Hey it's been a while!

I've been so busy working this year that I forgot I had this blog!

Wow, well, 2010 has been a crazy, crazy year for me. Most of you know why. Moving twice. Trained and worked with 5 interns this summer. My cat had to be put down. Almost bought a condo. I know I'm forgetting some things. OH yes, a trip back east and a trip to Portland. What else?

I've learned LA is a very, very, very bad place to live in the worst recession we've had in 70-80 years.

Why?

Well, LA is all about image. So when people aren't doing well, either emotionally, financially, or both, people withdraw. No, I take that back. They don't withdraw. They fucking disappear. I lost friends this year to marriage (goodbye Siamack and Matt - hope you don't need any friends now that you have new wives - fuckers). I've lost friends, well, not lost them but sorta lost them to work. Not their fault, of course, they are lucky to have jobs but geez. Let's see, oh yeah, wanna really lose your "so called" friends in LA fast? Complain. Yup, speak the truth. Say you're having a rough time and watch them defriend you on facebook faster that you can say "boo". Nice guys really nice. I hope you too go through some of the worse years of your life and lose people you thought cared about you. What kind of person does that? Oh, I know. Someone in LA.

LA is a strange place. If you act like everything is great in your life you get more business and a pat on the shoulder. But complain or act "normal" like anyone else out there who doesn't live in LA and watch your so-called friends drop like flies.

It's fine though. Because only through living through these past 2-3 awful years in LA have I come to realize who my true friends are.

Friends like Kathryn who call you to see how you're doing and even take in your elderly cat and care for her when you have to move and can't have pets in your new place.

Friends like Amy and Guy who call (not email or text but fucking CALL) to see how you're doing, what's new and all that good stuff.

Friends like Sarah who listen to you through all your problems and give a hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on.

Friends like Jenn and Stephane who take you out to an amazing sushi dinner to cheer you up.

I'm sure I'm forgetting people here but let's face it. These past couple years have been rough for many people. And if you're for some reason one of the lucky few people in the world not affected by this economy, all I can say is "good for you" and "go find someone who has been" because they fucking need a shoulder to cry on right about now.

What did you learn this past year (or 10?)

Well as I bid a FOND kick in the ass farewell to 2009 and a generally pretty crappy decade I was thinking, "What did I learn in 2009?" Or better yet "What did I learn in the past decade?"

The main thing I've learned is that we need to complain more.

I've been thinking a lot about it. And it's no surprise, especially to a lot of my high school friends who read my blog (I'm pretty sure you're the only ones but who knows) that this was a bad year for me. But surprisingly, as I read many of my facebook friend's year end comments, it seems I'm not the only one who had a crappy 2009.

I really applaud anyone who has a positive attitude right now. And part of me does have reason to be hopeful for 2010 - at least we have to *try* to be hopeful that 2010 will be better than 2009 - after all, it would be hard for it to be worse.

The bigger question is though - what have we learned? And what would we do over?

All I know is that we need to have bigger voices and complain more, not less.

And not just complain on a blog but take action - whether it's calling or emailing or writing our "reps" in government, taking to the streets to march or more!

I know that's bucking a HUGE cultural trend here in LA to "not complain" or "never let them see you down". We like to act like things are ok here.

LA could be going through a great depression, yet still most people would fail to acknowledge that they had a bad year financially for fear of being looked down up by their neighbors.

And what else would you expect from a city that loves its fancy homes and cars - meanwhile, many of those fancy cars Angelinos drive around are leases that people can't afford. I know first hand as friends who have fancy cars yet can't afford to pay their rent or buy food - makes no sense but in a city where "image is everything" you do what your neighbor does, right?

Well the days of people living off credit cards are long gone.

And that's probably a good thing...although it also explains why so many stores and restaurants in LA have gone bye-bye and are now just empty storefronts with large white signs with big blue "FOR LEASE" letters printed on them.

You really have to be extremely wealthy not to be affected by the downturn in the economy.

Why?

Because no matter how much you "cut back" on shopping or eating out - the fact is likely that 2009 was a crappy year for millions of Americans.

Why?

Because basic NECESSITIES have gone through the roof. Need gas to get to work? Good luck as gas is still hovering around $3 something a gallon (if not more) - gee when Clinton was in office gas was $1.50-1.75. Hmmm.

Need water to shower with or wash your clothes or dishes with? You're likely paying through the nose for that. Gas and electric bills for your house have gone up and if you're unlucky enough to live in a cold climate, you likely need oil to heat your house - which was probably thousands of dollars last winter.

But even if you live in a warm climate, don't use much water and take public transportation, your health coverage likely covers less and costs 30-40% more than it did even a few years ago. So great, even if a health care reform bill gets passed, we still have 2 major issues to contend with. The unemployment rate and housing.

Let me start with housing.

We are all pretty much screwed still because of the housing bubble. Because even if gas, electric, health and food prices all came down, we're still paying 25-50% more in rent or mortgages than we were even 5-10 years ago, while wages are flat or have gone down with furlows and cut backs.

Let me give this as an example.

Just 15 years ago, you could buy a nice townhouse in Connecticut for roughly $100K. Even at a 10% interest rate, the mortgage on that would be less than $1000 a month and at a 7% interest rate it would be only $700 in mortgage payments, plus a few hundred dollars for association dues and property taxes.

Now, in 2009, that same townhouse is going for at least $300K if not more. Sure, interest rates are lower but when a couple before could have split a $700/month mortgage, etc. now that same place would cost $1500+/month in a mortgage + triple the amount in property taxes.

Yet many towns, cities and states are going broke right now. I don't get it. They are taking in triple the property taxes!!! I guess everything really costs more for the government too - from police to roads to schools, etc.

Are wages double or triple what they were 15 years ago? Maybe for some. But for the vast majority of Americans now, their wages likely aren't much more than they were 10-15 years ago.

Then factor in that at least 10-20% of the country is either completely out of work - or is making less and less money each year. And everything in life from food to rent costs 30-40% more.

Yes this is a long rant and if you're still reading I applaud you.

And if you have a "stable" job (if there is such a thing in this economy) I really applaud you. Because even attorneys I know are being affected by this recession - at least in California. Just realize that while things may be ok fo you, they may be hell right now for others in your family, or for your friends or neighbors who have either lost their jobs or seen their income be hit hard by the recession.

Anyhow, I write this all for a number of reasons:

1) I'm pissed. Because so many of my neighbors were greedy and bought into housing they couldn't afford - foreclosures are at an all-time high. And the ripple effect of that hurts not just the person who bought property they couldn't afford and the bank -- but it also affects millions of the rest of us who didn't speculate on real estate. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I got B's in my college statistics and finance classes when most of my classmates were barely passing. We are now paying SEVERLY for our neighbor's lack of common sense and basic math skills. Great!!!

2) We don't complain enough. When the French are upset, they go on strike. They storm their government, they shut down the trains and protest a bit violently. But what do Americans do? Nothing! We let our government get us into a lot of this financial mess (hello crazy low interest rates that allowed people to borrow money that they had NO way of repaying). It's really OUR FAULT the economy was so crappy in 2009 and that we have the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. We literally take it up the ass, I'm sorry but there's no polite other way to say it. We're generally too lazy or stupid to protest when our leader and government leads us into a death chamber...but what can I expect? Americans are thought of worldwide as being generally fat and lazy slobs so why shouldn't our government reflect that?

3) The writing was CLEARLY on the wall 2-3 years ago that we were headed for a major economic disaster. Why? Because even 3 years ago people were doing the job of 2 maybe 3 people and being "thankful" for having a job. Then a co-worker would quit (or get laid off - or maybe not come back from maternity leave) and that job would not be replaced....oooh but you, that hard working citizen, just took it up the butt and kept working insane hours (and didn't complain or walk out) with likely no overtime or anything more than a "pat on the back" because generally, Americans aren't thinking - they just do their job and keep their head down, not complaining, without stepping back for a minute to see the bigger picture and the implications and effect this behavior happens on the economy as a whole.

Anyhow, I hope this email gives you something to think about this new year.

I know many of you reading this are smart and know many of these things but it's important that, going forward, we:

1) LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES
2) Complain and protest more, not less
3) Educate ourselves
4) Learn that greed and our own overspending is a lot of the reason we're in this mess to start with.

If you like what you've read, please "share" this rant with your friends on facebook - or feel free to write your own!!!

I do hope 2010 is a better year - and decade.

Given how horrible 2009 was, I'm quite sure it will be!

This year

It's no secret this has been a rough year for me - for many I suspect.

But the good thing is, this past year, as rough as it's been, has taught me who my true friends are.

A special thanks to Sarah and Ronna and Kathy and Leanne and Cory and Amy and Emily and Kaz and Michael and Kathryn and Jodi and Greg and Jeff and Jennifer and Stephane and anyone else I'm forgetting and even many of my "work" acquaintances have stepped up and kept me company on facebook and been better friends to me this year than people I've known for years who have fallen by the wayside. It's interesting (and a bit surprising) who your true friends turn out to be but you definitely learn who has your back in troubled times.

So this is the time of year I say thank you to all of you for reading my rants, for not unfriending (or defriending me) and for being kind, caring and supportive. For lending an ear, for "liking" my posts, for reading articles I've posted (even if we've debating or argued over politics), and for being a normal, caring person.

To you, I say thank you!!!

Everyone in LA is crazy

Maybe that's what's wrong.

What's up with emails?

It is just me or do you also get 3 million emails a day?

I have about 10 email addresses.

1 for family
1 for dailly use
1 for work - which gets 25-100 emails a day - as well as spam and attachments of songs and .pdf and .doc files and all sorts of crap from artists, publicists and managers from all over the world
1 for email newsletters, my Netflix subscription, other "junk" emails
Need I go on?

Anyhow, my point is, how do you cope with all your daily emails?

I bet some of you get HUNDREDS of work emails a day. HUNDREDS!

Now I've noticed some people keep their inbox clean by responding to your email right away. That's probably efficient and the smartest way to do it. Otherwise the emails just overwhelm you and eventually crash the company's mail server, right?

I'm silly. I try to prioritize.

I mean, some emails are just more important or time sensitive than others. So those get my immediate attention.

But you know what? Then I find myself with 2700 emails in my inbox.

Some of them are still sorta important.

Many are just email spam or newsletters and items I need to read.

I don't know about you but I HATE reading on a computer.

The loading, the scrolling, the reading and scrolling...it's all too time consuming!

Maybe I need a 300" monitor. Would that help? Probably!

Anyhow, the latest thing I've noticed is a lot of people just don't respond to your emails.

It could be an email to a friend. I email again. Still, crickets. What gives?

Am I going to their spam?

Are they really that slammed at work? (These days? Probably).

But still, after an email and a follow-up email - don't most people respond?

So, I'm curious.

How many emails do YOU get a day?

And how long (generally) does it take you to respond to one?

And why haven't you emailed me back? ;)

God forbid you should try to buck the system

I've been an entrepreneur ever since I was a teenager.

It started with collecting vinyl and merchandise on my favorite singers and bands.

And then evolved into a "real" job when I moved to LA and started managing bands.

Wait, is managing bands a "real" job? Well, sorta.

Anyhow...

Managing turned into doing music licensing...which has now turned into a small indie label and publishing company.

And you know, it's funny, because I think a lot of people - artists especially but also some others I've come to know in the entertainment industry, aren't always very supportive of someone trying to make their living "outside" the traditional system.

And by "traditional system" I mean someone not working for a big Fortune 500 company or major studio, TV network, record label, major publishing company, etc.

I can't tell you how much bs I've had to put up with to stay in the music business these past 10 years.

Lying, cheating, backstabbing.

And from higher-ups at the companies I've had to deal with every day to blood-sucking co-workers at music industry jobs to artists alike.

Amazingly, sometimes artists have actually treated me the worst.

Yes, the artists.

The same artists I've worked like a dog for for years for not only virtually no pay but the same artists that I've poured tens of thousands of dollars of my own money into. Oh no, those "artists" are sometimes some of the most awful, disloyal, self-centered, egocentric and awful people I've come across in my life.

But they aren't the ones I'm here to talk about.

And of course, I've been lucky enough to also work with some amazingly kind, sweet, supportive, considerate and wonderful artists too!

No, I think it's jealousy or something(?) that causes people to not like it when you try to buck the system.

Now what do I mean by "buck the system"?

I mean, going out on your own. Not being at the beck and call of some corporate entity, whether they are big or small. Because, early on in my career, I learned the hard way that corporations just don't care about you.

In my 20's I went through several corporate mergers. In fact, it happened to me at my first "real" job out of college. The ad agency I was working for merged with a larger ad agency and so many jobs were cut - mine being one of them.

And how did I find out about my soon to be "ex job"? I read it in an email from the CEO to my boss. Yeah, so I marched right into HR's office and got myself laid off. I mean, why wait for them to fire me? I was young and naive but albeit ballsy and in retrospect, I'm pretty proud of my decision to do this instead of going into work every day waiting to be fired. I mean, what's the point in working somewhere when you know your days are numbered?

Anyhow, it doesn't seem to matter if it was from a merging of corporations or simple office politics or a shortage of cash (or greed) but companies have no loyalty to their employees anymore. And so, I have no use for companies.

Now I'm sure there are some good companies out there. I've had some great jobs too where we had amazing company 100% PAID FOR health insurance. But, in general, corporations do not care about you. Or me. Employees are most often seen as an line-item on some CFO's spreadsheet - so unless you're responsible for bringing in significant money to the company i.e. in sales, your job is usually an expensive line-item that can increase a company's bottom line if eliminated.

Anyhow, back to my original topic.

I just wanted to give you some background to why I generally dislike to work for companies.

So what have I done instead for the better part of the past 10 years?

Worked on building my own business.

Now, as anyone in the entertainment business will tell you, making a living in this business is difficult no matter what. Why? Because almost every kid of out college and/or with a trust fund would give their right arm to work in "showbiz". As such, the starting salaries for jobs in the entertainment business, especially music, are paltry and often insulting. Taken a look at the UTA job list lately? It's full of jobs for $400-500 a week, sometimes with NO benefits. Now who can survive on this salary? No one without a trust fund, that's sure.

So what's an enterprising young woman to do?

I say, "Go out on your own."

I mean, after all, if you're going to be eating ramen for dinner every night, you might as well be self-employed, make your own hours and have some control over your destiny, right?

Because after paying my dues for years working for other people, I realized that it was going to be almost impossible to get ahead by staying at a company and hoping to work my way up the ladder. After all, that means you need to wait for your boss to die....or quit...in order to get a promotion. And even if that happens, the likelihood of them hiring someone from outside the company are pretty great.

Ok, ok, back to my original point. Sorry. I know this is getting long but I have a lot to say.

So you work on your own and yet I seem to get a sense oftentimes, that people do not like you bucking the system or trying to "make it on your own" outside the corporate bubble.

God forbid you try to be creative in coming up with ways to make money as an entrepreneur.

Now I'm not talking about doing anything shady or unethical here. After all, anyone that knows me knows I have just about the highest morals and ethics out there!

No, the irony is many of the people that head up labels or music departments or that run some of the biggest companies or music departments out there are some of the most dishonest, lying, cheating scumbags out there. Yet they oftentimes make the most money by their lying and cheating ways. Ugh. If that isn't enough to make you want to jump off a bridge, I don't know what is!

However, I know, that with much hard work and dedication, it's possible to become successful by behind honest, up front and ethical. But more support from people would be nice!

Anyhow, thanks for listening to my rant. I just wanted to say that it's not always easy to do what I do.

After all, I don't take home a steady salary or paycheck like my corporate brothers. I don't get paid vacation or sick days or holidays. I don't have a matching 401K plan or company paid for health insurance.

And I've endured more than I ever care to admit in terms of assholes in this business.

And why?

Because I love music.

But at the end of the day, I also need to make a living.

And for the 2 of you out there who studied economics, you know the meaning of an "opportunity cost" - because it's what you give up

i.e. that corporate gig with the 401K and paid health insurance, yada yada

is a lot. So you need to figure out a way to make that same money (if not more) when you work on your own because you have to pay for all those benefits on your own. And also enough to pay your rent and expenses and put something aside for the future.

It's NOT easy. It really isn't.

As such, I wish people were more supportive over what I do.

Because it's not easy going to work for someone else every day.

AND

Because it's DEFINITELY not easy going to work for yourself every day.

People should support entrepreneurs, especially the "good" ones like me who are fighting the good fight and trying to make their living on their own terms - and meanwhile who are competing against companies with much deeper pockets and many more resources and bigger staffs than me!

I wish.

People

should

be more supportive!

A dating question

Ok, things in my personal life are going much better (at least for now) so I have a completely new topic to discuss - my personal fave - DATING!

I've had several girlfriends over the years lecture me about what I wear.

They say I should "dress up" more.

Not on dates but when I go ANYWHERE - even if it's just from my house to their house!?! I mean, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do full hair, make-up and clothes just to go visit a couple of friends - in the hopes that I'll meet a cute guy in the elevator or on the short walk from my car to their apartment. That's insane!

Now, while I RARELY leave home without make-up (ya know, in case the paparazzi keep following me, as they always do), if I'm going to a friend's apartment or just somewhere mellow to eat or hang out, I usually wear my chucks, jeans a cute top and a hoodie or something equally chill/casual.

I've tried to explain to friends that I work in the music business - where dressing like a college student is the only way to go. If I wore skirts and other "dressy" outfits out on a regular basis, well, I just wouldn't fit in. Plus, I'm definitely more of a "jeans and t-shirt" type of gal than a "dress in heels and dresses" type of girl anyway.

And, for the record, I've gotten dolled up and dressed up PLENTY of times to go out to dinner or to drinks with friends and rarely do I ever talk to a guy when I'm looking hot. No, it's the times I'm in Trader Joe's in my gym clothes looking like hell when I get approached by a guy. Or walking down the street, in my hoodie, outside a bar. But rarely, if ever, when I actually look good. Now why is this??

I have a theory that if you look too smoking hot, most guys will be too chicken to come talk to you. So only the total douchebag guys who have that unwarranted amount of self-confidence will approach you when you look great. But when you look like a "normal/girl next door" then, and maybe only then, do you stand a chance at a "normal" guy talking to you....

Anyhow, I love (aka hate) that my married friends think the whole secret to snagging a guy is dressing a certain way.

Oh, and doing my hair, make-up, eyebrows and nails.

Well, if that's really true, I guess I'll be single forever.

Thoughts?

I'm curious to hear from all you married folks - is this how you got attached? And for the married guys, is this what got you to fall for your now wife?

And to the single men and women - what do you think??