Sad News for Foodies

I had plans to run a restaurant review today, but my appetite for writing has crashed with the news that NYTimes restaurant critic Frank Bruni will be stepping down from his role in August when his memoirs, "Born Round: the Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" debuts in bookstores across the country. Apparently he feels the book will create a conflict with his ability to produce anonymous reviews--this intrigues me! But the fact that we will no longer be privy to his writing on a weekly basis (his pieces will still run in the NYT Magazine every now and then) is a sad piece of news for foodies far and wide.

For that, I'm holding on to my review until next week. Frank, you'll be missed! [via Gawker]

From the Management

Dear Readers,

Red is away attending to a family emergency and is unable to post until Monday. Please forgive her, and keep her family in your thoughts. Thanks!

Until Monday,
Your Neighborhood Blogger

Sick Leave

I hate to inform you that after having a camera stuck up my nose and down my throat, it has been determined that your dear friend Red has come down with pneumonia. Until the antibiotics kick in, I'll be neglecting you. Will you please accept my apologies?




...Thanks :)

RIP domino

Today I'm really sad to report a tragic, tragic loss in the magazine community. Yesterday brought us the closing of domino, which is--nay, was--my very favorite magazine, whose delivery constantly made my month a little brighter and my space a little warmer.

Conde Nast blames the economy, but for some this was a long time coming. The magazine had its flaws, but the design porn was always too irresistible to pass up. And, let's face it, any mag that's devoted to making all aspects of your life pretty is a winner in my book. Scatterbrained as it was from time to time, domino was a great read while it lasted. I'll miss you, domino :(

Chop Chop

While my move has gone swimmingly, the cable guy has yet to arrive and install internet. I'm tapping today, but tomorrow we'll be back in full swing (I hope).

I've often referenced the terrible state of the economy in this blog, and today will be no exception. I woke up after my first full night of sleep in a long time feeling refreshed and recharged, and for once the phone rang after I'd gotten out of bed instead of before. My temp agency was calling--probably with info on the M/F job or my paycheck, I figured.

As it turns out, the magazine I was working for, too, suffers from this nasty economy.

All the temps have been cut, she says.

That includes me.

It's the name of the game in this time, age, and industry, but it makes it much harder to enjoy my beautiful apartment when my main means for paying the rent has suddenly disappeared. Good thing I'm still freelancing, I guess!

On the calendar now is an interview for an internship (we have yet to find out whether it's paid or unpaid) at a super-elite magazine for members of a super-elite worldwide club coming up at 2 today, and one for a fact-checking job at a medical website tomorrow.

And also tomorrow, a more upbeat post--I promise!

One Step at a Time

So far on this blog, we've learned a lot about the perils of job hunting in the magazine industry.

We've groaned about how jobs never open up, unless someone gets fired (unusual), quits (rare), or dies (not altogether common).

We've whined about the stability of promises made post-internships (or blatant lack thereof).

We've gone through what feel like hundreds of interviews and thousands of cover letters, and realized that we're far more prone to making typographical errors as a subconscious way of self-sabotage when we really don't care about particular jobs.

Finally, we score some sweet freelance work.

Then, we score a part-time job that pays the bills. At a well-known national magazine, no less!

The next step?

A full-time offer, of course!

And have we finally reached it? It seems like we have!

But wait, there's a caveat... obviously.

The offer that's scheduled to come in today, according to the Editor with whom I interviewed, is a strange position that functions as entry-level editorial but pays like an internship. It's a great publication at one of the world's biggest publishing houses, and I'm sure it would open up lots of doors. Unlike an internship, it's full-time. Like an internship, it won't even cover my rent. With pay at less than half of what I'm making at my part-time job, it just doesn't seem feasible, unless I can wing some crazy negotiation.

So we're probably going to be forced to say "no, thanks," and move on. And the hunt for the perfect job continues...

Too Good For My Own Good

When I found out that I didn't get the Big Job yesterday, my first impulse was to send back an email to the Editors.

No, no, not a nasty one reprimanding them for their poor decisions.

I wanted to thank them for considering me, see if we could work out some freelance writing assignments, and figure out what I'd have to do to get a "yes" next time around.

I got my answers a few minutes ago:

1. freelance writing is a total possibility (yay!)

and,

2. With all my "phenomenal experience," "it seems that you might be better suited for an even 'bigger' entry-level position"

Well. That's sweet. Does anyone know how this feedback can be applied to future prospective job opportunities? Because I'm certainly, certainly at a loss. Sigh.

Oy vey? Oyaji!

What a roller coaster ride this week has been!

After so much waiting and anticipation, I found out that I didn't get the Big Job. I've been bummed out pretty badly, but the one thing that makes me feel better is that, coincidentally, a friend got the job. I guess that the more of us that make it out of the water, the more people to help the rest of us onto shore.

With a few interesting things on the horizon, I'm slowly getting back to my normal self.

I thought I'd share a few "cheer up" products to stick with my mood today, and these little critters just made me crack up. They're unexpected and silly, and while completely unnecessary, they certainly brought a smile to my face!


They're called oyaji, and they're drunk old man dolls that can be linked to your cell phone. Why? I'm not sure, but they're so lovably ridiculous. If you're curious, you can find them here.

a half-way offer

You always know that it's a bad sign when you get emails instead of phone calls. Nobody offers a job via email, right? Well I guess I wouldn't know. But rejection--ahh, rejection loves to come in written form. Even when it's only half-way rejection.

A few weeks ago, at the very start of my job hunt, I applied to an EA job with a set of magazines that covers NYC arts. For those of you not in the industry, EA=editorial assistant, and it's the entry-level magazine editing job that's entirely coveted and entirely un-glamorous. And we want one so badly!

So the interview came and went--and it went really well! An edit test interfered with my birthday weekend, but we felt really confident about it, and then we waited for a week... and another week.

Until the email came. She's impressed with my credentials. Everyone seems to tell me this! And she hired someone else. Well, she's only the second one to tell me this. But still.

And then the email turns around a little bit. "In the meantime, please let me know if you'd be at all interested in taking on assignments for us as a freelance writer," she writes. Well, hell yes I'm interested. At least my foot's in the door, right?

I guess half-way offers don't qualify for the phone, but I'll take my glass half full today, thank-you-very-much.