Read This or F@ck You

Entry #20

Miserably failing at all side projects I have assigned myself. Having a full-time job and being on salary is awesome. Being required to stay over 80 hours per pay period because you are those aforementioned things - not so much. I am seriously considering just bringing my writing here and working on it on the days that I have to stay late just to stay late. The corporate world is bullshit my friends, and I shall exploit it as much as I can until I get my way.
In good news though, HEAVEmedia was just named one of TimeOut Chicago's cool music websites. How crazy is that?! I'm not sure how we did it, but it's these little triumphs that makes what I'm doing at my shit 9 to 5 feel worthwhile. All those times I'm checking emails during work hours, booking shows, and pimping the site are finally paying off. Woohoo! And after almost 2 years of working at HEAVE I finally got posting rights so check that shit out. Slowly becoming more awesome day by day.
And Rob just brought me White Castle. Aw snap, the day is getting better.

Entry #19

It's getting closer to the New Year, which means I have to make the list. That dreaded list. The end of the year best of list. I listen to a lot of music. Don't get me wrong. However I am way behind on everything. I think out of the massive amounts of music I receive per year from bands, record companies, and PR labels, I listen to about 20% of it. The rest I give out to the staff and it stays on my external, silently waiting for me to find it. In three months I might stumble upon it and be pleasantly surprised as to what I've found, but it takes a while. So when it does come time to make my best of list I'm screwed. However, I have completed my best of the decade list. That tends to be easier to do since I'm that far behind on the times. There has been some great albums in the last ten years, some of which are on my top albums of my existence list. It kind of gives me hope that good music can still be made amongst consumerism, materialism, and douchebagism.My hot dog column for Gapers Block is getting some good feedback. My third installment followed me eating the Big Ass Hot Dog, which is a seven pound sausage. I really do love this article. I'm not a epicurian by any means, however I know what I like and I know how it should taste. And since my favorite food is hot dogs, I'm somewhat of an expert. I'm still trying to figure out where I want to go tomorrow for the next piece. So many choices, so little time.
The zombie project is still slow moving. Have yet to start up again with my zombie comic but it is coming along nicely. I have the story pretty much plotted out in my head, now it just has to get onto paper. I also watched the MST3K version of Zombie Nightmare the other night, just sort of for fun. I knew it was going to be bad and didn't have the guts to watch it without robots making fun of it. Man, way to make voodoo look stupid Zombie Nightmare.

Entry #18

Wasting time at work by reading the Zombie Survival article on Cracked.com. Do I ever get actual work done at work? Yes, I would say 75% of the time. This is a hopeful estimate. The article itself is pretty smart, and even highlights some needed jobs in a new zombie-infested world. A lot of movies have the hero, the hot chick, and some random people and guess what -- they never survive! Surprise surprise. Cracked's article expresses the need for working men like mechanic and carpteners as well as doctors for a group to survive, something Max Brook's World War Z also illustrates. Why does no one think about this? Why does an adult humor website need to be the smart one?
Because Hollywood doesn't want a bunch of average-looking working men and women to star in their films.

Entry #17

I finally finish one issue of my yet to be titled zombie comic. It's a rough draft, but it's something. I finally said "fuck you" to work and the fatigue that comes with it and spent my day off pounding out an issue that occurs in the middle of the series. That's the great thing about comics - I don't have to write things in sequence. Sure, when it comes down to publishing it I will do it chronologically but as far as writing goes as long as I have an outline for what I want to do I can just do what I want. I forgot how much fun fiction writing can be. I haven't done it in so long (probably since middle school) and concentrated so hard on building a good block to stand on in the competitive world of journalism in Chicago that that creative outlet fell by the wayside.
My new diversion at work has been writing my review of The Road soundtrack for HEAVE. I never really listened to or cared to listen to Nick Cave or any of his side projects but his and Warren Ellis's work on The Road score kind of makes me want to. Perhaps after reading The Tommyknockers I'll move on to reading The Road. Cormac McCarthy, you're a crazy bastard.

Entry #16

Sometimes it's fucking awesome to know that you're doing something that people notice. Usually I like being the lady behind the scenes, pulling the strings and making things happen. But to have verification that all that bossy attitude actually accomplishes something is golden. A friend who is helping to promote HEAVEmedia's next show (which you can RSVP to here) was at the SXSW meet-up at the Hideout last night and was dropping our name all over. And people recognized us! What the hell is going on?! Sometimes I feel like I'm writing to no one and validation like this is a total ego boost and makes me want to work that much harder. And to top that wonderful bit of news off, earlier in the day we learned that HEAVE sold our first add. Shit yeah baby! $30 in the bank! Better than nothing right?
Also, I contributed to this little number: HEAVEmedia - Roundtable: Which Disney character would you date?

Entry #15

Had to post this, just because it's hilarious.
How Everything Goes to Hell during a Zombie Apocalypse
Also my first installation of the Dog Show, a new column I have up on the Chicago website Gapers Block, went up today. It's all about the best food that Chicago has to offer - hot dogs. This installment I went to local legend Sueprdawg. If you live in Chicago and haven't been there, drop what you're doing this instant and GO.
The Dog Show - Superdawg

Entry #14

[REC] is probably one of the best horror films that I have seen in a very long time. I watched it last night by myself and watched the last 10 minutes of it behind my hand, scrunched up into a ball. I cannot believe that a movie like this is never made in America. Why? As much as I dislike the POV shooter, [REC]'s a film that has such a strong plot that it makes you look past it. But these creatures that start attacked the news crew that enters a quarantined apartment building are of questionable origin. Are these zombies? Are these rabid infected? Or are these something completely different?
Since this film thrives on ambiguity it's hard to establish the facts of the disease. We know that animals and humans can contract it. You don't have to die for it to take full effect. But when it does, the infected loses all moral control and becomes a bloodthirsty monster ready to infect anyone and anything. The virus is spread through the saliva and the most obvious way to spread it is by biting the victim. These creatures in [REC] definitely walk the border between the living dead and viral monsters. I don't want to give away too much but there is a unique element to the infect that is quite sinister.
I just discovered that Ben gave me the audiobook of World War Z. Sometimes I forget about all the shit that's in my library and discover these gems. This is one of them. Is it nerdy of me to be writing this while listening to Max Brook talk about the undead? Whatever, it's cool.