” by Chris Bishop and “Small Stories” by Derek Kirk. Of course, my perennial favorite, Pinkey Suthers, is exactly perfect for me this week.

Did you know that a Frenchman invented a “universal language”—made up of musical notes—in the 19th century? It was called Solresol.

Speaking of music (this transition is a bit of a stretch), if you bought a music compact disc from a retailer (not online) between 1995 and 2000 (and if you didn’t, come on! what 8-track player have you been hiding under? This from a guy who doesn’t own a DVD player, of course), you are eligible to make a claim under the successful class action music CD settlement that confirms that CDs really were (are?) too expensive. Claim your five to twenty dollars, just to say you did.

november spawned a monster

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On December 6, 2002

In anti-blog

November spawned a monster.

I’m [not really anymore] participating in National Novel Writing Month 2002 [mostly because it’s over]. I got a good start but just got too busy/procrastinatory (you decide) to stick with it.

44,968 words in the next 10 hours and 12 minutes

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On November 30, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

Unless I can write 44,968 words in the next 10 hours and 12 minutes, which I won’t, my NaNoWriMo experience will end in failure.

I haven’t entirely lost interest in finishing this novel. I think NaNoWriMo spurred me to actually start writing and to be excited about it. For many reasons, though, the main one being time (more accurately, my less-than-optimal use of it), I wasn’t able to write 50,000 words this month.

Maybe next year I’ll be in a stable enough situation that 50,000 words in a month is a realistic goal. It just wasn’t, this year.

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text,” which chronicled my poor, solitary attempt to write a novel. I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog.]

kind of a bust, or, little hope

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On November 22, 2002

In anti-blog

Ah, November. How fast you are passing. How non-Novembery it feels here in the Bay Area, with highs ranging from 62 all the way up into the 70s.

How little work I’ve done on my so-called novel. I’ll work on it again, or I’ll come up with a better idea. Or I’ll even spew out 45,000 words over Thanksgiving weekend.

ornamental divider

Huh. It looks like it’s been two years since I started this site (see navigation to the right). The last year has been kind of a bust, output-wise, but I think overall I’m glad I have this site on which I can vent occasionally (and attempt to keep you, whoever you are, somewhat updated on what’s happening my life).

ornamental divider

A typical Gohlke day turns into a scam investigation: Several months ago, just after moving here, I found the web site of a supposed non-profit called “ACCESS: Networking In The Public Interest” that advertised a supposed non-profit job fair in San Francisco in November. I noted it mentally, bookmarked the site, and continued with the job-seeking process.

Meanwhile, despite how much I really like the Bay Area, the idea of going back to the Midwest has occasionally surfaced in my mind. I seem to have underestimated how much I would miss 1. my friends and family and 2. a full-time job that pays a steady wage I can live on. Yesterday, I called both of my last two bosses to gauge the likelihood of a spot opening for me again. The dearth of job openings so far here makes me feel I have to explore all of my options. [There’s little hope in budget-strapped Minnesota, especially with someone else, whose position had been eliminated, already having transferred into my old position; and I haven’t had the conversation with Tim in Madison yet.]

I must admit, however, that the idea of getting a full-time job here is still quite attractive. Around noon yesterday, the memory of the non-profit job fair popped back into my mind. I knew it was scheduled for some time in November but was sure I’d have missed it by now; November’s already half-over. I checked the web site and couldn’t believe it—it was scheduled for yesterday from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm. A registration fee of $15 was required, which I figured I could pay in cash at the door. After some quick calculations, I decided to go—at worst, I thought, I’d have two hours to hand out my résumé. I showered, shaved, and put on a nice shirt and slacks and my best shoes. I updated my résumé and business card and printed 10 copies of each. I was ready, and it wasn’t even 1:30 yet.

I decided to drive, since the building was about a mile from the nearest BART stop. I hopped in the car and drove down to Ashby—and at San Pablo, halfway to the freeway, there was a police roadblock preventing anyone from going west on Ashby. I took this as a bad sign. (I found out later that it was because of a fatal bank robbery.)

I found myself in the left lane and was forced to take a left onto San Pablo. A couple right turns later, I was heading north on Hollis, which is a street I’m vaguely familiar with from my occasional Emeryville shopping trips. Traffic was quickly increasing, making me wonder if I shouldn’t just drive to the Ashby BART station and go that way. I was persistent, however, and, after an ill-advised left turn into an industrial park dead-end and some waiting for traffic lights, I managed to get back on Ashby going west to I-80.

By this time it was 1:30. Traffic was incredibly light from the Bay Bridge to the Fremont Street exit in the city. I got off the freeway, crossed Market Street, waited some more, and took a left on Pine. I went up and down a hill or two to Van Ness.

The job fair web site said that the fair was at the Regency Building (I swear that earlier it said the Hotel Regency, but I can’t be sure), on the corner of Sutter and Van Ness. I found a parking spot two blocks away, after a reasonable number of circles around several blocks. It was about 2 pm when I approached the Regency Building, which existed as promised. I approached the entrance on Van Ness, which was locked. I looked inside the glass doors (one of which bore a notice warning of the perils of trespassing) and saw an empty ballroom. Curious.

I went around to the Sutter side of the building and entered the side door. I found myself in what appeared to be the lobby of an apartment building. An attendant was there, a maintenance or resident-manager-type guy. He greeted me kindly and, after I asked about the non-profit job fair, explained that, yes, people had been coming and asking about it all day, but, no, he had no knowledge of such an event. He opened a wide door to show me that there was nothing in the vast, vacant ballrooms.

I thanked the man for his time and left, perplexed. As I thought about it, it seemed more like a scam. There was no job fair, but no notification of its cancellation on the “ACCESS Networking In The Public Interest” web site and nothing posted at the building. More on the scam page.

On my walk back to the car, I spotted Kyoto Sushi. I hadn’t eaten anything all day (which is, of course, unusual for me), so I decided to make the trip at least somewhat worthwhile. I stopped for sushi. Overall, I’d recommend Kyoto Sushi if you’re in the neighborhood. The price is pretty reasonable for what you get.

Around 3:45, I attempted to drive back home to Berkeley from SF before I had to go to work in Oakland, but I-80 was jammed up basically the entire way. (The sign on the freeway said that the University Avenue off-ramps in Berkeley were closed due to “police action”—having to do with the bank robbery earlier.) At the last minute, I decided to forget about going home and took 580 to Oakland, which was a good idea, since I would not otherwise have made it to work on time.

[I made a special page for my inquiries about ACCESS: Networking In the Public Interest and the non-existent non-profit job fair I attempted to attend on November 21st, 2002. Though I wasn’t seriously victimized, I believe the possibility exists that other people have been and still are.]

fear and sleep: equal culprits

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On November 12, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

Well, hello. I have written 5,032 words so far. I should have written 18,333 by the end of the 11th. I am merely 8 days behind the projected pace, after 11 days, but am now making an attempt to catch up. That, plus freelance work, will keep these weblog entries brief.

I was pretty burned out after working so hard Saturday and Tuesday on election-related stuff (mostly calling people to get them to vote). I couldn’t really bring myself to open up the Appleworks file and write. Fear and sleep were equal culprits.

This is very typical of me. I’ll probably finish. I can already tell Thanksgiving will be a sprint.

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text,” which chronicled my poor, solitary attempt to write a novel. I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog.]

procrastination has always worked well

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On November 4, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

Again, I have failed to get to bed at any reasonable hour tonight. Unfortunately, I didn’t even quite keep up with the pace—I’m only at 4105 (out of 5000, where I should be after 3 days). I’ll catch up this week or over the weekend. Or over Thanksgiving weekend, perhaps. Procrastination has always worked well for me. I’m actually giving my subconscious time to stew over the characters and situations I’ve come up with so far, so that I can generate some stunningly original inspirations out of seemingly nowhere in a week or two. That’s it.

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text,” which chronicled my poor, solitary attempt to write a novel. I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog.]

sacrificed a couple hours of sleep

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On November 3, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

Well, I sacrificed a couple hours of sleep to get back on pace after two days of writing, if only temporarily. I have no plans to write much else today, Sunday, however.

Writing some dialogue on the BART Saturday worked pretty well, in retrospect. I’ll continue to use those moments productively. (Hell, even that’s justification enough to do this.)

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text,” which chronicled my poor, solitary attempt to write a novel. I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog. Additionally, I said “the BART” — ha!]

a little behind the pace

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On November 3, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

I guess I’m a little behind the pace. Last night I attempted to get back to a normal sleep schedule. That way I’ll be able to spend the mornings working on freelance, and when I get caught up on that, I’ll work a bit on the novel. To be honest, with all the stuff I have scheduled this month, I don’t know if I’m going to want to keep up the 50,000 word pace. It’s not that I’m giving up, but I’m accepting that it might not be realistic. I’ll keep going and maybe do a weekend binge at some point.

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text,” which chronicled my poor, solitary attempt to write a novel. I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog.]

slow going so far

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On November 1, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

Slow going so far—in five hours, I wrote 1858 words. I’m definitely going to have to pick up the pace to get it all in this month. Several breaks for e-mail slowed me down, as did far too much re-reading and fixing.

On the other hand, I think it shows a reasonable amount of promise.

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text,” which chronicled my poor, solitary attempt to write a novel. I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog.]

It begins!

By

On November 1, 2002

In Imagine a Novel Weblog

It begins! (Damn BART.) I got some good ideas at Happy Donut on Market Street, though, so I’m pretty psyched to start.

[Note: this blog entry originally appeared in my November 2002 NaNoWriMo blog, “Notes on the Text.” I’ve now moved all of those entries into the “Imagine a Novel Weblog” category of this blog. Also, I assume I condemned BART to hell because I got home at 12:54 am rather than sometime around 12:00 am, and, half a decade pre-iPhone, I didn’t have a device with me on which I could write or post blog entries.]

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