New Job!

So I haven't really talked about it a while lot on here because I try to avoid posting to many monotonous details of my professional life, but obviously I have a new job to announce, so I should back up a bit and explain...I have been job searching for the past three weeks. My boss at PR-at-Large, Nikki, is finally making the move to get out of PR and start her own clothing line and/or boutique, a dream she's held for a long time, and is therefore phasing out the business, doing less PR for our clients, leaving not enough money and not enough work to justify my current full-time position. I will keep doing part-time work with her on my own time, but yikes, what about my bills and what about the development of my career??

Yeah, I was pretty well freaked the f#@k out when all this went down, but I tried to stick with the positive outlook I struggle to maintain, looking at this transition as an opportunity for something better. And, luckily, it has turned out to be just that!

I'm starting next week as an Editorial Assistant at new PDX Magazine, set to launch in October. Modeled on the Time Out-style "Listings Bible," it's going to be a monthly publication of entertainment, culture, nightlife, shopping, restaurant, events (etc) features and listings.

I have a feeling that my adventures and research on the job will provide a lot of fodder for the blog, and the experience will prove invaluable to turning PONY into a full-fledged mag itself one day (soon)...so stay tuned!

My Portland Picks

I made a little debut today, as a contributor to the local weekly e-newsletter and website Portland Picks. Yeah, so my name's not showcased anywhere, but as Mari so nicely pointed out, my "voice shines through (in the bestest of ways)." Check them all out yourself and guess which ones are mine (okay, it can't be #7, but still...I'll post the answers if I get some comments, so post your guesses please!):

Portland Picks:

1 Just Like Heaven

One word for Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces—utopia. We met our masseuse, Brenda, downstairs in the gift shop (next to the gallery) and she led us upstairs to a very serene, warm, welcoming spa space. We felt relaxed before we even received the treatment. Brenda made us feel like an old friend, as if we’d just popped in for a cup of tea.

We treated ourselves to the 90-minute Intuitive Massage & Energy Infusion. Ninety fabulous minutes of lying there in pure rapture as Brenda guided us to a place of serene tranquility. Each massage is unique, depending on what state you’re in, so it’s not a cookie-cutter rubdown. Brenda applied hot stones, essential oils, and even used a tuning fork at the end to deepen our state of relaxation and soothe our overtaxed nervous systems. This should be mandatory for all of us.

She described Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces as a “collective of people who do healing work.” Try a session of Gemstone Healing, Reiki, Sound Therapy, Aromatherapy, or a Soul-Card Reading. They have specialists in all of them! (Our ideal day would be to come in and have a treatment from everyone on staff, pure research and pure heaven.)

Release all that negative energy and find your center. You deserve to unwind and feel divine. You owe this to yourself. And tell them Portland Picks sent you – you’ll get 10% off your first massage!

Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces
2426 NE Broadway
503.528.1430
livingsacred.com


2 You Are Such a Baddoll

There are few things cuter on this planet than baby-size shoes. We want to bronze all of the baby shoes - not just the customary one! And though Baddoll Shoes is really a place for grownups, the itty-bitty Converse and Chuck Taylors (in crayon colors, no less) completely captured our hearts.

We also loved the funky selection of Faryl Robin and Fornarina shoes – we have a super-duper big soft-spot in our hearts for Fornarinas – along with brands like Puma and Diesel, for women and men. From what they tell us, the sportier shoes are flying out of the store, as are the Reef flip flops – after all, it is summer. Oh, and they have Puma flip flops for just $15! Inexpensive enough to buy a couple pairs and keep them in the car for impromptu afternoons at the beach!

Baddoll Shoes
808 NW 23rd
503.525.2202
baddoll.com


3 We’ll be in the Powder Room

Want to have fun shopping for sparkly glam hippie clothes that won’t break your budget?

The Powder Room is “that place.” We loved their mad selection of platform sandals and inexpensive bags and baubles. Big gaudy rings on the cheap? We love it! Camis in every color, with or without beading? We love it! It’s like your hippest hippie girlfriend crashed into a glam-rock video. Totally awesome! (And from what we hear, the biggest seller is the Paradigm dress with delish candy stripes, a halter neck and a leather tie…for only $44.95.)

Don’t tell everyone about it; just go get one for yourself! Watch as others glance at you in envy and then do the kind thing—send them to the Powder Room!

The Powder Room
814 NW 23rd
503.248.9160


4 Get Tangled

Because we are, let’s just say, frenetic, the act of sitting down and actually relaxing or even watching TV is a challenge. We never thought of ourselves as the scrapbooking, berry picking, jam making, knitting type, though we’ve always admired those that could do such things.

Knitting in particular has taken on a very cool, glamorous, Zen-like reputation. With all the gorgeous accessories and luxurious yarns to choose from, it’s become so fashionable. And it isn’t just Grandma who’s doing it. All the models, celebs, and even college students are curling up and creating. It’s a whole new fantabulous trend. And we think it’s about time to try our hand at knitting. (Who’d a thought?) Just a quick private class and poof, we’re making a scarf ! (Cross your fingers for us.) We’ve always held romantic visions of ourselves knitting feverishly next to the big fireplace up at Timberline. The trick is that knitting is a communal habit. It is about making time with a beloved pal to sit and knit.

And our new hangout, Tangle Knitting, also has group classes and events. Our favorite: Stitch and Bitch. And if that’s not enough to get you knitting, check out their amazing knitting handbags (they look like carpet bags...gorgeous!) We’re sold.

Tangle Knitting
440 1st Street
Lake Oswego
503-636-knit


5 Ellaina Comes to Town

We know what you’re thinking; you love the idea of local designers, but you’re not sure you have the cash or the panache to actually buy those often edgy, expensive styles. Well then, check out Sue Bradbury’s soft, comfy, classic-with-a-twist designs at Ellaina.com.

It’s hard to believe that this San Diego transplant has only been living in Portland for a month. From all corners, we are receiving rave reviews about her stuff, and we’re not surprised. Lightweight soft mint-green shrugs, clingy tees with leaf appliqués and lace cutouts, plush pink curve-hugging cords and flowy floral skirts are just some of the feminine pieces that will surely become our wardrobe essentials for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Oh and lest we forget one of our favorite parts, all of the items are priced within our budget ($60 cords, $25 tanks), so now we really can stock our closet with unique, handmade local designs!

Eventually, Sue plans to open a brick-and-mortar Ellaina boutique just like the one she had in San Diego, but until then, you can pick up her designs at Say Say Boutique and Fix Gallery, as well as online at Ellaina.com.

Although we loved playing dress-up in person, it’s also worth it to check out the website for “pair with” ideas as well as purses, belts and jewelry and Sue’s own personal online journal detailing her inspirations and observations of her new home, “the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.” Well thank you, Sue, we love you, too! When newcomers can’t resist Portland, we can’t resist them!

Sue Bradbury available at: www.Ellaina.com

* Say Say Boutique
1010 SW Morrison
* Fix Gallery
811 East Burnside

ellaina.com


6 Quilted Memories

We tried to clean our closet this week. We planned to stick with the if-you-haven’t-worn-it-in-a-year-then-toss-it rule, but we didn’t accomplish much. Our old prom dress, skinny jeans, the ex-boyfriend’s college t-shirt and countless other nostalgic wardrobe pieces are still lingering. We don’t know about you, but we’d have lots more room in our closet for cute NEW clothes if we got rid of these blasts from the past, but we can’t bear to part with them.

Cue Lori Mason to the rescue. The former Nike textile designer turned to quilting 6 years ago with Lori Mason Design, and now she creates personal commemorative quilts out of your precious fabrics. Wedding and baby quilts are quite popular to mark those life-changing occasions, but we also like the idea of creating our own personal security blanket out of the garments that have made us happy through the years. We’ll curl up with the soft satin of that first fancy dress, run our fingers over the worn letters on his shirt we used to sleep in, revel in the memories of how hot those jeans made our butt look back in our heyday, and smile.

Lori also creates ready-made quilts with a modern edge, using wool suiting materials or linen. Her designs are clean and simple, making us think more of West Elm than Amish country. Prices range from $400 for a throw to $5000 for an intricate king-sized spread. Prices for commemorative quilts vary depending on size, pattern (Lori uses only her own original patterns) and number of fabrics used. You are investing in an heirloom. These will be the things the kids argue over.

lorimasondesign.com


7 You are One Hot Mama

When I was nursing the twins, I was afraid to leave the house. I was constantly starved, binging on Raisin Bran at 2 a.m. and listening to the neighbors partying next door. My surreal life consisted of alternating between nursing and pumping (sometimes on high speed to just be done with it, which of course wreaked havoc later). But I couldn’t leave my house because my poor starving twins never stopped nursing. And my bra, yuck! Though I must say I had quite a rack (for a fleeting moment anyway). At that time, sexy was not something I was feeling.

Many companies have claimed to have a "sexy" nursing bra, but their idea of sexy is offering one in black. Ho-hum. Now there’s a new local company that really is making the first-ever, sexy and functional nursing bra! De Ma Vie was started by two nursing mothers who thought, "Why must nursing bras be so unflattering?" We’re trussed up like Vikings when our bras are getting the most frequent viewing by the husbands! . One of the women, Heather Chamberlain, is the creative designer behind the De Ma Vie line and the model on the website. The De Ma Vie line was created in a Portland-area suburb where Heather currently lives with her two children.

Times have changed. And see, it isn’t an oxymoron....you can be a sexy mom, especially in De Ma Vie.

De Ma Vie
503-533-1751

demavie.com


8 Gelato comes to Old Town

We have dreams of being a flapper in the Roaring 20s. We can picture our hair in a bob while sporting a drop-waist dress and hanging out in the speakeasy with our bootlegger boyfriend. That’s why we love Chumley’s in New York, an old speakeasy in Greenwich Village, complete with a steel peep-slot in the nondescript wood door.

Back home in Portland, we’re always on the lookout for places with the same secret, underground cool, which is why we love love love the new Old Town Gelato. An offshoot of Old Town Pizza on NW Davis between 2nd & 3rd, Old Town Gelato is tucked into a tiny space next to the restaurant, which is only about as big as the gelato freezer itself. When the door is closed, you wouldn’t even know it was there; but when they’re open (11am-8 pm Mon-Thurs, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat) you’ll know where to look.

You’ll be drawn to their welcoming bistro tables lining the sidewalk. In addition to the yummy gelato and sorbet (we gobbled up the fresh, tart, green apple sorbet, while our girlfriend indulged in creamy hazelnut gelato), you can also enjoy take-out sandwiches, Italian sodas and coffee – no password required.

Old Town Pizza
NW Davis between 2nd & 3rd

In an effort to keep this post from being completely self-promotional, I suggest you check out the rest of today's edition (#80) for more cool ideas and goodies, one of which is those Sigerson Morrison rubber flats I wrote about awhile back (I just can't help writing about myself in some way, I guess!).

Now I know what's wrong with me...

thank you Gawker!

When I'm moaning and writhing on the floor, despondent that I've abandoned you readers for too long, therefore further paralyzed from posting and falling further into my blogging block, now at least I can take comfort in knowing there's a name for my condition. Someone should start a support group...

Along these same lines, I'm also a sufferer of Restless Leg Symdrome (or RLS). I know, everyone always thinks I'm just nervous or neurotic, and even though I am, that's not why I bounce my legs incessently (even in bed when I'm going to sleep!). Although the "severity" of my RLS is pretty minor - frankly, I like to think of the leg bouncing as my cardio - apparently this condition can be pretty debilitating. Seriously! Check out the RLS Foundation's website! Now will you stop telling me to sit still?! :-)

LATE-breaking news

Remember my little love affair earlier this month with the pop culture-obsessed beauty editor-written blog Jolie in NYC? Well, lots o' crazy stuff has happened for her in the past week, and I have been remiss in not sharing the news with all you, my lovely readers. (I'm not sure if any of you actually find my media-world news interesting, but it's kind of my obsession, and I'm gonna blog about it if I want to! And I really do hope you find it at least a little bit captivating, even if it's in a don't-want-to-admit-I'm-that-shallow kind of way.)

So Jolie...well, the mask has come off and thanks to a silly beauty publicist (gotta love them!), this anonymous beauty editor was outed last week as Nadine Haobsh, an asociate beauty editor at Ladies' Home Journal:



Small world - my ASME friend, Meredith, is an editorial assistant at LHJ.

Anyway, the blog was quickly taken down, and Nadine's fresh-on-the-table job offer from Seventeen to be their new beauty editor (she had already given notice at LHJ) was rescinded. Ouch!

But, come on, this is the media bubble of New York - no publicity is bad publicity! Nadine had the blog back up by the end of the week (with a new "direct all press inquiries ot my publicist" note, of course) and has now signed with the William Morris Agency to write a book about the beauty industry, complete with TV and movie tie-ins. She was also on MSNBC and is booked on Tyra's Banks's new TV show and Anderson Cooper's CNN show. Hmmm, I have a feeling that all this new excitement is a lot more lucrative (albeit, without all the swag perhaps) than that editor gig anyway.

See? Anonymity gets you nowhere! To keep up with all this craziness, feel free to go directly to the source: Jolie in NYC, now providing the behind-the-scenes stories of what it's like to be newly infamous in the media world (a girl can dream, right?)

Now, if only someone would take notice of our little blog here and hmmm, maybe offer me a book deal? A magazine deal? Maybe just a deal on my car insurance?

need i say more?

even though the job market sucks.

i apologize for again slacking on the blogging, but i am pimping myself out nonstop hoping someone wants to pay me for what i'm good at - yeah, what i'm good at with my clothes on, too. speaking of which, i'll link to it on friday, but make sure to check out Portland Picks at the end of this week when three little feature-ettes i wrote on local businesses will be featured. if only i was doing it for the money and not just the glory.

anyway, i can pretty much assure you that i will be blogging a whole lot more starting next week because that's when my current hours get cut to half. i'm looking forward to the free time, but certainly not the empty checking account! i'm still waiting for my salary to catch up with my spending habits....one day.

as always when i am being a lazy blogger, i'm going to refer you to yet another cool new blog i discovered. ultra is a local Portland blog focusing on the up-and-coming fashion scene here (yes, we have one!). if you want proof of how cool this city really is (in addition to the evidence i share with you here at PONYtales, of course!), then check it out.

No wonder I'm broke!

So Forbes just released their list of the top ten Most Overpriced Places in the U.S. They determined these by studying the median home price and other costs of living in relation to the job growth and unemployment or something like that.

Big duh: New York is #2 (though I guess you could say it's a surprise that it's not #1).

The big surprise? Portland is #3!! Wha??????

Now, I know for a fact that Portland is way cheaper to live in than New York or even Sacramento, my home town. In fact, it's probably the most inexpensive cool city to live in! But apparently, our unemployment rate is high and homes are actually fairly expensive, so it's overpriced:


Forbes says: "Portland comes in on the northern end of the list once again. Like Seattle, it took some hard knocks during the dot-com bust. "Oregon's economy has not yet recovered from the recession of 2001," according to the state's official fact book, the Oregon Blue Book. At the end of 2004, the state's unemployment rate was lingering around 7% (it was 5% nationally in June). The quality of life is good, but real estate comes at a price. From the end of 2003 to the end of 2004, the median home-cost price increased by nearly $20,000 to $201,500, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development."

Well, crap, I'm screwed. Just when I find out that my boss won't be able to keep me on full-time at PR-at-Large after the end of this month, thereby cutting my guaranteed income in half (don't worry, I'm job searching!), this fancy-pants money magazine tells me that I'm living in a way too expensive city. Ack! Okay, I'm just going to deal with it through denial: the magazine's statistics don't apply to me and that's the end of it. My Portland is cheap cheap cheap!

I'm a celeb whore - my [now ex-]boyfriend is famous!

Just when I thought I didn't belong, the Imaginary Socialite posted my email to her:

Marty McFly Is So My Guy

Ya see, I noticed during my obsessive reading of her archives that IS seems to have a thing for the Back to the Future movies. Well, for those of you I haven't told yet (which is, what, like one of you because I tell this bit of trivia to everyone I can), my boyfriend, John, was in Back to the Future II as one of the boys playing the Wild Gunmen video game in the 80's Cafe. His famous line: "That's like a baby's toy!" (said in response to realizing that you had to use your hands to play the game). Yeah! I'm dating a movie star! IS thought that was pretty cool, too.

And as she suggested, I went to imbd.com (Internet Movie Database - go there to look up all the info on any movie or TV show ever made) and looked at John's page (can't believe I never did that before). I coudn't have been prouder! And what is this - John guest starred on Highway to Heaven? I loved that show when I was a kid and I'm sure I saw him on TV and that's when I first fell in love. Ha!

**Additional trivia: For those of you really into this, check out John's sister Noley's page. She was the really successful one, playing Heidi in the Disney remake and Dylan's little sister, Erica McKay on 90210. Lucky!

Some late night ramblings from last night...

Sometimes I can't tell if I feel that I'm missing out on some things by not living in New York right now, or if I really am happy living a slower pace in Portland. I honestly feel both at the same time - which is the one I should listen to?

Anyway, this quandry comes up most often after I've watched or read something that depicts the single-girl-in-the-city lifestyle I thought I would lead after college, though was never sure I really wanted. A couple media that have been catalysts for this tonight:

Hooking Up
Summer reality shows - I have come to rely on them. According to the show promos, this one has been called "the real life Sex and the City" by some notable newspaper out there, so you know I'm already hooked. Basically, the hour show followed five or six women as they emailed a bit, called, set up dates and met with various guys in New York City. Some bad dates (a self-proclaimed "thin Fabio" with a hot model photo showed up 15-years older than he said he was with stringy red hair and craggy face - ewww!), some okay dates (guy buys dinner, gets a few laughs, but the girl doesn't want to jump his bones at all) and some great dates (ending with late night drinks, passionate kisses, all that warm and fuzzy stuff). At first, I enjoyed the vicarious rush of watching them meet new guys, get butterflies and hear the flirty and flattering things the guys said to them. Do I miss dating?, I wondered. But the more I watched, the more stressed out I became and the more disillusioned I got about the guys that are out there (not to say, single ladies, that there aren't some great catches - I'm just happy I caught one). The show was damn fine entertainment and I will surely be watching again, if only to remind myself that I am so much happier chillin' on the couch in my lovely apartment with my wacky boyfriend.

Score: Portland 1 / New York 0

Imaginary Socialite
A blog by a mysterious magazine editor who is very much plugged into the "hipster scene," as well the media and young celebrity world. I spent a good chunk of time after watching the show catching up on her archived posts. I wanted to think that I was hip and in-the-know enough to guess her veiled references (just the fact that I used "hip" and "in-the-know" proves that I'm not), but reading most of the posts just left me feeling even more left out. Is this the life I should be leading?, I thought to myself (okay, I said it out loud - I was alone at home!). It's not like I hit the town and go to the hottest spots even in Portland, so would I really be doing that in new York? What about the magazine world that I thought I so loved? Am I selling myself short not going after that? The questions swirled in my head as I clicked through post after post, and I wanted to stop but I couldn't. I read them all, torturing myself with self-doubt.

Score: Portland 1 / New York 1

So I'm back where I started, wanting both.

I have this weird complusive nature that makes me never want to miss out on anything, never be out of the loop, never fall behind the trends. That must be why I'm such a voracious consumer of media. And I think that's why I have this desire to live in new York - where it all starts, where it all happens - so I can be in the thick of it and never miss out.

Sometimes I think if I didn't know about that New York life, I wouldn't care. So why do I torture myself with these tastes of New York, even when I know the romanticization (word?) of the city and the lifestyle really is bullshit? It's like an addiction...I had a taste and now I can't stop, and yet I am unable to take the big plunge, instead just sitting on the sidelines, hanging on the fringes and flirting with that life....then going back to the safety of my bed and sleep and my yummy cute boyfriend.

I called John before I went to bed (he's out of town) and listened to him talk and felt at home, finally.

It's gettin' hot in here!

Okay, so that headline was too easy...sorry. Anyway, wanted to share with y'all Daily Candy's latest Lexicon XV (like the bar in Portland that everyone calls "15" but Selena and I call "X-V"!). It's about the summer heat, and since they put it in their "Everywhere" edition, I guess it's about heat all over the country, but trust me, these funny-ass made-up words are really truly applicable to the the nasty, muggy, dirty, did I say nasty yet? HEAT in New York City. It's hot in Portland right now, which means the sun is shining and that makes me happy, but when it's hot in New York, it is miserable - especially on the subway platforms. I'm feeling faint just thinking about it. Enough of my complaints - Daily Candy is much funnier at portraying the misery:

Lexicon XV
summertime! Summertime, and the lingo is easy.

a.c. pee
n. The nasty drip from an air conditioning unit. Also known as "liquid garbage."

condenversation
n. The exchange of sweat by people in close quarters (i.e., dance floors, cramped elevators). See also: filmic moment.

despair conditioning
n. An unexpected waft of cool air (e.g., from a passing bus) that is at once disgusting and welcome in 90-degree heat.

filmic moment
n. A glistening sheen of sweat on your body or your belongings, and the realization that the sweat may not be your own. (That messenger and I shared a nasty but hot filmic moment in the lobby.)

glute glue
n. The cohesive agent that develops on the backs of thighs in July, forcing one to peel them off park benches, car seats, or bar stools.

little white line
n. The thong outline seen on girls wearing the wrong white pants. (Does that skank with the little white line not check her reflection before going out?)

pit-fall
n. 1. The unavoidable underarm stains one gets from wearing tight, nonbreathable tees. 2. One's inability to avoid wearing tight, nonbreathable tees.

shamtonite
n. Summer house freeloader. (Chad is such a shamtonite. He's been hanging out in Bridgehampton for the past three weekends and he doesn't even rent.)

skimplify
v. To reduce the amount of cloth used to cover the body. (Summer's here. Time to skimplify the wardrobe.)

Our laugh for the day

This doesn't really have anything to do with Portland or New York, but being that I am celebrity-obsessed, it made me laugh and I hope it will make you laugh, too. If you know even just the tiniest bit about the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes relationship (like, um, that they're together and they're crazy Scientologists), then you must visit The Tom Cruise Scientology Centre. And make sure you click on everything, like even the "No" button under "Donate." Funny shit!

So this is what Media Studies is all about!

Well, shiznit, I'm already doin' it! Are you? Take Simon Dumenco's hil-air-ious pop quiz from today's AdAge and find out:

A MEDIA-STUDIES POP QUIZ
What Was Martha Stewart's Prison Nickname?
July 11, 2005
QwikFIND ID: AAQ73K
By Simon Dumenco

I know all you want to do is go to the beach and read Ed Klein’s The Truth About Hillary, but the real truth is that we’ve got some serious work to do here, people, and I’m concerned that some of you are just not keeping up. So I’ve decided we’re having a media-studies pop quiz. Right now. What’s that? Yes, I’m serious. Clear your desks and take out your No. 2 pencils. And stop your groaning!

The best catchphrase of the year so far is:
A. “I can’t be cool. I can’t be laid-back. Something happened and I want to celebrate it.”
B. “If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, OK? That’s what I’ve done.”
C. “They smell good. They look pretty. I love women. I do.”
D. “You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do.”

Fill in the blank for P. Diddy’s pitch in an ad currently airing on MTV: “One of the things about _____ is it moisturizes my situation, it preserves my sexy, and then I’m off to doing what I need to do.”
A. Pennzoil (Long-Life Heavy Duty Engine Oil)
B. Replens (Long-Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer)
C. Cheetos (Dangerously Cheesy Cheese Flavored Snacks)
D. Proactiv (The Answer for Acne)

Martha Stewart revealed in Vanity Fair that her prison nickname was:
A. Martha Stewart Omnibitchy
B. Martha Stewart Omniguilty
C. Martha StewartOmnipretty
D. M. Diddy

Which of the following did a Dublin court not rule must be returned to Bono by a former stylist who worked for U2 18 years ago?
A. Bono’s pants
B. Bono’s hoop earrings
C. Bono’s Stetson hat
D. Bono’s last name

New York Times reporter Judith Miller got sent to jail for:
A. Buying all that crap about WMDs, and thereby aiding and abetting the headlong rush into war with Iraq.
B. Selling her ImClone stock based on an insider tip.
C. Stealing Bono’s pants.
D. Robert Novak.

A spokesperson for the Christian organization The Resistance has blasted Jessica Simpson for her “These Boots are Made for Walking” video, demanding that she shoot a family-friendly version. They’re also demanding that:
A. The guy whose butt was shown in a photograph posted to the Los Angeles Times Web site’s “wikitorial” put on a pair of pants, for Chrissakes.
B. Nick Lachey stop doing bench presses because, Lordy, that hot bod of his is gonna turn all the men in this parish into queers!
C. ABC add “Praying With the Stars” to its fall lineup.
D. I rewrite this quiz to exclude mentions of Nick Lachey’s sexy body and that dude’s butt.

In response to the news that Angelina Jolie and (supposedly) Brad Pitt are adopting an Ethopian AIDS orphan:
A. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are going to try to adopt a Lebanese crack baby.
B. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are thinking about adopting a lesbian baby with diaper rash.
C. Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson may adopt kosher cooking practices.
D. I’m adopting Norm Pearlstine.

The only people expected to apply for jobs at the Al-Jazeera network as it enters the English-language market next year include:
A. Al-Roker
B. Tony Danza
C. Bloggers who got turned down by The Huffington Post
D. American Media employees inured to terror after years of working for Bonnie Fuller and David Pecker

Which of the following is not a lyric from Destiny’s Child’s stomach-turning new hit “Cater 2 U”?
A. Let me help you/take off your shoes/untie your shoestrings/take off your cuff links
B. When you come home late/tap me on my shoulder/I’ll roll over
C. I got your slippers/your dinner/your dessert/and so much more
D. Boo, I have no shred of self-esteem/do you take your coffee with cream?

If Karl Rove didn’t leak the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame to Matt Cooper, what did he tell the Time reporter?
A. “I can’t be cool. I can’t be laid-back. Something happened and I want to celebrate it.”
B. “If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, OK? That’s what I’ve done.”
C. “They smell good. They look pretty. I love women. I do.”
D. “You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do.”

The only person buying the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes romance is:
A. Liz Smith, on alternate Tuesdays, after a few cocktails.
B. 9-year-old Becky Kerwin of Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
C. Tom Cruise’s publicist-sister Lee Anne DeVette.
D. Xenu of Scientology fame, who, according to Wikipedia, “is the galactic tyrant who stacked hundreds of billions of his frozen victims around Earth’s volcanoes 75 million years ago before blowing them up with hydrogen bombs and brainwashing them with a ‘3-D, super colossal motion picture’ for 36 days.”

Which of the following is not an upcoming reality TV show?
A. NBC’s Tommy Lee Goes to College
B. Bravo’s Being Bobby Brown
C. NBC’s I’m a Celebrity, but I Want to be a Pop Star
D. HBO’s I’m James Gandolfini, Are You Going to Finish Those Fries?

I’m writing Media Guy:
A. To serve as a launching pad for my podcast.
B. To serve as a platform for my blog.
C. Until Mel Karmazin offers me my own satellite radio show on Sirius.
D. With the hopes that an editor at Highlights for Children notices my work.

You're dying for the answers now, right? Are you cool enough? Smart enough? Or maybe dumb enough? Okay, Frisky, check it out here.

If this is what Mari's grad school program entails, then I gotta get my ass back to school!

A warning to all PoweR Girls...

Jolie, are we operating on the same media world (not to mention pop culture-obsessed) wavelength?

I think this beauty editor must have been attacked by PR people yesterday, because after she waxed eloquently about the typical editor-flack relationships, she also posted a helpful list of rules all PoweR Girls should (try their best to) memorize, or at the very least post in their magazine-clip covered cubicle.

Jolie in NYC: Rules for PR people to live by

I couldn't agree more, but may I also add a few of my own...

6) Target your pitches to the appropriate magazine, then the appropriate editor and section. Read the publication and, as Jolie mentioned, make a point to check out the masthead every month to become familiar with the names and keep an eye out for any editor changes (they happen endlessly, it seems!). Even better, pay attention to industry updates like mediabistro's Revolving Door and Fashion Week Daily. If you don't want to be treated like an outsider, don't stay on the outside.

7) Don't ever feel (and certainly never act) entitled to a response from every editor you call or email. They are already handling more than what's outlined in their job description, and you, the 564th PR person to call or email that week, are not that special. Don't ever take it personally.

8) Rule #7 does not mean that you should treat editors the same way. I always remember editors who contact me and drop everything (or at least act like I am) to facilitate their request or answer their questions. I treat them like friends, which isn't so hard considering we're all pretty much women in our 20s & 30s. If editors feel good when they deal with you, whether or not the interaction results in a placement, they'll be more apt to contact you again. Relationships are the basis of PR (duh).

9) Believe in your client's service/product/whatever your pushing. Not every PoweR Girl is so lucky, but if you can at least fake some enthusiasm it may become contagious. If you actually like what you're pitching, you'll feel less smarmy making those dreaded follow-up calls.

Ugh, that's more than enough work-related blogging for my own good. I promise no more PR posts....for at least a week!

PoweR Girl!

Public Relations. The "dark side" as we called it during my summer ASME internship.

Don't get me wrong, I am loving my PR job right now - mostly because I have an awesome boss and genuinely like our clients (and who are they you ask? Twist, b-glowing, Flowerbud and Schoolhouse Electric Co., of course!) - but I still have trouble identifying myself as a PR person, mostly because of the bad rap PR flacks (often deservedly, sometimes unfairly) get from editors. The thing is, because I was on the magazine side for a bit, I completely agree with the usual complaints - pitching items that are completely irrelevant to the editor and anything he/she is working on, annoyingly persistent follow up verging on stalking - and I try to avoid those pitfalls in my own work.

Maybe that's why I still think I would get along with beauty editor Jolie (my new favorite blogger mentioned in my previous post), despite (or maybe because of) her recent missive on PR events and PR girls (a little negative, but also celebrating all the freebies and fun events she gets to go to thanks to the beauty PR peeps). If you're at all curious about the world I navigate and the relationship between magazines and PR (specifically in beauty departments), check it out: A Day in the Life, or Jolie Gets Wordy and Earnest.