Various Happenstances of Seth

April 10, 2007

    Well, April Fools Day has come and gone. And I fooled a few people into believing I had taken on yet another interview book. Ha. I'm not even done with the Rhode Island book I finished, as it has returned numerous times in the form of vetting copyedits, writing additional limericks*, and getting photo permissions. It's like the gift that keeps on giving. Half a year from now, it should be a gift you keep on giving. Meanwhile, perhaps I was a bit hasty in awarding myself the "I finished my book" prize.

    In fact, April has largely been a month of "I didn't win", which should come as no surprise to the TS Eliot fans among you. I received notice that my bid for a creative designer job had been rejected. People once eager to converse with me seem less so. I continue not to win in the Style Invitational. The poetry slams seem to have died, so I can't win there anymore. And the results from all the video contests I entered are coming back, and alas, I have not won.

    Still, there is some consolation to be found in my consolation prizes. The Style Invitational sends me magnets for my honorable mentions. Discover Magazine gave me a free year's subscription for my non-winning explanation of string theory. And if people's propensity for conversation has declined, their propensity for providing provisions has increased. Dramatically.

    It's possible that I have somewhat of a reputation as a hungry gourmet**. The resultant loss of social status in the workplace environment might bother some people. Not I. On the contrary, I am finding that free food tends to find its way to me lately. Here is a short list of free food I have received in the past week, each from a different person at my job:

• Fish taco
• Egg&ham quiche
• Peanut bean stew
• Baked ham
• Shepherd's pie

    And this doesn't include food that was given to the whole office of which I partook (sandwiches, cookies, cake). Not to mention the food I've gotten at parties this week (salads and cakes). Or the unexpected but delectable cheese which someone kindly bestowed upon me. I suppose if April has seen fit to serve me humble pie, at least it gives me something to eat.

    P.S. -- This year's columns are finally up.

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    *Yes, limericks. None of the other books in this series have limericks. But when I accepted the contract for this book, I told them that I wanted to feel like I was putting my own spin on it, and do some limericks. They had to argue me down from the number I originally wanted, but at least there are a few.

    **Or, okay, gourmand.

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