Haven't written in a while.

New things. Hmmm.

-Engaged? Yes. That. Block Island, Rhode Island. So shocked. Fun.

-Actually reading Harry Potter, instead of just paying 10 bucks for the film.

-Going to Portland tomorrow to see old friends. Ah. Home.

-Went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. V. fun catching up with family and friends.

-Holidays coming. Ready, early. That never happens.

-Cutest picture ever. I am a proud Aunt.

SO TRUE. ENJOY...

BEAMING with pride

The Portland ladies are real, they are here to tell us about their body parts. And I love it. Go to,
www.nikewomen.com
Click on What story does your body tell?

Reminds me of high school. My friends and I all decided one day, who had the perkiest breasts, the best legs, the tightest rump (NOT me). Maybe all in a state of defiance. Maybe in a state of support. But, we decided who's asset was what. Very anti-sorority bash of us...way before we hit college.

Rock on ladies. You inspire me and other female creatives to fight the good fight against airbrush. You inspire me and many others to say, "Hey, I like what I got."

Yes, I just used inspired twice in a blog. I am ascending to hackdom.

-out

To see more about the campaign:
http://nytimes.com/2005/08/17/business/media/17adco.html

BTW: Who wrote the print? I love it.

Columbia Gorge, Oregon 9/04

Columbia Gorge, Oregon 9/04
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

How I miss Oregon...

Small things that make our crappy days get better.

--Scrubs. Zach Braff can do no wrong. If I ever run into him at a random bar in this town, I'll either faint or ask him out. With Joel's permission of course.

--American Idol. Yes, Joel and I are junkies. I finally gave in to the phenomenon. Although I admit, Joel is worse. He actually rewinds Tivo to watch a song AGAIN!

--A really good book on the subway. "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Amazing. I was nauseous for the first 20 pages. It's about an addict's road to recovery...and I use the word recovery loosely. Read it.

--A walk. A run. Anyway that you feel that you are running from the world and talking inside your head again. Sorting things out.

--Bar hop in a new neighborhood 'til 3 a.m. Caveat: Hangover is consequence.

--Soft serve ice cream.

--Watching new plants grow in your backyard.

--Picking a toe.

--A guitar lesson.

--Being naked.

--Concerts. Any, all, in the park, at the beach, free, paid.

--The Shins. How I love all of you...

--Boston Red Sox Hats that are washed before you even get them. Yum.

--Getting drunk with your friends. Getting drunk with your friend's parents.

--Blogs.

Joel. Me. A Gate.

Joel. Me. A Gate.
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

The Sun Bows to The Gates

The Sun Bows to The Gates
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

What better place to run?

What better place to run?
Originally uploaded by Viva Photos!.

The Gates in Central Park

Most people think Central Park in the winter is stony grey, cold, and brittle. Where's Waldo-like, people dot the park in whatever keeps them warm. An entire suit made of red costume fuzz. Leather from head to toe. A purple ski suit. A random incognito celebrity...was that Gwyneth? Or occassionally, an old woman in a fur coat will drift by with a vacant look. Lost, maybe. Or just taking a break from her CPW mansion.

At this point, most people in NYC are tired of hearing about The Gates. Even though I'm one of them, I think it's necessary to react.

Saffron. Orange. Whatever color comes to mind, The Gates fill the park in weaving lines like dominoes. Except with hundreds of steel at the base of each Gate, these are not falling. Sure, one Gate, two Gates, even three is not all that impressive. I thought the material would be more like First Aid Gauze, than thick taffetta. I thought the sun would have a chance to shine through. But, what I thought, and what I saw were to my happy surprise different.

The saffron flags, as I thought they looked like blowing in the wind, didn't just border the park. They weaved in and out and lead paths across many points of the park. People walked through them like models or friends in a wedding. Waiting to be discovered maybe. Or just experiencing NYC in a new way.

We walked through and filmed this fabric blowing as we walked through...ahead of us, then above, then behind. The sun reflected saffron everywhere, all part of the show.

The question that came to mind was this:
It's beautiful...so many Gates through such a huge park. You were reminded just how big CP was ...how is it still this big, untouched and pure? But, was this exhibit of color worth the 25 million dollars it cost Christo?

I guess when you are an artist who thinks grand, than grand is what you will make.

And money, being the mundane color of green, could never touch the vision of saffron.

See photos:
http://photos4.flickr.com/6079010_655d826357.jpg


--Art Rant

PRACTICE RANDOM VALENTINE'S DAY

Single or not single, I was never a fan of Valentine's Day. Besides the commercial aspect, besides the re-molding of gender roles, the "I'm a man, I must impress you with many chocolates." and such...why just one day?

I ask again, why celebrate on just one day.

Now, this rant is not meant to sound like a greeting card, but THIS is Valentine's Day.

1. Buying a Cadbury chocolate that's hard to find to remind a friend of his early South African beginnings.

2. Taking out the recycling and the garbage on the same day.

3. Giving up your seat on the subway.

4. A surprise meal of Cornmeal crusted scallops.

5. A candle lit dinner.

ANY, all, some of these and more NOT necessarily on Valentine's Day, but on:

September 16th
May 8th
June 2nd
January 20th

And so on...

Be random with love, like, like-a-lot the moment a whim hits. The moment it feels right. The moment you think of it.

Not because some chocolate company needed to boost sales in the dead of the winter.

Because, you want to, any time.

One last note:
Best quote for Valentine's Day yet,
Joel to Juan Carlos: "Where should I take Liz for dinner on Valentine's Day in NYC?"
Juan Carlos: "Stay home and cook."

And that's what we did. Made lasagna. Made salad. Shared a bottle of wine and watched the ever so uplifing Carnivale on
HBO. It was the most memorable V-Day yet.

Oh, yeah, and the flower bouquet that I received at work? Nice work Lothario Bloom...

Rant Out.

Rant. What this space is for. And why Pottery Barn STINKS.

I am buying a mirror. 18x42, Antique Beaded Copper Mirror. It's perfect for the apt. AND we have a gift certificate from Marc and Amy (THANKS!). I called last week, the 59th and Lex store, to see if they had this particular mirror. YES, they said, we do! Great. I put it on hold. Work got crazy and I never got there. So, I called back and kept it on hold. Then, I called, Monday, and talked to someone new at this PB. 18x42, Antique Beaded Copper Mirror? YES, we have that at this store! GREAT! Can I put it on hold? Ah, yes, life got busy again this week, 3 days in a row. Each time, I called to make sure they had that particular mirror, and yes they did.

FINALLY, today I walk all the way up to this PB, (it's about 4 degrees. HELLO, winter.). I'm so excited to pick up my mirror. They hand me a mirror, that is the wrong one. Hmmm...this mirror isn't 18x42. Because this mirror is SQUARE. 18X42 is a rectangle. "Sorry, this is the only one we have in the store." I explain, that I have called this store at least 4 times, to see if they carried the 18X42 LONG RECTANGLE mirror. I was told YES! Many times. All they could say was sorry, and that the mirror I wanted is only available by catalog. "ISN;T this something you could have told me many ONE of the FOUR times I asked about this mirror?" So, all that for nothing. Now, I have to order it by catalog and pay $21 in shipping! UGH....

There's more. (Can I go home now, and go to bed, and start this day over?)

AT work, it's donate Blood Day...cool. If we donate, we get a free vacation day! PRETTY awesome.
I'll donate, it's a great cause for them and me. I fill out the lengthy application only to be turned away.
Am I drug addict? Not lately. Have I had sex with a prostitute...um, no. I was turned away because the resort I vacation to in November, Zihuatenejo was one of the resorts on watch for MALARIA. Wow, that's great...I had no idea. So, not allowed to give blood, and NO vacation day.

Poop.

Tomorrow is another day. Yes, Scarlett, and it better be better than this one.

Reading, Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson. Just started it. He's a genius. Thanks goes to whoever brought it to Miguel's last book exchange (St. Jordi day). Hart, did you bring it? It seems like something cool that you'd bring...

BTW: I'll spare people about work details of late. It's too depressing to get into. All that is said is this:
Same assignment since October, changed 10 times. Starting over again today.

But, I have a job, so no rants about the jobbie job.

The New Year Baby Burps

Wake up. It's 2005. What does THAT mean? Sounds like a bad Sci-fi short story written in the 50's. And yet it's real.

The New Year Baby is the glitch we all need.

The New Year Baby tells me to get off my ass and run in that beautiful Prospect Park that I'm paying for.
But, today, the rain stops me. What? Rain never stopped me in Portland. But this is a cold winter NYC rain. Actually, it wasn't that cold. My flannel sheets wrapped me, in fact strangled me so I couldn't go exercise. But, I wear my fat jeans today, to remind me that one more M&M, and I'll have to give these jeans away. Reminders are good.

The New Year Baby says to keep in touch more. Right Kelly? Call people more. Do NOT fear the marathon phone conversation. Sometimes it's just nice to call and see what kind of toothpaste people are using. Write more. Molly is inspiration. A random postcard is better than Xmas. Since my cell phone doesn't work in the apt, postcards are a good idea.

The New Year Baby says to write more in the blog. Use it as a rant, a vent, the way I originally intended. Again, not to write or go on and on. But, short, quick rants like Lamaze (sp?) breaths before a birth.

(Speaking of babies, a toast and a prayer to all my new mother friends and my pregnant ones. To healthy babies and births.)

The holidays? One big eat fest with drink and presents in between. Catching up with PDX friends...you always have a place to stay, ALL of you, including Ben and Susan Carter? Thanks to Andy's parents for letting us crash in Jersey to we could catch up with Andy and Therese. We never did see the amazing basement...mysterious. Thanks for Marc and Amy for visiting us in Park Slope. Thanks to Jen and Jon for getting us drunk. We ended up at the Santa Fe Grill AGAIN for the weirdest ending to a New Years Eve ever. All in all, we love visitors. But wait a week. We're all visitored out at the Inn right now...

Onward to the new year. With a long weekend in January, perhaps some skiing. With Joel's 30th Birthday in March in NYC...Help. With dreams of Cape Cod filled summers and a little Maine on the side.
It's gonna be a good year. Oh yea, and work. 2005 is all about perspective. If Oregon has taught me one thing, it's this:
Work to Live. NOT Live to Work.

How profound. A toast to all of you this year.

Feel free to call and rescue me from bouts of missing PDX possee. And Joel's HALO haze.
718.857.2204

Two months in NYC. Still alive, maybe?

•Work. Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion. 101 concepts a day. All to be shot down. THIS is why you guys get good working in an agency. And also why you lose hope.
•A month in, oops, sorry, going on vaca to Mexico!
•Mexico:
In a nutshell. Troy, Carla, Mike, Shelley, Joel and me. Zihuatenejo (Yes, like in Shawshank Redemption). Cool village next to big touristy Ixtapa. 10 room hotel, with thatched roof and wood doors that open on amazing pool, down the street from ocean. Amazing. Pool, snorkeling, beach, guac and chips for lunch everyday. Margaritas and fish every night. Thanks Marta, the amazing bartender and chef. A little haggling in the village. A little translation and illegal drugs at the doctor's office. A little open mic night at Rick's bar (Thanks Joel.) More to be added about Mexico from the crowd. Anyone? You, too can be famous on my blog!

BACK to NYC to REALITY:
•Movers came a day late after getting an 18 wheeler stuck only 8 blocks from our apartment. 18 wheeler had to be towed. Oops.
•Cell phone doesn't work in my own apartment. (New home #: 718.857.2204) I shiver in the cold and talk fast outside.
•Movers arrive at 7:30 am. Thank god Joel didn't wear my lingerie the night before.
(New address: 154 8th Ave #1R Brookly NY 11215)
•We unpack sans coffee, heroine, cereal, and all the other things normal people do to wake up.
•I rush to work, look busy for 3 hours, then take NJ Transit to Linden, NJ--the official hair on the armpit called Elizabeth, NJ.
(How depressing, a major city named after me and one need not be proud.)
•I arrive in Linden, and pick up our precious Nissan Sentra which has been shipped. It's nice to see an old friend.
•I make it across Staten Island. Nissan makes it across pocked highways. Everything in tact.
FAST FORWARD
•Thanksgiving: Me in Connecticut (Joel in Atlanta, he got to escape): My insane family...Aunt Sandy is reading my aura. Within first 5 minutes of the meal, there's talk of Aryan Samigidian ancestors, how much we need Bush to finish the war he started, homosexuality (nature or nurture), and how Mom thinks I should run for president. Somehow in this diverse gene pool that belongs to me (really?), we have fun.
• Joel and I unpack. To test any relationship, skip the road trip...move together and unpack together. If you can get through this, you can survive anything.
• Joel and I love Park Slope. The park and it's rolling hills will be perfect for sledding and cross country skiing (anyone know where I can get some used ones?) I love the fact that I can go for a quick run before work. We love the restaurants close by on 5th Ave. We love the architecture. Very old, very NY. We love the short skyline, so that all that can be seen is a mix of ancient cathedral towers kissing the tops of the the ancient synagogues, trees and blue sky.
• One drawback for Joel. He feels a bit of a yuppie when he tells people where we live. I'm 31 years old. I'm OK with being a yuppie. Yes, my conflicted activist Portland Amnesty AIDS counselor insides is fighting among the yuppie landscape. Better start volunteering somewhere fast...

TTFN. More later...

Day Three at JWT:

I wait for a creative brief for a new assignment for Vaseline Intensive Care. Did you know that JWT is a new agency for them? Did you know they now have 12 different types of products with new packaging? This is me trying to rev up for my 3:00 meeting today. This is the first day I will officially do some work at JWT.

The reprieve from work has been welcome, since I've been apartment hunting. An apartment Monday night, across from Blake's (Baby Boy's sis...awesome Diva that will be my new best friend) place in Park Slope. AMAZING back deck. Strange layout though. Example: To get on to the deck, one must go through big pink bathroom. Conversation may sound like this: "Joel, I know you need to finish that article in Wired. But, how long do I have to wait to get on the deck. Finish reading on the couch!" Then I saw another place today, with a "study" barely the size of a futon. But, this place had a cool fireplace. But, no outside access. Maybe I'm being too picky, because I just started looking. Yes, definitely being too picky. Need to loosen the list of demands a bit. Not taking these apartments may be a huge regret. But, can't live with regrets...poison, I tell you, poison.

Oh yeah, work? People are very cool. Because I freelanced here this summer, I feel like I've already been working here. Surreal. A thanks for everyone's support and help. And a future thanks to all those couches I will crash on here...

My work number: 212.210.6453
Cell number: 503.381.9667

More word at the end of the week, when things really ramp up.

Going to see Chris and Rima's new baby boy this weekend! Can't wait to see Jonukie number 2, named Timothy Adam. I have to figure out how to put pics on this thing.

-King Rants. And Rants a little more...

FIRST DAY AT WORK:

Here's an email I sent out to all those that attended my mini-going away party.

White-walled on white-walled office. No windows. The whirr of
recycled air. It's the 80's style ad agency that talks about knocking
down the walls, "just like Chiat!" But, there are no walls coming down
and the three martini lunches have all sobered. I wait to be briefed
on an assignment. And wait some more.
The only thing that saves me right now are:
1. Radio Paradise on Itunes.
2. My obsession with finding an apartment. And I mean, obsession.

I have bouts of buyer's remorse. What have I done? Have a jumped ship
too soon? Well, being that it took me 4 years to be gainfully
employed, maybe not. What am I doing here? "This isn't my beautiful
house?" (homage: David Byrne). Is this my security card for the
building? Does that mean this is it?

But then I remember. All for a new adventure. All for the challenge.
All in the name of the career. All in the name of, "I wonder what
would have happened if I took that job in NYC?" Because wonder if's
are far more dangerous than anything I know. Because Liz as a drunk
obese 45 year old housewife who whines about what would have happened
if I moved to NY, is not only scary, but ug-ly.

So, why the ramble?

Thanks. A HUGE thanks to everyone who came to Lizapalooza and to
everyone who wanted to but couldn't. I appreciate everything...the
congrats, the good lucks, the gifts (not necessary!), the L.I. Iced
Teas and especially the house (here's to you, Fishcake). And of
course, to Joel who put it all together...

I'll be back in a month to really say goodbye and party late and have
lunch and pack and finish that poncho and do all those things I can fit
into one week...

See everyone soon. Oh, and if you want a pen pal, write back. I have
to create my address book all over again on my email....so I don't have
your addresses handy right now.

Dahnke,
Liz
lizzieking@earthlink.net

I start this blog off with a wonderful quote from a dear and insightful friend. Yes, this quote is about men, but I believe dating and job searching are so closely aligned it's scary.

"...men are so strange..this guy was completely sweating me..wanting me to stay over & commented how nice I looked..etc. etc..then he flipped a complete 360.  he lost interest overnight.  go figure."

Did I lose the job at JWT in NYC? NOT YET. I'm still fighting. I talked to the recruiter today. She apologized for not getting back to me. They are reorganizing the creative department, trying to figure out where to put me, with what account, with what salary. I told her about my job search. It's the reason she called me--to not stop the job search, because this is going to take time. Maybe mid-September until they know anything. They still want to hire me. It's not over yet. Ugh, the agony.

I take it back. Job searching is worse than dating. At least when you date and never get a call again, you can just pretend that the guy died (see great "Sex in the City" episode where Miranda deals with men who don't call back, this way. Except in one episode, the guy did die after the first date and she has to go to his wake.)

J.W.T. Probably not an agency that will die any time soon.

That's the latest. Thanks for reading.

WELL WELL.

Sprint responds to my rage, thusly:

Dear Elizabeth,

I do not blame you for being upset, and I do apologize profusely for
all of the mistakes and delays, which contributed to this very unfortunate
series of encounters.

I have read all of your communications with us and you are absolutely
right: there are no excuses for what occurred with this issue. You
have given us invaluable and constructive feedback, and I especially
appreciate all of the time, which you took to help us understand
exactly what went wrong regarding the transfer of your phone number.

Your feedback has certainly not fallen on deaf ears, and has been shown
to all appropriate personnel who would benefit from it. We do take
suggestions from our customers very seriously and are grateful for your
insights.

It is our intent to treat you with courtesy, respect, and understanding
and to provide the highest quality of service in all areas. We are
sorry that you have been inconvenienced to the extent indicated in your
email.

Roland K.
eCare

To my friends and family...without you, I would be lost.

Update: Since that's what a blog is, as mom says, you want me to check out your what?

I'm in NYC freelancing for JWT. Meeting some really great creatives. Some jaded, bitter, but still hopeful. I like that. So far, I've been working on print and TV for DeBeers, TV for Staples and TV for Schick Razors. Have a I taken a job, and why not? Still waiting, testing things out, trying to figure out if this place has potential.

So far, it is what anyone would expect of a massive ad agency. Lots of focus testing, client is driven by fear...we've spent millions of dollars to produce this...will it sell, will I lose my job, did anyone just see me pick my nose?

It is many creatives (10-12) working on one 30 second TV spot. The American way, it's all about waste.

It is a sea of talent, that goes unnoticed. It is a cubicle the size of a desk with bad migraine lighting and frigid temp. Without my Itunes I would be able to produce nothing. THANK god for you, Steve Jobs.

In the end, the experience in the last couple of weeks can't be compared to anything else. It's eye opening. There is no Land of Canaan. There is life. There is work. And sometimes both are good at the same time. But, both times, not.

In the end, the people here are great. Talented, nice, interesting, fun...etc. At the end of the day lately, that's what matters. For now...

Check here for more updates...soon...

Miss you all...except those of you I have gotten to see recently. Don't miss you. But will in the future.

Love, Liz

7/20/04 King Speaks to Sprint

So the world knows how evil Sprint is, here's my latest rant in the form of a letter I sent to them. Hey Google and Blogspot...if you're going to run ads on my blog, try a Sprint banner...that will help my cause.


Sprint,

Where to begin with the horror that is Sprint. This is the second letter I’ve written and no one responds, cares, nor tries to make me a happy customer. When I ask for the manager, I get things like, “They are not on shift yet.” or “I can’t do that.”

I’ve been unhappy with the customer service at Sprint for a couple of years now. Why didn’t I leave? My number is very important to my business. So, when the FDA pushed through the switch law, I was in. But, I had to wait until my contract with Sprint was up. I was willing to that. As long as I never had to call customer service, as long as nothing went wrong, I could get out without a hassle. But life doesn’t work like this.

By June 26th, 2004, my contract would be terminated. Hallelujah, I almost organized a parade in celebration. I set up that date with T-Mobile to switch my number. Soon, I would be free from Sprint. But, then the following events occurred, ironically to the customer who wanted out more than any other: Me. June 26th passed, no switch. T-Mobile informed me that Sprint would not release my number. Sprint informed me that T-mobile wasn’t being compliant---why wouldn’t they be...I was a new customer switching to them. This song and dance went on day after day after day. But I was reminded that the switch COULD take a week. But, it usually doesn’t. Onward. More than one FULL business and calendar week later, I still didn’t have my number. There were technical difficulties with releasing my number. What was wrong with my number: 503.381.9667. What was wrong with these 7 digits? When I called Sprint back, I talked to a customer service representative (representative of Sprint, NEVER the customer). They informed me that I was mistaken...my number had already been released to T-mobile on June 26th. Did it, did it? Is that why I’ve been calling Sprint and T-Mobile for a week straight? When I called T-Mobile, they informed me that Sprint STILL wouldn’t release my number. At this point, it was more than a week and a half. It appeared that I would NEVER get my number back. It was lost in a volleyball game in this abyss called a cell phone company.

And then things got worse. I call Sprint AGAIN, trying to figure out what’s wrong. A representative told me that there was technical difficulty with releasing my number...and that the last rep that I talked to was wrong. That’s it, just wrong. Of course, all this followed up by the robotic canned, “I do apologize, I do apologize, I do, I do...” STOP apologizing and take care of the problem. Then there is no reason to be so apologetic. The latest SNAFU? The time period in which the technicians had to rectify the issue had expired, so my number had to be re- released. So, what Sprint was telling me that because technicians couldn’t fix the problem in over a week, the process had to start all over again. At this point, I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. Thank God, T-mobile had given me a temporary number. Thank God, when I called T-mobile I got a human being who empathized, who cared, who DID NOT read from a script.

So, it’s going on two weeks, Sprint still can’t release my number. Technicians this, technicians on vacation, technicians can’t rectify, technicians went home for the day. Pass the buck here, pass the buck there. Sprint would blame T-mobile. T-mobile blamed Sprint. Someone was lying...who could that be? I would be put on hold by Sprint for twenty minutes while they investigated the problem and then be hung up on.

Then, when I could stand it no more, I called the T-mobile store in Portland, Oregon where I originally signed up. I told them the whole story. I begged them to do something, anything. I was tired of being in the middle of this mess. PLEASE, someone do something. Two hours later, a T-mobile rep called me to tell me that my 503.381.9667 number finally worked. I have no idea what happened, or why I didn’t call the store originally, BUT it worked.

Sprint, you are the worst company on the planet. I am in advertising, so you better believe that I will SMEAR your name on every feedback website, in every publication, in every way possible for the rest of my life. You show no remorse. Your responses are formulaic and canned. I have never received credit or minutes or breaks on any bills in five years. It is disgusting, how little you care about a customer that has been with you for over five years. Will this letter do anything? Probably not. But, at least I wrote it. And at least the one person reading it knows how disgusted I am with you.

Just make a note, because that’s all you do, that I will NEVER pay for another Sprint bill again. If I receive one after this mess, I will burn it. Send another, and I’ll burn it again. You will never see another hard earned dimed of mine again.

No thanks, very sincerely,
Elizabeth King
fedupspam@yahoo.com
503.381.9667
Switched