I've Always Liked It Spicy...or Where Are They Now?
My favorite magazine articles are always the where are they now features...you know the ones: in 1983, he was on top of the world, with a number one single "Jessie's Girl," and a recurring role as Doctor Noah Drake on number one-rated soap opera General Hospital. Where is Rick Springfield now? Oh wait, he's back on GH. Nevermind.Anyway...in order to live up to SAS's lofty expectations, I am going to post...on a random, yet crucial topic. Where are all the Ropes and what are we doing? This may be fruitless but then again, it took me about a month to figure out that Sugi was Vizzini, so maybe I'm not the best person to kick this off.
But I'll start. I am in Tallahassee, Florida, and about a third of the way through my PhD. It's a great program here, with a lot of fine up and coming writers, too...the only downside is that the department is HUGE, which means that competition for jobs etc. is ridiculously fierce. Still working on the novel that many of you generously read, and still hoping to finish for good this spring (I write this in case my agent is reading). My lovely and talented wife got a job as the in-house editor at a think tank, which is dull and dry but provides a roof over our heads and some money to keep hubby in drinks.
And our house has has a few IC-related visitors, notably including Mr. Ian Stansel, who managed to get hisself a real fine sunburn and drink most of my bourbon. So if you're ever this way, come on down.
Next?
posted by Kistulentz @ Wednesday, December 14, 2005
7 Comments:
Well, okay. No real surprises here, though. I am in Ohio, the queen city. I cut all my hair off. I teach a class at UC. I live in an old hotel. I'm a half-ass vegan. I'm reading Lolita.
Welcome too to anyone who feels inclined to visit. I have many rooms, though no proximity to beach. They also call this place Porkopolis. Draw your own conclusions.
I'm living in Astoria, Queens, with my sister, who's an actress. She just got cast in a touring children's show called "The Rainbow Fish." It's about a magical octopus and a school of plucky piscine friends. If you have kids and it happens to swim into a civic auditorium near you, take them to see it. Or even if you don't have kids, you might enjoy seeing my sister serenade some happy kelp while flapping her foam-rubber fins.
My sister's life is much more exciting than mine. She lives half her days underwater. I live half my days under construction. The office I work in has been besieged by drills and whining saws, which makes the corporate life even more tranquil and palatable than it was before. Still, I'm plugging away at the novel and enjoying the theater scene here. Favorite of the year: "The Pillowman." It still gives me nightmares.
Speaking of nightmares, I had this dream a few months ago. I dreamed I was a telemarketer. On my list of people to call and harass was Marilynne. I was terrified and humiliated, but couldn't decide whether it was because I'd have to admit my newfound profession to her, or because she wouldn't remember me even if I did.
If anyone's in the NYC area, you're welcome to crash in my sunny yellow apartment. There's great Greek food here, and a dog downstairs named Socrates. It's an open invitation for past and present workshoppers. (And you, too, Marilynne.)
Possum. I forgot I knew you were here too. If you ever want to scoot around in Ohio, I know some underbellies. Email me: violettuce@juno.com
it is i, your chauncey. i'm in portland, oregon. birthplace of nike. the rose city. p-town. pdx. bridge city. stump town. i live in the basement of my high school boyfriend's mom. pretty soon, i'm moving to my brother's couch.
writing. on days i work, i put one sentence and a photo up at chauncey's sentence of the day. fell free to reply with your own and we can make it a collaborative effort.
hanging with my family, learning olympic taekwondo--i test for my green stripe belt tomorrow. i commute to taekwondo class three hours round trip by bicycle. it's not the same shitty ten-speed; i got a new sweet gt.
i just got back from sydney, australia. i went surfing, played cricket, and ate emu (and subsequently shit like a dingo for three days). just missed the race ritos.
i'm still unemployed. some people say i should get a job, but those people are just out of touch with an artist's life (mom and poppi, i'm talking ot you). i'm totally single, too, so yes, i do want you to fix me up with that gay guy at your office or the guy who's doing the flowers at your state-sanctioned wedding.
also, richard chamberlain is super queer. he's just a really good actor. they should let gay guys play straight roles more often.
where's cannuck, billsy, artie, gocker, solomon, et al? holla.
Hello sandropers,
Well - I'm back in LA. At first I really hated it here. It felt very very big and out of control compared to Iowa City. I grew up in a little college town in Virginia, so I think i "reset to default factory settings" pretty quickly in the IC. But now 8 lane highways and a 60 mile roundtrip commute feel totally normal!
The Bad News - I have not written a damn thing since I came back to California. But there is more to this story, which actually turns into good news, and leading indicators are trending in the right directons for me getting back in the saddle.
The Bad Good News - I am back in advertising, but 1) this is only temporary 2) it pays well 3) my new job as a creative strategist for Nissan sucks radically less than my old job. Basically, I tell people that make cars how they can use the internet to sell cars. I also make up the things that websites do. Not quite as boring as it sounds, but it gets there. I am also helping Nissan launch a new car called the Versa, which was called the Tiida in Japan, and no, I did not make up either name. But I did invent the name for the "buddy pockets" on the new 2007 Sentra. I am glad that these pockets will not go into the world unnamed, and will also provide ample opportunity for Sentra owners everywhere - which according to the demographics should be early-career college educated white male who enjoys video gaming and team sports. His name is Brett.
The Good Good News - I don't know how many of you guys knew about my filmmaking/ screenwriting career (non career) before I came to the workshop, but I am happy to say that my screenplay about Tim McVeigh ("Dreamland") has been greenlighted by HBO. My partners and I made our last film in 1994 (!), and we've been trying get a project going since. I started on Dreamland when I moved to Los Angeles in 1998... so this is a project that has been very near to my heart for a while. Should all continue to go well, we'll be starting preproduction in January, which means
1) I can quit advertising
2) I can go back to working on my novel
3) I have a chance to teaching at the Art Institute, which I can now pursue
4) I get to make another movie
That's it from the sunny south of The Bear Republic. It's great to hear what everyone is up to.
/SG
Congrats on Dreamland, Ferris. That’s great.
I’ve been in Seattle teaching a fiction writing class at a fine arts college and a college prep writing class at a community college. It’s been good stuff all around, but I’m taking a break to go back to Ohio for Christmas and then back to Iowa City for a winter house-sitting gig. A couple of professors are traveling to Europe, and I’ll be watching their cats; apparently one cat is dumb and friendly and the other is intelligent and standoffish. The house is in the country right outside of town. I’m hoping enjoy the weather and get a lot of writing done. Anyone got any part-time work ideas for IC?
I'll start the drive tomorrow, assuming the weather is okay. My Dodge Neon will surpass 170,000 miles on the trip. I caught it smoking today. The Jiffy Lube dudes gave me a radiator cap with a tendency to pop off, and coolant was leaking out and sizzling on the hot parts (don’t ask me to name them). I was very proud of myself for figuring this out (though, admittedly, I was helped by a man leaving a Subway restaurant). My students finally convinced me I had a death wish if I thought I could get through the passes without tire chains, so I bought some of those. Hopefully there will be a man leaving a Subway restaurant if I ever have to install them. Wish me luck.
Let's lunch, Jo.
I'm busted! fwiw, at least at first I was enjoying being cryptic :)
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