Chicago: Electric Ladyland

And no, I'm not high. Shut up.

Solresol: http://s27.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2V355X03OG6ZV01X96U523VRVI

Bird-Eyed Dog: http://s28.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0WHN0EBQH5WWC3B0Y8B0OHX6XM

I think I might go to the show at the Ice Factory tonight; it's Violence Ammunition, who do weird electronic stuff, and some hip hop act.

That's fun that you get to credit him in the liner notes, though.

In the cool-synth sweepstakes I'm surprised more people outside electronic music don't just use a laptop and MIDI controller: assuming you were going to own a laptop anyway, the base cost of that would be way lower than most nice synths. I suppose you'd have to put a little more money in there to get the latency down to absolutely perfect, but still. I've been running my computer output to an amp, micing it up, and re-recording it, and it's like the perfect room-sound hardware synth.

HEY, I got offered a new job! I think I'm going to take it, but help me through the pros and cons here:

PROS
1. It's in the news/media field. I would spend my time writing (not creatively), editing, doing research online, and possibly a little HTML work. I would not have to answer any phones, make any copies, type any letters, etc.
2. The hours are such that it's possible that if I end up going back to school I might be able to keep working there.
3. The boss seems to REALLY want to hire me, and has already made some concessions to intice me (see below), so there's room for me to bargain a little.
4. The work generally seems a lot more interesting and challenging than what I'm doing now.

CONS and EQUIVOCATIONS
1. I would have to be at work at 6:30 AM every day, and it's in Evanston, so I'd be waking up at 5:30 every day at the latest. (On the other hand, I'd be done every day around 2:30, even when I'm up to working full time, and I get more work done in the morning anyways.)
2. It's a deadline-based environment, so it can be fairly hectic, especially first thing in the morning. (But I could probably use the challenge, might make work more interesting instead of totally dull.)
3. There will be some evening and Sunday work involved (but only an hour or two every couple of days, and I can do it from home).
4. This is the big one; the pay/hour situation is really complicated and I'm still trying to figure it out:
a. Because of how they do things, they have to start me out at part-time and at a certain pay rate which is a couple of bucks less per hour than my current pay.
b. But the boss dude outlined a plan for me wherein I would receive an incremental raise every two weeks, while I'm training.
c. And he also said he would officially put me on the payroll while I'm on my two weeks notice at my current job, so when I actually start working at the new job, I'd already be on the second pay scale (which is still below what I make now).
d. And he guaranteed that I'd be working full-time at the latest by the beginning of February (unless I'm totally fucking up), and possibly before then if the demand for full-time workers becomes really high.
e. So I'll probably be taking a pay cut for a month or two, but after that, I should be back up to at least what I'm making now, and possibly a little more.

So I'm mulling it over, but I think I'm really ready for a change, so I'll probably take it. I have to decide by Monday. So give input if you have it.

I sold $180 worth of CDs and DVDs to Reckless this afternoon.

And think how great it will be to tell your current job that you are leaving to do something that actually takes skillz and stuff.

Although getting up that early might ruin me a little, but I suppose I'd get used to it.

yes yes yes. i have heard too many horror stories of jobs that had all these promises that they didn't follow through with. you're not calling the guy untrustworthy, you're just being cautious and protecting yourself. though maybe an email would be fine, i don't know about that sort of thing. just something in writing.

but it really does sound like you want to take the job...it would be cool to be doing something new, it seems.

maybe a long commute, but you could get lots of reading done!

I'm not getting an image at the start of this thread.

Not to be confused with... /http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000I25G.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

That way he can reply to the email, which I think is good enough (I'm not a lawyer yet, though, so I can't say for certain) or he'll have something printed out for you all official like. OR he'll tell you that there's no need to put any of this in writing, in which case DO NOT TAKE THE JOB. (If he says that it's all outlined in the employee manual and there's not need to put it in writing DO NOT TAKE THE JOB then, either, because he's just blowing smoke up your ass.)

Basically, it's not out of the ordinary in the least to ask for this kind of info in writing, especially when it's a weird pay agreement like this one. Any legit employer who is really interested in hiring you will do this, because it's not big deal. The writing would outline the increase agreement and say something about how it doesn't bind either of you to a term of employment of a certain length or something so they can fire you if you suck (which you don't, but the employer has a right to protect itself, too). If this guy acts even remotely reluctant to put something in writing for you, he's up to no good, and that is the truth.

Asking for this stuff in writing is a good way to test to make sure they are on the up and up.

I'm tired of thinking about it. Here's the plan. Very soon I'm going to go to the Ice Factory and hope that the show is stupid and/or entertaining enough to get my mind off all this. I will probably also drink some cheap beer. Then I will come home and get some sleep. Tomorrow I will wake up and draft an email to the dude with my questions, concerns, and understanding of what the pay schedule would be. Then I will send it and forget it until I get a response. Then Sarah will come home and take care of me.

Questions during my interview included: If you could only have one food, what would it be?; and If you could have one magic power, what would it be?

Oh and also:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002TS3.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

these cheeZ its are good
House of Leaves freaked me out earlier today

i am gettin offline now bye goodinight

Diurnal = opposite of nocturnal!

Man, I loved the Addamns Family TV show. I probably still do, but just haven't seen it in a long time. I liked the NYer comic, too. I'm very goth on the inside.

Pithy Comments at a Cocktail Party: THE MOVIE

i never capitalize (freakish, i know!), and i attribute it to exhaustion. i used to capitalize, and correct typos (and make less typos), but now i can't be arsed. (xp--i like to do the ALL CAPS thing sometimes though to be EMPHATIC)

i like to put all my words on the same level playing field, to see them as collections of letters bumping up against one another, democratically.

i like this reason much better though.

sarah, post a link to your christmas wallpaper! i've kinda wanted wallpaper like that...something all cozy looking.

http://images.bestwebbuys.com/muze/books/91/0811841391.jpg

WHOAH TOTAL XPOST!!!

from the French press today:

"Cet hyperréalisme de tous les instants - Ed1th Frost vient d'annoncer sur son forum sa séparation "à l'amiable" avec son boyfriend - renforce le sentiment de proximité qu'on perçoit à travers l'album."

Oh no! There goes John's sex appeal!

Currently playing: The Chipmunks christmas song

Air conditioning! In December! In the nothern hemisphere! That's just totally fucking gross.

I am eating VEGETARIAN CORN DOGS! Technology is amazing.

Hey, EZ, I should try talking to the new extended Frenchie fry family about Edith Frost.

xpost Hey, everyone else. I'm going to freak out the coworkers now by eating a veggie corndog in front of them.

Your list: interesting only because I didn't know that you didn't like those people.

No one has to bring me presents or buy me beer or anything, I just want to do something low-key & fun. That's all.

John, who was surprising on that list? I thought you were aware of how annoying I find those kids.

re: tobey maguire . . . he is the exact same guy in every role. his voice is monotone, he has yet to convince me as a character. he doesn't drive me as batty as he used to, but i think he's way way overrated as an actor.

Re Maguire's voice: monotone, yes, but with that charming scratch to it! Is he the exact same guy? Hmmmm. It's an odd thing to say, comparing The Ice Storm to Spider-Man, but I guess he does have that slightly nervous, wide-eyed wonder about everything in both films.

No idea what we're going to do on Saturday afternoon/early evening, but hopefully it will involve a museum and Galactic Pizza.

If I don't do it, I guess no one will.

Chicago: One Step Beyond