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1:15 pm - Sat 6/07/03 Riding my bike to work yesterday, I saw eight news helicopters flying over an area a little north of the bookstore (Before I got closer, for a scary moment I thought they were directly over the bookstore, and something bad had happened there). It turned out a small airplane had crashed ("nose-dived," according to a witness)into a 30-unit apartment building in the Fairfax district, an Orthodox Jewish enclave not far from the bookstore. Last I'd heard, two people (Including the pilot) had been killed, and at least 7 people injured (One man had burns on 35% of his body). But the building is partially collapsed, so last I knew, they still aren't sure if they'll find more bodies under the debris. It's early to say whether it was an accident or terrorism or what, but the fact that they're not releasing the name of the pilot makes me wonder; Does he happen to have an Arabic name, and they want to avoid a panic, or "a rush to judgement"...? I find myself wondering... I imagine I'm not alone in this, but every since 9/11, I've felt a moment of anxiety when I've heard a low-flying plane overhead. Now it turns out my anxiety was not completely out-of-line... In more personal news, Marie, the current GM at the bookstore, will be leaving as of the 19th. She came from Yorba Linda, where she was GM of the store there, and has been commuting four hours a day to do the job here (She apparently lives on a beautiful ranch in the Yorba Linda area, and has no desire to move). She came to the store last fall, but was out through the holidays due to health problems--heart stuff--which is basically why she'll be going back to the Yorba Linda store; Her doctor advised her to "slow down", and one easy way to accomplish that is to remove that four-hour-a-day commute. Not a bombshell--John O. and I had a conversation about this very thing some time ago--but I still feel sad about it; I like Marie, and will be sorry to see her go. (John O. is going to be GM in the interim, though I don't think he's interested in the position full-time.) It makes me think about how much more transitory things are out here. In a little more than two years, I've gone through three apartment managers, and will soon be on my third boss at the bookstore. It makes me feel a little anxious, but what are ya gonna do? Maybe this is some sort of "life lesson" I'm supposed to be learning, about depending on externals in order to feel "grounded". Or maybe not. Who really knows? An embarrasing postscript to "the big meeting"... I was writing a thank-you note, which as I think I said in here, seemed both the polite and the politic thing to do, when I realized I didn't know the zip-code for that address. So I thought I'd just call his assistant to get it, and kind of kill two birds with one stone (The assistant participated somewhat in the meeting--Particularly the part where they critiqued my headshot--so I thought I could thank him for that while getting the zip code). So I dialed the number, and when someone answered, I introduced myself, and said I was just calling to get the zip code for that address, so I could send Mr Goldman a thank-you note. The person at the other end said, "You thanked me enough already. You don't need to send a note or anything. I know who you are, and we'll be able to find you when we need you...". Turned out Mr Goldman sometimes picks up his own phone... Who knew? His tone pretty definitively said "You can stop sucking-up already", which left me feeling embarrassed and flustered and decidedly red-faced (I can't remember the last time I felt my face turn red with embarrassment). So I stammered a goodbye, got off the phone as quickly as possible, and threw my note in the trash. Afterwards, I felt angry. I was just doing what I thought I was supposed to do, so I don't think there was any need to make me feel like an asshole about it. Just say "That's not really necessary. It was nice meeting you. Good luck", and leave it at that. It just left a bad taste in my mouth (And the meeting had not been all that "tasty" to begin with!). (And if you're thinking it was a bad move for me to call his office for the zip-code, I kinda figured that out already. But thanks for playing...) Saw Finding Nemo on Thursday, at the Laemmle on Figueroa. Visually, it was amazing, but in terms of story and characters, I still think the two Toy Story movies were better. But I definitely give it a thumbs-up, nevertheless. Well, there's much more I could write about, but then I wouldn't be enjoying my pre-work nap. Later-on...
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