Week 5, Staying alive…

🎶…ah, ah, ah, ah…🎶

Sorrynotsorry for getting that in your head. Remember when that was the ringtone of one Moriarty, in the BBC Sherlock? Good times…

I’m writing about other TV shows, for one of my day job gigs, and that has been quite a challenge this week. Not a style of writing or research that I’m accustomed to. I’m learning so so much though, with each article and each revision, so I am indeed honing skills and so forth. It’s been keeping me mostly out of trouble, off the Olympia streets…

I’m doing this end-of-the-week post technically a day early, but then I started doing them on Fridays and not Saturdays a couple weeks ago so ehhhh who’s counting. You? Are you counting? Course you’re not.

This weekend marks the penultimate weekend of 12th Night, and I’m excited, astonished, and ready to go. To perform, that is. I’m not yet feeling wistful—I have a feeling that’ll kick in once I’m all packed up and my friend is driving me to Seattle. It may hit at the final cast party. We’ll see. Take bets amongst yourselves, lovely lurkers, whether or not I’ll totally start crying at said party. There should be more than a few cast member friends and family in the audience tomorrow, too, which’ll be great. Always makes for a raucous performance. Though I guess it was last… I forget of it was last Saturday or Sunday that they said it was our biggest crowd yet—almost a hundred people, scattered across that lumpy hillside. Cheering. Booing. Laughing. “Awww”ing. Clapping.

I’m in a brief pause between DU quarters—the new one will begin after I’ve returned home, but I’ve made sure those shells are all ready to go. I’m terrible about getting my intro videos done on time, but hopefully that won’t be a problem this time. Yeah, I know, I’m holding my breath too.

I’ve got a brushup rehearsal to get to, and then it’s the show all weekend! I hope to experience the farmers market sometime soon; I’ll let you know how it is once I do. Other than that?

“I am gone, sir / and anon, sir / I’ll be with you again…”🎶

This is quite the profound interpretation of the Fool card, innit? It’s…yeah. Meditate on this one.

Week 4!? Shut the door!

Seriously though…

Okay okay, um…. Yeah what happened this week, let’s see…

It was the first week we all had here in Olympia that wasn’t doing the show every single evening. That was a trip—very unusual. I had enough day job type work to do that I didn’t end up doing anything particularly touristy or special, but I have a feeling that will change soon. Enough of the cast was busy with various things through the week, too, that we didn’t end up having a brushup rehearsal, so now it’s feeling a tad odd that it’s happening again tonight—feels like a long time since we’ve done it. But I’m looking forward to seeing what the second round of audiences are like this weekend.

I’ve been rolling along with the new freelance gig, which so far /knock on wood/ seems to be going well. I got a Columbo article approved so the next week will be a Columbo nerd-fest. I know, I know, you’re wondering, “when is it NOT a Columbo nerd-fest for you, Jenn?” and to that I say…. that’s fair.

It’s funny, how much Fool folklore has popped up in my various creative and media consumption this week, too. A horoscope, a vid by a fave creator talking about court jesters and the 0 tarot card, stuff about sacred clowning, it’s everywhere… it’s funny. Maybe it’s an algorithm thing, listening to me and my activities, but actual creators deciding to talk about this stuff, this week? Nah, that’s more a Jungian collective subconscious thing, methinks.

Blue Dime Cabaret had a great show at a new venue, all nerd-themed, so I hear. And if the pictures don’t lie, they really did. We’ve got this same venue for our November show too, a Halloween themed one. We’re hoping it’ll be a good regular/home venue for us for the future. I’m looking forward to experiencing it. And our September show is a private event, so you don’t get to hear about that one (nyah), but October will be back at Dangerous Theatre, which will be super fun. I’ll be bringing these two lovely ladies back with me to do that one number from Cabaret for it (you know the one: “beedle dee dee dee deeee…”). It’s been a trip, booking and organizing these things, being so far away. Apparently it’s working, though. 💙

DU concludes its last week of summer quarter this week, and the new quarter begins after I’ve returned home from my adventures. This summer it was a section of the Professional Writing Program’s Literary Genres class, which was a good time. Those are masters degree level courses, so they’re fun specifically because I’m engaging with adult students who are at a certain level in their writing. Fun in a different way than undergrads are, though not more or less so. Fall quarter begins mid-September and that one will be another Literary Genres class, this time with sporadic live Zoom meetings, and an online section of Visual and Physical Communication, which is always a good time. Hey, any excuse to nerd out about Lie To Me in an academic setting.

That’s about it for the nonce, lovely lurkers. More next week. Now, to the pub! For, after all, “Give the dry fool drink, then is the fool not dry…”

Dude, Willy Shakes sure knew his bible, didn’t he?

Week 3 concludes with Opening (12th) Night!

The time here in Washington state has been flying by, wowee. Today marks the end of my third week being here, and, fittingly enough, it’s OPENING NIGHT for Twelfth Night, which is both fantabulous and terrifying. Fantabulous because I can tell that this play needs a laughing audience—it’s one of those comedies that, once you get the intricacies of the workings down, you really need that spontaneous laughter. Terrifying, because…. Already???!

There are two more shows happening tonight, which, in a normal year, I’d be at. One is Denver’s Goth Prom, which is a tradition the SO and I have been doing since we first started dating again. I’m kind of wistful about this one, but obviously my trip up here is more important, and he has said he’s not really in the mood for it this year anyway. I guess, since he did win Goth Prom King last year, if we’re gonna go out, we’ve gone out with glory. But also—I’m sure we’ll look into going next year. We shall see.

The other show happening tonight is the August Blue Dime Cabaret show—this one with a Nerdy theme. I am bummed I can’t be there for that one, but I’m sure they’ll be great without me. I can’t wait to see the pictures from that one! There’s all kinds of acts with a nerdy theme, like a Transformer burlesque, an amazing drag queen that we always love to cast, a standup comedian, and our Emcee doing her Professor of the Provocative hot teacher act.

I’ve been writing away for Looper quite a bit still too, which has been a pretty fun gig. I just got a Columbo-centered feature approved for construction, so that’s pretty exciting as well. Still freelance work, which again isn’t the long term goal, but it’s good experience (and beer money) in the meantime.

It’ll be nice, also, now that we’ve opened the show, to have my weekdays open up a bit more. I’ve been pretty focused on the intensive (daily) rehearsal process since I landed. But now I’ll have a lot more mid-week time to tour breweries and cafes, go see the very different landscapes than what we have back in waterless Colorado, and visit friends in nearby cities like Seattle and Portland.

For today, though, it’s 🎶another opening, another show🎶 and I can’t wait to have that audience there! I’ll pop back on here at the end of Week 4 and let you know how it’s been going. If you’re near me, come see this show! If you’re in Colorado, go see Blue Dime. If you’re nowhere near either, keep your eye on this space for pics and news and frolicking and things. Cheers!

Shakespeare or Scooby-Doo? You decide.

Week 2: Woo hoo!

I cannot comprehend how two weeks out here in the PNW (as I now learn it’s called) have come and gone. Holy wow… well let’s see, lovely lurkers, what has this second week living on my friend’s couch entailed?

Said couch has now been honorably dubbed the “Feste Memorial Sofa” in honor of my presence there and my task at hand. I’m quite happy with how this show is turning out, and am also just a little bit terrified as far as how many lines are still not as solidly in my wee cranium as I might like, this close to opening. That I am not the only actor in this situation comforts me slightly (but only slightly). But I was able to choreograph and teach the fighty bits for this show this past week, and they’re all looking great, and hilarious. These fight scenes are some of the best pieces of comedic violence out there, and these actors are executing them brilliantly.

It has cooled down quite a bit this week, making it feel a lot more like Washington than it had before, though I hear this weekend is going to be hella hot again. I’ll have to make sure I stay hydrated, and don’t overwork things. I get to sing a lot as Feste in this production, and I want to make sure my energy and my voice continues to be up to snuff.

Speaking of, I began suffering from some tooth pain very soon after I arrived here two weeks ago, and this week it got pretty unbearable. So my friend took me to her dentist (lovely people over at Lo Family Dental in Lakewood) and they found my wisdom tooth is loose and unhappy. It’s not rotten itself, though, so they gave me some antibiotics for the gum infection and told me if I wanted to come back and get it yoinked, they’d be happy to do it and wouldn’t be either expensive, or an awful involved recovery from same. I decided to see how the meds deal with the pain and, if I can, wait till I get back home to get it pulled. If it gets bad again whilst I’m out here, though, I do trust these guys enough to take it out without fuss. I want to at least wait till we’re in performances, though, so I can have a few days during the week to make sure I’m healed enough to spout Shakespearean prose and verse.

That was not the sort of adventure I was expecting nor wanted from my trip out here, but hey. When you’re in the epic adventure story, you can’t flip the pages forward and see what’s coming next; you just have to deal with each event as it comes. So I’m doing that, and reminding myself I’m not here to be comfortable. I mean, dental issues uncomfortable is not acceptable, but.

I am purchasing a huge soft flannel at the pub I’m frequenting today, speaking of comfortable. It won’t be cool enough yet to wear it but it’s still a form of future comfort, and I can imagine putting it on during a cold Colorado winter day and remembering Donnie at Well80 brew house fondly, as my bartender for my away-from-home 3rd place.

I’ve begun my new writing job in earnest this week, for TV pop culture website Looper. I started by “auditioning” with an article about Law & Order characters and the Zodiac, which was well received. So I’ve decided to continue with the zodiac/police-procedural themed pieces for the nonce, till I get more acclimated. Plus, I’m not a huge TV watcher (Columbo and Sherlock excluded) so it’s comforting to have a topic I’m at least vaguely knowledgeable on.

Okay, I’ve gotta go—I have to finish memorizing these lines; the Malvolio letter scene is really hard to remember right, and to get the pacing correctly. Let alone the Sir Topas witticisms. So. Peace out.

P.S. I heard earlier today that a threat had been given to a few Denver area colleges this morning. Don’t know what that threat was exactly but it caused Metro to shut down for the day, and DU to send out a soothing email saying it was okay. I am (obviously) working online for them only at the mo, but it gave me pause.

P.P.S. This is the end of the last week of Metro’s summer semester, which is also the last semester I’m teaching for that school before I’m out. It feels…very weird. I’ve been teaching there since 2001, and now it’s the end. And I haven’t gotten so much as a “see ya” let alone a “farewell” or even a “thank you” from anyone there, about my departure. I guess I hear my value loud and clear.

For what says Quinapalus? “Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.”

Writing Samples: New! Improved!

Remember when that was the most iterated marketing phrase across the commercial board? If it was New! and/or Improved! then it must be good, right?

Well, my list of writing samples is freshened up, if not new, and I think also improved quite a bit, if I do say so myself. Since beginning my search for good freelance copywriting roles, I’ve found a few that, while I’m not still writing for each and every one on this list, I’m nonetheless happy with my work for each. Plus, now I can show a more diverse selection of samples to those looking at booking my writing pen.

I’ve learned a lot during my first foray into the writing world that ain’t academic, and I’m excited to see what this next phase of the search will bring.

So I’ve refurbished my list of samples. Thar they blow! I’ve provided a little description with each, but of course if you have questions about any of them, do drop me a line or hit me in the comments.

One last note: These aren’t all the absolute best of my writing, nor are they the pieces that have been most prestigiously published. What I hope these samples represent is how I work in the type of writings that a recruiter might want to see for things like marketing, brand management, business blogging, and cultural commentary.

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I’ve been doing some freelance work for Study.com and its affiliates, which is a website that supplies informational articles and study guides for all kinds of educational topics. Here’s two of my published pieces for them, one about diversity in teacher populations, and one about gamification.

Why Teacher Diversity is Important

How Gamification Motivates Students

I was a primary copywriter for Your Boulder for a few years before it changed hands and changed its look, then I wrote for them again at their return for a few years after that. Several of my business features, listicles, and blog posts have gotten very successful, SEO-wise, and my weekender articles were among the most popular and searched-for pieces about Boulder. The article here about Boulder’s burger restaurants was one of the most clicked-on of my work. The other two Your Boulder examples I’ve listed here are interviews I conducted with Boulder business owners.

Best Burger Restaurants

Alison Rothman and Embody Life

All Terrain Landscaping

Now-defunct website Nerds In Babeland was one of the go-to hubs of all things geek culture, from around 2012 to 2015. I was a regular staff writer for this site, and my main work there was in writing reviews. Books, comics, and the occasional game were all subject to my critical eye, and my “mini-interview” series of authors and other well known nerds was a big hit. This is an example of one of my reviews, for a new game that had just come out, and for the art book which accompanied it.

Thief 4 Review

The Problematic Tropes series came about as a group of cultural commentary pieces, which began with the Problematic Badass Female Tropes series on Writers’ HQ, and continued with the Problematic Toxic Masculinity Tropes first on Writers’ HQ and then on A Wandering Road. The first PBFT article is below, as is the first PTMT article to appear on A Wandering Road.

The Marion Effect

NERD!

I did some writing recently for pop-culture TV site, Looper. Here’s two articles of mine they published–it’s more of a mainstream, poppy, media style. One is in their popular zodiac signs as characters series, and the other is a listicle about underrated crime shows, which was fun to research!

Law & Order: Organized Crime Zodiac

Underrated Crime Shows

And finally, this article. It’s a personal favorite of mine–another piece that centers on cultural commentary. This one goes a little into messaging, branding, and analyzing a meme. You might also say it’s a calculated rant. It appeared first right here on my personal blog, and was the catalyst for much engagement and dialogue on all my social media.

Actually, Don’t

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Thanks for reading, whether you’re exploring these pieces recreationally, or as a sharp-eyed recruiter.

What do you think? Do I get the job?