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Monday, October 30th, 2006
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12:51 am - non-standard time
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well, i guess when i post one measly test link to a lame song and get like 5 responses, it means it has been waaaaay too long since i updated this thing. it's amazing to think that at one time, i posted here up to 5 times a day, and now it's so infrequent that i feel like it should be accompanied by some sort of toast or ritual. i do miss the nice catharsis of journal writing, though, so hopefully in the next few months i will find a bit of a happy medium between "part-time job livejournaller" and "biannual livejournaller". watch this space.
at any rate, here's what's been going on. since we last spoke, i:
- moved to new york city. i live in williamsburg brooklyn, which is where all the artists moved like 6 years ago when they were priced out of the lower east side. today when you walk down the street in billyburg it looks like this: warehouse warehouse wine bar warehouse old italian rowhouse warehouse warehouse $1,000,000 condo warehouse indie record shop. plus stunning views of manhattan and an amazingly short commute to my job in midtown manhattan. all in all the transition was not as rough as i expected. my apartment is big and nice, unlike a lot of apartments here, and my roommate is at least 97% sane.
- started my new gig as a real live a&r man. i spend some time looking for new artists. so far i have co-signed two artists, Kirsten Price (not the porn star), and The Gossip. yes, that's right: northwest boy makes good and signs a kill rock stars band from portland. i am over the moon about both of them and they are going to have startling contributions to the 2007 musical landscape, just you wait. i've also got a few other artists that i'm working on signing as we speak so keep all appropriate appendages crossed for me.
i also spend a lot of time helping to "put together albums", which is the other, somewhat more demanding side of a&r. this means finding wonderful producers and songwriters and engineers and mixers and studios and managers to be able to bring to different projects around the label, as need be. i'm one of the people who "specializes" in pop, so lately i've been working a lot on finding/piecing together songs, etc. for the new albums from Jennifer Lopez and Amerie, as well as a new artist coming to epic in 2007 called The Dey (think a latin Fugees). I also put together a wicked Natasha Bedingfield remix featuring Kardinal Offishall that no one's heard yet, but hopefully will one day.
- went to italy for the first time with my dad, whose lung cancer is back and is much harder to treat this time, but thankfully he has been feeling ok.
- continued to enjoy the company of all my awesome old friends who live in new york now (ellen, kailin, travis, ian, anil) as well as make some new ones (florian and chris eggermont for starters).
- have found myself ironically lonely in a city of 11 million. just can't meet a nice girl to save my life. i'm sure it's largely my fault - when work doesn't feel like work, you suddenly find yourself doing it all the time instead of engaging in the sorts of extracurriculars where you might actually meet someone great. but to be fair to me, it's kinda hard to meet people here. sometimes i feel like i'm hiding in plain sight, at least in a romantic sense. and it's sometimes made worse when i am surrounded by the apparent new york pastime of making out in the subway!
- have been missing seattle as much as ever, and LA much more than i ever expected. don't want to dwell on this too much though. i'm so lucky to have this opportunity, and more specifically, to have the opportunity to have such clarity about where in the world i NEED to be right now, that it's really kind of a moot thing. plus, work will be taking me to both places a lot next year. i'm still permitted to pine for Pine St. or long for Los Feliz every now and again though.
anyways, since i'm NOT planning for this to be biannual anymore, i'm gonna leave it at that for now, even if i'm leaving some things out. hope everything's well in your world.
current mood: reflective
current music: The Gossip - Are U That Somebody
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(18 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, October 18th, 2006
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11:37 am - test
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| Sunday, January 8th, 2006
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2:00 pm - year-ends
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| Sunday, December 25th, 2005
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4:29 pm - a friendly christmas reminder:
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| Monday, November 14th, 2005
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9:56 pm - the story so far
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so here's the general gist of what's been going on with me in the last, oh, five months since i've really spent much time on here.
the main headline is that i am now working for sony bmg music. i am, as expected, a rather lowly assistant (which is how many people start), but a well-positioned one. i get to work with both a radio promotion guy (who is kind of the jewish joe pantoliano) and, crucially, an a&r guy, whose current/past projects have included everything from ricky martin to suicidal tendancies. i haven't had hours like this since high school, and i haven't had a commute like this since EVER, but the days just fly by like never before. plus, the team is actually pretty small for the world's second-biggest record label, and everyone i've met is some combination of nice, hilarious, helpful and/or good looking. also, much like my time at clear channel (where i still am helping out with some projects), despite the intimidating corporate reputation, i've actually found the quality of what we do to be pretty high. i'm really excited about some of the artists we've got coming out next year.
today i played my first unsigned band for my a&r guy, and he absolutely loved it, so that's probably a good sign.
since the job is in santa monica, it was tempting to pack up and finally leave silver lake after 2 years, but i just couldn't do it. for one thing, i figured that with all the newness of the job, it would be nice to come home to something familiar. for another, i know very well, and am good friends with my roommate now, and i am not in the mood for any surprises on that front. lastly, i just fucking love silver lake. i love my apartment, i love the look and feel of the neighborhood, i love my haunts. i love the 323. in this bizarre way it's actually kind of worth the drive.
in other news, i have had a breathtaking lack of success on my various dating services, so i am in the process of cancelling them. i can't recommend any of them i'm afraid (not that you asked!).
last thursday, i went to my first UW alumni "event". it was impressive in that:
a) there was absolutely no solicitation of money
b) the turnout was really interesting and varied, and included the director (!!) of the lighthearded 1977 clint eastwood "Q13 dialing for dollars" staple, "ever which way but loose".
also, one of my favorite professors in the world today, who is now the chair of the communication department, came down special for it, remembered my name, and had all kinds of nice things to say about me! he even wants me to come back and speak at one of his classes! how boss is that?
also, as some of you may know, my dad moved to portland, which is great in that i never have to go back to arkansas again and can see him much more easily, but it's a certain strain of crappy too, in that every time i go home to seattle i will almost always have to set aside a couple of days to be away.
speaking of which, however, i will be home over thanksgiving and the other holidaze, so if you are, lemme know what your plans are.
in summary then, life could be better, and theoretically it will be fairly soon, but after what i casually call "the summer of my discontent", i guess i can't really complain.
current mood:  quixotic
current music: ocean colur scene- the day we caught the train (acoustic)
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, October 30th, 2005
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11:45 pm - surprise!
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i'm back!
current mood: i think jude wouldlike this song
current music: les rhythmes digitales- jacques your body
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, July 25th, 2005
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11:10 pm - last time, hopefully.
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everyone, once again, i must ask you to think good occupational thoughts for me tomorrow (tuesday) roundabout 1 PM.
thank you in advance.
-d
current mood: still sick/nervous
current music: the fixx- red skies
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Thursday, July 21st, 2005
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11:26 pm - may i have your attention please.
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everyone.
please.
think.
good.
job-related.
thoughts.
for.
me.
tomorrow.
thank you.
that is all.
current mood: fingers crossed
current music: a little foreigner on a hot thursday night
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, July 12th, 2005
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11:15 pm
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11:03 pm
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| Friday, June 24th, 2005
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10:58 pm - "why did i move to southern california..."
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1:13 am
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| Thursday, June 16th, 2005
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11:52 pm
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| Monday, May 9th, 2005
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11:44 pm
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| Sunday, May 1st, 2005
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1:19 am
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| Saturday, April 30th, 2005
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11:35 pm
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listening to this song a ton lately. it's definitely one of my favorites. seems even better after my shitty week.
current mood: recovering
current music: kate bush- running up that hill
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(comment on this)
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| Wednesday, April 27th, 2005
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11:07 pm
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guess who's done with his master's thesis?
current mood: elated/relieved/exhausted
current music: george michael- the long and winding road (MTV unplugged 10/96)
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, April 23rd, 2005
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11:31 pm - a brief update
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1. there is a new TV ad out now for aspercreme. this is a product mainly geared towards seniors and others with chronic arthritis. the new tagline (and jingle!) are: "you bet your sweet aspercreme!". i'm not kidding.
2. thesis is about 98% done! just tightening up some things in preparation for HANDING IT IN on thursday.
3. i am planning to stay in LA indefinitely after graduation unless i go totally broke with no job leads or a job comes up in some other place (probably ny).
4. i am going out with a cute, smart, funny girl on tuesday. wish me luck!
(p.s. hag sameach to heebs far and near!)
current mood: ch-ch-ch-changes
current music: sia- breathe me in (mylo remix)
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, April 18th, 2005
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12:10 pm
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| Monday, April 4th, 2005
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2:15 pm - HELP NEEDED
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hey guys,
if you wouldn't mind, i need you all to PLEASE PLEASE think good job-related thoughts on my behalf between now and april 22nd.
that's all i can really say right now.
thank you!
current mood: fingers crossed
current music: mariners opening day
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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