Absent, not gone

 Well, I haven’t been here for a lonnnng time.  I didn’t finish ZPD8….  Too bad.  I wrote some poetry for a bit, that was cool.  Then I stopped.  Then I wrote some big emo post.  That was cool.  Now I’m back and writing about not writing.  Cool cool.

Thing is, I have been writing. I got a job with a cool group of guys hoping to make a big splash with a marketing production company.  I’m a copywriter.  That means I get to write all the really boring information that goes up on web sites that nobody really reads, but the words are there, so it looks like such and such company really knows what they’re talking about.  I’ve always been kind of a know it all windbag.  Never imagined I’d get paid for it!

It’s difficult to explain to people what I do sometimes. First, they’ll usually ask "How’s the welding doing?" since that was the job I spent most of last year training and working at.  "Actually, I’m a writer now."  I’ll say to them.

That’s when a certain look of incredulity passes over them.  (Incredulity is a "Are you for real?" look.) So many don’t understand why I would spend all that time training to be a welder, just to drop it like it’s hot (and it is.  It’s very hot.)  The beauty is, I don’t have to explain this to you.  You know exactly why.  Welding was a trade.  A feather in my cap.  I can now check "welder" on those volunteer sheets where they ask you if you have any skills.  Well… I can shade in half the box at least.

Telling someone "I’m a writer" doesn’t really fulfill any curiosity.  It gently rubs the fulfilled hopes and dreams portion of my brain, but does almost nothing for anyone I explain it to.  "I’m a copywriter" works a little better… but most people have absolutely no idea what that means either. I think most people assume "copywriting" means limiting their ability to download movies from the internet.  Now I just ask them if they’ve ever seen "Mad Men".

"It’s a lot like that, but with more sex and alcohol."

Hahahaha, I’m just kidding.  It’s a very comparable amount of alcohol.