Not Saying Goodbye, Just Saying

If you’ve noticed the prolonged absence of yours truly and the paucity of work put into this blog lately, well, yeah, I hear you, and there’s a good reason for that. I had been knee-deep in the job hunting and search process, because it was just time to consider a move — not because I loathed my job or anyone I worked with; that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Well, I was successful, and in about five weeks, I’m moving to Portland to start a new gig and a new part of my life. The problem is that, for various reasons, this blog, and any other I’ve contributed to, can’t be a part of it right now.  The legal no man’s land of working in media dictates that, and I’d rather not do this than consider if anything (or everything) I write would endanger it. Plus, I’ve never made any money off this blog, and what I made as a contributor to others was not a massive part of my income. It will likely be unnecessary with the move to a larger market with a lower cost of living. (California rent and taxes eat like a Labrador retriever.)

So, until further notice, I’m closing up shop, without any complaints or particular regrets outside of writing more and writing better pieces. It’s been nothing short of a fun and rewarding experience, interacting with the commentariat, writing for other folks at Awful Announcing, Sports By Brooks, and Conquest Chronicles, and this forum and platform have introduced me to friends whom I’m thankful to have as part of my life, no matter how big or small y’all actually are.

I’ll still probably be around, lurking and commenting on blogs and Twitter appears to be a serious addiction.  It seems like a rather opportune time to jump out, because to be honest, the fun had started to drain right out of the entire matter.  When that sort of thing starts riding around and you’re tired of trolling sites for the latest blow-up to make a point about, but don’t have the time to really put into a piece that you feel is more important, it’s time to re-evaluate the motivation.  The pleasure of writing on a fun subject became less fun as I considered whether it was unique enough for someone to care to read or whether it was truly “good” enough to be farmed out to the Big Boys for linking purposes (I do mean it when I say thank you for anyone who has ever linked back to me, whether I sent something to you or not.)

The community is great and I’ll still be a part of it, just not an active, writing part. I’m content with that. So, thank you, to every one of you who read, linked, e-mailed, or chatted with me in some fashion over the past two years.

(Note: if I ever do start up again, it won’t be on WordPress. I’ve soured on this since the redesign here.)

So This Is The New Year, And I Don’t Feel Any Different

Given the necesity of being awake and coherent at 8:30 AM PST for work these days, you’re likely reading this after I’ve done my chin on chest act due to one glass too many of our cheap friend Charles Shaw.

Not to be an ungrateful bastard, but I’d rather kick this year right out and leave its crap on the porch for it to pick up next week — and no, I will not be leaving a key out for you, 2008. While there were quite a few personal triumphs and the start of good professional news, much of it was an overwhelming amount of reminders of aging way too quickly for my taste and rather dismaying matters concerning current employment (these had nothing to do with personal job performance, more with the dismal state of media these days) — and some personal failures that aren’t fit to publish here.

Also, I went from posting an insane amount here to barely being able to crank out a post a day, which is probably a consequence of switching shifts so damn often, never mind being contracted to write for others (happily, I might add). So that’s a minor victory, earning some cash for the efforts here. However, it doesn’t help with the stress of the idea of considering moving once again — and questioning whether I’m the type to be this itinerant for the rest of my working life.

That said, I’m bound to get off on the right foot again. I don’t do resolutions any more because I have this nasty tendency to break them, so that’s really all one can ask on the occasions when you indulge in self-reflection.

Happy New Year, everyone.

My Love, My Life, My Television

Yes, I'm aware that there are plenty of wires showing and I don't care.

From left: HD cable box, 5-disc DVD player, iPod in dock, 32-inch set/reason never to leave home ever again.

It’s where all the magic happens, people.

(This post is an excuse to test my digital camera.)

Bring Out Your Poles

I still got a lot of problems with you people.

Political:

1) DC reporters, writers, and talking heads: where the fuck do you get this “we are a center-right country” shit? Johnny Mac tried to label Black Eagle as a commie pinko socialist and WE STILL VOTED FOR HIM. Stop moving the fucking goalposts for the Democrat. It’s nice to know you found a supposed spine after taking it up the ass for eight years from the Caligutard, but Black Eagle isn’t even in office yet. Sit down and shut the fuck up.

2) My fellow Californians: you let your inner hick show on Election Day and it wasn’t pretty with Proposition 8. You were dumb enough to fall for the “it’ll be taught in schools” crap.

3) To Congress: What the fuck do I pay your salary for? I vote to send a critter to the House and two senators and you can’t even do your jobs by investigating the abuses of the Chimp in Charge? Then, to truly demonstrate your incompetence, you give Hank Paulson complete control over distributing my money in a bailout without ensuring it has to be loaned out. Moronic or crooked? Which one?

4) Oh, Sarah. Stay in Alaska until you can form a complete sentence, OK?

5) Dubya. Where to begin? Your charming way of saying nuclear, your thirst for unnecessary war, or your handing out of political spoils to cronies in order to politicize entire departments. And let’s not forget: it’s 2008 and, like Kanye said, you don’t care about black people. Heckuva job, Bushie.  Take your ass back to Texas and let’s never hear from it again.

6) Wall Street Execs. You sounded like Dubya at Katrina when you testified and pleaded for your bailout in front of Congress: “No one could have predicted the collapse of this scale.” You got high living off the hog and now we’re subsidizing your fucking losses, and you’re still giving multi-million dollar bonuses. Can we implant a sense of shame?

Sports:

1) Fox. Worst. Telecasts. Ever. From football to baseball, you fail miserably and in every capability with the gimmickry.

2) ESPN. Good with games, lousy at actual journalism.  You realize you put yourself out there as a “news” source? That means you don’t get to ignore stories when you want to. (Brian Giles sued by his ex for abuse, ignoring the “Favre talked to the Lions” story until Brett the Jet wanted to deny the rumor, Ed Werder and the Cowboys.)  I long for the days of CNNSI or the return of Sports Tonight, to at leave have something of an option.

3) Mike Shanahan. Thank you, once again, for failing to place any emphasis on defense. Your offensive genius has obviously been predicated on the backs of Terrell Davis, John Elway, and a Hall of Fame offensive line. Now, if you lose out on a playoff spot on the last day of the season for the second time in 3 years, I’m going to be furious.

4) Everyone Even Considering Themselves an Analyst on TV. There are too many of you fuckers with not a whole lot to say. NFL Today, NFL Countdown, Football Night in America — the economy is suffering, why shouldn’t you? You can afford to survive the recession.

5) The BCS. Much like the Wall Street execs, a bunch of greedy, money hungry fucks more interested in preserving the big piece of the pie rather than actually giving the fans what they want. And we still watch it. Maybe I shouldn’t be bitching at the BCS conference commissioners, maybe I should be griping at myself for buying into it.

Share your grievances here. It’s safe.

Peyton Made Me Do It

Well, not really. But he might as well have, so I’m blaming/crediting him.

Anyway, you read on Friday that my old TV decided to give out.  However, I quickly realized it had done so at the most advantageous of times:

1. In a bad economy, retailers are desperate to get rid of HD sets — both LCD and plasma — at ridiculously cheap discounts
2. This goes double for the holiday season in a recession, when retail experts are fearing new lows in holiday spending.
3. I’d just received my holiday bonus check (one week’s pay) the day before.

So, I spent Saturday at Circuit City, Costco, and Best Buy — the first because it was in bankruptcy and needed to move inventory to help consolidate two other locations that were sending what was left in, the second because I have a membership, and the third because I generally like it the best and trust it (this may be brand loyalty; I used to work at a store in Colorado and generally found it a decent place to work.)

No, Not On Conference Championship Weekend!

My poor TV finally bit the dust when I tried to turn it on tonight. We’d been through so much together…*sighs*.

I’ll be raiding Costco, Best Buy, and quite possibly (shudder) SprawlMart if I need to. The only exciting thing? It’s my first HDTV purchase. Your tips and suggestions for flat screens under $800 are more than welcome in the comments.

The Things We Are Thankful For

I compile this list while anticipating the wonders of a catered Thanksgiving dinner at work for the third straight year.

1) Friends and family, of course.

2) Not having to work in retail or the food service industry on Black Friday any more.

3) Being employed in a job that has a career path with it. Hell, being employed in general.

4) Getting paid to blog by others this year: thanks to my editors/bosses at Awful Announcing and Sports by Brooks.

5) The diner down the street that makes the best breakfast burrito/hangover cure.

6) The personal capability to be a moderately competent adult.

7) You, for reading.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Crickets Chirping, Again

Um….yeah. I finished planning and executing an election show this week (2p-1a shift on Tuesday night), followed by a day shift from 10-7, and just completed one double shift from 9a-11:45p last night so I can do another double shift in eight hours.

So, there will be no content out of me until Saturday at the earliest and I’ll try to bang out something in the middle of living up to expectations at Awful Announcing and being a generally tipsy lout (something likely on various combinations of football and also a piece on how pissed I am at the black church for being complicit in the passage of Prop Hate here. I am NOT FUCKING PLEASED about that at all.)

I just felt you deserved an explanation before I decided to catch seven hours of sleep (hopefully).

Out For A Short Bit

Day job intervenes, am exhausted. Back either late tonight or tomorrow night with a few short bits on college football and NFL picks. Promise.

S2N @ AA: Weekend of 10/18-10/19

• Running the Pammies again.
• The live-blog of Game 6 that wasn’t because I caught a cold. (it was really more of a frustration thread against TBS.)
• Wrapping up the game I missed.
• What I learned about college football on Saturday.
• Nebraska residents can’t not name something after the Huskers, can they?
• Shooting the shit during the early and late games.
• The live-blog of Game 7.