Saturday, May 30, 2009

More Seeds, and a Birthday

Columbia University Press had seeds too!

They're sunflowers, which is entirely appropriate because then I'll be able to watch the birds when they come to pick all the seeds out of the soil, which is inevitably what happens when I try to plant sunflowers. It could only more apropos if it were an anthology of bird and squirrel poetry.

At any rate, I'm done with BEA for this year, and I have to say I came away with a good feeling about things. Not the publishing industry, obviously -- I am not smoking anything that good (or anything at all, with this pain in the ass cough). But as far as my little place in the universe... understand, I haven't been at this long enough to really feel like I have a place. Rather than travel the whole traditional route of getting an internship at some publishing house or magazine straight out of college and working my way up, this was a midlife crisis career change, one of those if-you-don't-seize-this-moment-to-try-doing-something-you-love-you-will-always-regret-it decisions. A very good decision, and I think I've done fine. But the fact is that haven't been around that long, and I've come at the business from a weird, oblique angle.

In the past couple of days, though, I've had a few good encounters that made me feel like I do, in fact, have something of my own to bring to the table. I don't necessarily have one slottable skill -- and when there were so many jobs and divisions of labor in the publishing world, I think that was definitely out of my favor. But things are shifting so dramatically, nobody knows much more than anyone else as to what the scenery will look like when the dust settles. And I walked out of there today thinking that for all the times my mother said, "But you're so smart! You can do so many things!" and I said, "Mom, you don't understand this business, that's not enough" -- hey, maybe mom was on to something.

And don't tell me that mothers are always right. Tell my son.

Also, I got to hang out with Levi Stahl, of Ivebeenreadinglately, who is very charming and is almost my birthday twin. This is obviously a fine week to have been born in -- two of my best friends in the world, Leslie and Meridith, had a birthday yesterday, I have a dog run friend born on June 2nd and an ex-roommate on the 4th and wait... whose birthday could it be today?
Who might have gotten a new stuffed toy and a treat with dinner? And who also went for run with me this morning? Somebody's had a big day.

Well... we all have. Happy birthday, Dorrie.

Labels: , ,

5 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

I've never had a bit of luck with sunflowers. Not one seed I've ever planted has come up. It's a disappointment. :)

9:42 AM  
Blogger Rooie said...

Happy birthday to everyone in your house to whom it applies.

That's one sacked out dog.

1:26 PM  
Blogger Debi Harbuck said...

I always love those pictures of Dorrie sharing her bed with a cat. Such a sweet girl.

And I am so glad you had such a great experience at BEA. No one deserves it more than you.

8:56 PM  
Blogger Margarita said...

Happy B-day again! If you still have any oomph left to make a little brunch trip :), my own mom is June 6th, and yes, she is 8000 miles away - would be a nice little birthday ride. Many of my nicest clients were born around the same time.

10:45 PM  
Blogger Miss T said...

Happy Birthday, Dorrie!

2:34 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home