He's in the phone book

PatrickErwin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:17:30 -0700

Someone's been on my mind a little more than usual lately. He's an old friend of mine. I met him about 15 years ago or so. I'd just returned to Pittsburgh after a few years of being away, and I'd reconnected with old friends. They introduced me to a few of their new friends, and one was quite a character. He had big eyes that he quite accurately called his "Bette Davis" eyes. One of ...

The way it was

PatrickErwin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:54:37 -0700

When I was in fourth grade, our teacher decided to have us all write a little biography of ourselves. Every Monday, a student would post what they wrote about themselves, and other students would add their own words and descriptions. I'm quite sure I was the only ten-year-old in that room who wrote about the Jonestown Massacre and Three Mile Island. I wouldn't have blamed my teacher for ordering ...

Michael Jackson: Into the arms of America

PatrickErwin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:09:20 -0700

They put Michael Jackson in the ground today. You know already, of course, since every media outlet in the universe is standing by to share the experience and their opinions about it.It's not my intention to share my opinion about Michael here. Like most contemplations of other human beings, it's complex and contradictory (and private). But I think holding a mirror to Michael's life, and death, ...

Guiding Light Project: Deja vu: From Springfield to Pine Valley

PatrickErwin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:55:21 -0700

I’m wondering if All My Children’s head writer Chuck Pratt has been watching old clips of Guiding Light for inspiration?The first parallel I noticed was the dueling Crazy Annie stories. Melissa Claire Egan has been doing great work as Pine Valley’s Annie, but I still miss Cynthia Watros’ bravura performance as “that mutton woman” Annie Dutton.In 1997, Annie paired up with power-hungry ...

Guiding Light Project: The Ripple Effect

PatrickErwin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:34:35 -0700

A while back, I posted about the parallels between the changes the auto industry is going through, and the challenges that traditional media (especially soap operas) face. The industries are vastly different, but some of the challenges – adapting the scope of your enterprise to the new marketplace – are the same. In many of the stories we’ve heard about GM and Chrysler, we’re reminded ...

What engagement looks like

PatrickErwin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:02:01 -0700

I've been following a local Chicago news story that's really captured my attention. Last week, a pizza delivery driver (Stephen Walker) was severely beaten and robbed outside of a multi-unit apartment building. The attackers made off with his car, which they eventually crashed, taking away Mr. Walker's ability to do his job. Several residents helped Walker that night. One, a man named Omar ...

Guiding Light Project: The right guy at the wrong time

PatrickErwin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:42:20 -0700

When I was talking about the ten “old friends” I’d like to see on Guiding Light the other day, I enjoyed the comments that followed and the dialogue about those old favorites. India was at the top of my list.As September gets closer, I’ll definitely be strolling down Springfield’s memory lane, and there’s one actor in particular who I thought merited an honorable mention. He was, as ...

Guiding Light Project: Ten Old Friends

PatrickErwin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:01:36 -0700

I don’t know what’s happening with the efforts to keep Guiding Light alive, but the one thing I do know is this: In just over three months, the last CBS episode will play out on our screens (and our Interwebz browsers, of course). I’m incredibly happy that the show is bringing some familiar faces back, like Danny, Michelle and Mindy. Peter Simon’s return as Ed has been confirmed, and I ...

Guiding Light Project: When spectacle trumps story

PatrickErwin — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:01:10 -0700

It’s all about great story!That’s what soap magazines and all of us whiners in the blogosphere always say. We drive that point home with almost every post. (Of course, with the current focus on plot and spectacle on most soaps, I’m guessing that our suggestions fall on deaf ears.)Every once in a while, though, great performers and great performances can trump a storyline that’s confusing, ...

Areas of expertise

PatrickErwin — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:48:49 -0700

Thanks to everyone who's read and commented on my recent batch of job-search related posts. My most recent post on the topic is also my last one, at least for the time being, for several reasons. My experience (writing for a company that advertises jobs) doesn't make me an expert.As the wise Laurie Ruettimann notes in her blog, there's already a lot of fat to trim in the career advice field.I ...

Fork in the road

PatrickErwin — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:00:04 -0700

The process of landing a job has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Skills and knowledge play a role, of course, but in the end it all feels like a lottery. I believed for many years the art of hiring someone was all logic. But when I was part of a hiring committee, I was surprised at the decisions that were made, and the "logic" that was used. They used a weird sort of algorithm - ...

Getting the knack of networking

PatrickErwin — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:40:47 -0700

So, my last post ruffled a few feathers. I'm sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes. I meant for the post to be humorous and tongue-in-cheek, but I also wanted to make a point. Whether you see the glass as half-empty or half-full can make a big difference in this job market. Some people might see required unpaid days as a loss of income and a slap in the face. I'd see it as free time that would ...

Guiding Light Project: Happy birthday Douglas Marland!

PatrickErwin — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:23:33 -0700

Today would have been Douglas Marland’s 74th birthday. In any case, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate his talent and his work. The newer generation of soap viewers may not know who he is, but he touched so many of the shows I know and love: Guiding Light, As The World Turns, Another World (where he was a staff writer for Harding Lemay), and General Hospital.Last spring, Marlena Delacroix ...

"Come to Jesus" moment

PatrickErwin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:13:24 -0700

I know: times are tough. I get it, really, I do. It's the reason I lost my job. Katie Couric told me a few weeks that the economy had shrunk so much that it represented $7,000 a person. That's a HUGE contraction and reduction of the economy - of cold, hard assets that used to exist. And I understand that people are disappointed. Even if they're keeping their jobs, people aren't getting merit ...

Hauntings, detours and new beginnings

PatrickErwin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:23:07 -0700

I'd love to tell you that all of my job search know-how and revelations about my career has led me to the jackpot at the end of the rainbow: a full time job. But alas, I have no new tale to tell. Next Tuesday represents an anniversary I thought unimaginable: five months since I was laid off. A few weeks ago, I took a road trip with my partner to Pennsylvania. My previous employer is a ...