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Need a karma booster

 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
15:16 / 28.08.02
I've got a job interview at 3 with a publication that may be close to the hearts of many here, but I'll keep mum on specifically which for now. Just hoped whoever reads this before then might send some energy in my direction at 3 pm EST. I'm sure the universe can interpret who you mean if you need to specify who needs your energies.

Thanks.
 
 
Little Mother
15:22 / 28.08.02
Will do
Luck 'n' stuff
 
 
grant
16:09 / 28.08.02
Word.
 
 
Tamayyurt
16:55 / 28.08.02
done.
 
 
FinderWolf
19:48 / 28.08.02
I'm reading this at exactly 4:45 EST, but I'm sure I can still contribute good vibes and thoughts for wake of event ripple in the stream of universe energy. Peace and high vibrations. Let us know how it goes!
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
04:13 / 29.08.02
Wow. I mean, WOW.

I swear to Everything that I felt it. I "saw" it come in through the window and fill me up. Of course, it might've been my medication, too, but there would be no specific reason for it to amp up like that right at that moment. I am so very, very confident that I landed this job. The fellow who interviewed me, who I would be reporting to, turns out to be a former small press comic publisher, has met Grant Morrison, and may get the opportunity to interview Alan Moore, all for a publication that isn't directly about comics or any other "geek culture," per se. He practically nodded and winked at me as I left, and said he might even call me as soon as tonight (8/28; he didn't, but I'm no less certain of my odds). I can't be too explicit about which publication it is at this point, but I can say that recent issues have had Snoop Dogg and Tenacious D on the covers, and I would be working in a position of fair importance. 'Nuff said.

Thank you all so much. I really do believe I received your good wishes.
 
 
Tamayyurt
04:19 / 29.08.02
Don't mention it, hope you get the job. It (and the boss) sound really cool. Gonna be a lotta fun!
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
20:33 / 30.08.02
I'm happy to report that just over an hour ago I was informed that I landed this job. Thank you all so very much for doing your part.

Actually, my new boss told me that the entire interview hinged on the question, "What's your favorite comic?" He said that if I'd told him Rob Liefeld he would have tossed my ass into the street.
 
 
Sebastian
20:51 / 30.08.02
Cheers!!!
 
 
penitentvandal
11:30 / 02.09.02
And quite right too.
 
 
FinderWolf
12:57 / 02.09.02
Congrats!
 
 
Papess
13:12 / 02.09.02
Waay cool!

Sent you some good vibes but, forgot to post about it.

~MT
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
16:32 / 31.12.02
Just as a bit of an update now, I've been at this job for four months now, and it's still effin' fantastic. My boss and I get along swimmingly (occasionally I start confusing him with my father in my head, even though he's about a dozen years younger), I've befriended a majority of the staff and even those I'm not specifically friendly with I almost have no problems with, I'm paid well and get to work in one of the most laid-back environments conceivable. Barring any radical changes, I can envision myself at this gig for years (unless world events degrade to the point that I flee the country). So once again, to all of you who helped out, my great thanks.

I've given more thought lately to what it was I experienced on the day of the interview, and I realize that what I saw creep in the window, riding on the sunlight, moving like the liquid probe in The Abyss, filled with what looked like a universe and eluding any pat metaphor in my mind, was in fact magic mirror. And it should be noted that I observed this before I'd read most of The Invisibles. So what I'd like to know is, exactly what was done on my behalf, and need I concern myself with any obligations this might place on me (to my benefactors or otherwise), whether this has an expiration date, whether it should expire, how to be able to do likewise for myself should the need arise, and generally anything else you think I should know. I realize that by my very asking whether a boon is expected one may simply be created for me, but I figured it'd be best to ask lest I risk stepping on toes.

Been noticing more and more magick in my life, not least of which includes a coworker, also a comic reader, who's an avowed pagan magician (and doesn't he look the part). I told him the above story, to which his only comment was that, "The more you believe the more it works, so I've learned."
 
 
The Photographer in Blowup
19:28 / 31.12.02
I'm glad for all that's good happening in your life, Vladimir.

Just two questions:

What do you do? It seems something connected to comics, but i'm not sure what it is? You're writing something?

And what was the comic book you answered to your boss, that made you get the job?
 
 
Tamayyurt
20:47 / 31.12.02
Great tale, Vlad.

Cellardoor!
 
 
FinderWolf
15:25 / 02.01.03
Imp, what's 'cellardoor'? A magic word?
 
 
Tamayyurt
15:47 / 02.01.03
What Vlad described sounds a lot like something in Donnie Darko. When Donnie looks into the magick mirror/time trail coming out of his girlfriend's chest he hears the word Cellardoor, which is supposed to be the most "linguistically" beautiful word in the English language.
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
00:35 / 03.01.03
LM dun sed: What do you do? It seems something connected to comics, but i'm not sure what it is? You're writing something?

No, not quite (don't I wish). My title is "advertising account manager" (which is a sort of catch-all: I handle the administerial tasks the two main salesmen can't be arsed with) for the self-described leading countercultural periodical, at least domestically ('twouldn't surprise me if Fortean Times and/or Bizarre enjoy a far healthier distribution in the UK than we do, though efforts are being made to rectify that, possibly employing the services of Diamond UK). I'm not comfortable stating the name outrightly, as to do so might provide Jack Frost with the King-of-All-Tears' name, so to speak. I will say that in addition to a good interview with RAW, the upcoming March issue has, mostly thanks to the efforts and influence of yours truly, an ad for Jim Mahfood's Grrl Scouts v.2: Work Sucks. If you're a regular reader of our mag you may catch it, and thus all the other dominoes will fall into place; if you suss it out, feel free to PM me, but please exercise discretion.

Imp emoted: Cellardoor!

Yes, admittedly I had seen Donnie Darko beforehand, but what I saw bore only a partial resemblance to that little piece of CGI; more apt, though still incomplete, would be whatever composed the "Night Walker" in Princess Mononoke.
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
01:43 / 03.01.03
Luck to ye.
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
22:27 / 03.01.03
LM also dun sed: And what was the comic book you answered to your boss, that made you get the job?

I told him I was big on the works of Morrison, Jhonen Vasquez, Evan Dorkin, et al, but that my single most favorite current ongoing series was Carla Speed McNeil's Finder. He fortunately took it as a good sign that he'd never heard of it; I suppose if I'd said one of the standard spandex books it wouldn't have reflected as well on me in his eyes.

To further evince, to my mind, that something intervened and continues to do so on my behalf, I've been told that mine was one of 600 resumes received for my position. Not cosmic odds, surely, but still daunting. When my boss and I were going to the company Xmas party, we hopped out of the cab at an unfamiliar intersection in the Village. "Now we're looking for this place called 'Karma.'" The first direction I pointed in, almost blindly, was the red neon sign "Karma." "You see?" my boss said. "599 of those applicants wouldn't have been able to do that."
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
02:03 / 07.08.03
So. Now, I suppose, is when I reveal my halfway ulterior motives in my return to these here parts.

The job that I'd started this thread about is over. Has been since late February. Although it quite obviously put me in an uncomfortable situation in ending as abruptly as it did, it was a great experience while it happened and I got out right in the nick of time before some nasty shit came down the pike, actually the very weekend after I was let go (and it only got worse from there). To be precise, I wasn't even fired; my position was downsized, which sounds far better on job applications and still allowed me to collect unemployment until I found my present employment, conveniently close to my home. This furthers my conviction that whatever it was that helped me get the gig in the first place was watching out for my ass in the end, too.

Here's the rub, tho: I don't like my job. I won't engage in hyperbole and say I hate it; it would have to elicit some other emotion from me than sheer boredom. But it doesn't pay well and I don't feel fulfilled in any way by doing it. It just is. Blah.

A couple weeks ago I responded to a classified out of the Times seeking a graphic designer/artist for the kind of company that I'd like to work for: casual, catering to a youth market and funky. That Monday I sent in my resume, a sample of my artwork (an admittedly 8 year old self-portrait done in the style of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth), and my standard cover letter, though with a parenthetical paragraph added to break the dry, formal tone of my standard cover letter. By Monday afternoon they'd emailed me back, saying they'd like to see more samples. Over the next two days, I sent them 11 samples. My excitement was palpable.

But I've heard nothing since.

Let me say that in the past almost year since I started this thread I've educated myself a little more on magickal theory, and have even tried my hand at some dabbling with some interesting effects (though I feel for the most part what I've done is the type that I may never know more than the occasional ripple in the universe as a result). It's a 23 year, which makes it fertile for some workings. I have and will continue to try to make these things happen for myself, both in the mundane ways and magickally. I don't know whether it's ungrateful to ask for something akin to what I've asked before, especially when I still don't know what if anything is expected of me in return (what limited communications I've had with extradimensional beings has been more in the form of a string [and sometimes a knot!] of concepts and images than anything quite so direct as a nice chat). But operating on the assumption that such things are done for me out of the goodness of workers hearts (and perhaps compensated for by my attempts to spread fifth dimensional memes), I'm hoping people might do what they can from their ends to make this opportunity happen for me, and/or to recommend what I might do from my end to help nudge it into reality. A sigil seems obvious, but I actually feel my sigils are the least effective tactic I have in my repetoire (something which I'd like to improve).

Specific information will be provided as needed, and may be constrained to personal messages. I appreciate any aid you lot can provide.

VJB2
 
 
Tamayyurt
03:09 / 07.08.03
Hey, welcome back, Vlad. You've got all sorts of good magicky vibes headed your way from this direction. I would also suggest you consult GEK.
 
 
Quantum
08:41 / 07.08.03
Good luck. I'm about to start jobhunting so I reckon the more you give the more you get, right? I'll send some beneficial vibes your way, and with any luck we'll both be winners
 
 
FinderWolf
23:42 / 08.08.03
sure thing, Vlad! I'll send you good vibes and some other magickal aid as well - this job sounds cool. I know how it is looking for creative work in NYC. Were you doing graphic design & art at the previous job also? What kind of company is it?

I just discovered Carla Speed MacNeil because of her current stint on a story arc of the terrific espionage series QUEEN & COUNTRY by Greg Rucka - she's fantastic. I've looked at an issue of FINDER but would rather try a paperback collection first to get an understanding of what it's about & such.

Also, what's the origin of your ficsuit/username? Is Vladimir J. Baptiste, Jr. some famous Russian historical figure or something like that?
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
00:18 / 09.08.03
Also, what's the origin of your ficsuit/username? Is Vladimir J. Baptiste, Jr. some famous Russian historical figure or something like that?

Not quite. It's something of a rebus, though perhaps involving more associative skills than your average rebus and doesn't make sense except as a melding of personae. It was invented as the name of a newsanchor for what would have been sort of like The Daily Show on mescaline as animated by Terry Gilliam. When that didn't pan out, I adopted it as my nom de plume. Baptiste is a comedian from the future who is aging backwards through time, thus remembering more of the future and less of the past. I occasionally go out in that persona; it's very sharp yet is laced with absinthe to cauterize the wound. I know I've written more extensively about him somewhere else on the site; I'll try to dredge that up.
 
 
Lionheart
16:05 / 11.08.03
Boo! No topic abstract! If nobody objects I'll add one after 24 - 48 hours.
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
02:14 / 13.08.03
Well, I would, if I knew how to do so at this point.
 
 
FinderWolf
16:31 / 19.08.03
So Vladimir, what's the latest update with your situation?
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
00:46 / 20.08.03
To quote Genesis, "There's no reply at all." That's Genesis the band, not the book.

I'm consistently put off by the one-sided power-dynamic precedent-setting etiquette involved in the job application process. For starters, 19 times out of 20 they won't even acknowledge that they've received a damn thing from you, and if they do, it's often a form letter and the last thing you ever hear from them, unless they also have the manners to let you know they filled the position "but we'll keep your application on file" (as though they ever look in that file again). In this most recent case I'd say a personal contact from a bigwig at this company is a highly encouraging sign, but becomes much less so when he fails to ever reply to additional samples or requests for confirmation of receipt.

On the better side of things, I did get a reply today from a part-time editorial assistant position that I applied to last night, and two of the three days they'd want me to work don't conflict with my current employment (I'd have to fenagle the third). Nothing terribly thrilling, but any supplement to my income is a good thing.

Now that I feel I have a better fix on what's involved in this whole magick thing, thanks in part to the Cooper book I wrote about elsewhere, I'll soon be making efforts on my own behalf to beseech the cosmos for favor. Which is not to say that I no longer need any that others might have been making for me, for which I thank my benefactors and ask that they keep it up.

VJB2
 
  
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