NEW JOB
March 16th 2008 12:39
My friend noticed how poor and cynical I was becoming and offered to help me get a job at the advertising agency he works for. It was a job to be a casual, two day a week online copywriter for businesses for sale. A copywriter is a person who writes copy for ads. If you don’t know what copy is, it basically means text. So if someone says he’s writing copy for an ad, he’s writing text for an ad. I have no idea why they call it copy.
The boss of my friend’s agency is a severely wrinkled, white haired man who looks upset all the time. Some people look good because they look experienced. He looks like an arsehole who’s experienced far too much.
He looked me up and down with a disgusted look on his face. Why do you think you’ll be good for this job? he asked.
Because I lie all the time.
He laughed. We shook hands.
I need a raise! I said.
I just gave you the fucking job!
My friend and I went to this club called Common People to celebrate. He made me buy him eight beers. Think about all the poor people in Africa, he said. He didn’t make sense. Some time after some songs my friend vanished into the darkness and I met a sort of older girl who I hoped looked pretty during the day time, without the flashing red lights and the little glitters on her cheeks and all. I decided to lift her up a little bit.
Lift me higher! She giggled.
I wanted to say, You’re too fucking fat! but didn’t. I lifted her higher, so high that she was above my head. I nearly broke both my arms. I nearly cried.
We stumbled to her apartment. She went to the toilet to vomit then went back out and knelt down on her bed, facing me. There were photos of some guy all over her room. Some were torn up and thrown on the floor. She couldn’t sit up straight.
I’ve never been with a younger man before, she said.
Neither have I.
She giggled. She’s one of those girls who like to put their hands on their mouths and raise their shoulders when they giggle. I tried to say something else but instantly fell asleep, and when I woke, it was so dark that I couldn’t see my hands, my feet; I could only hear things like moving blankets, the wind, the slow cars outside. I heard her move around her sheets. I walked out of her apartment and caught a taxi, and after telling the taxi driver where I wanted to go, neither of us wanted to speak, we just looked ahead, things and non-things trembling in our minds.
There are some days where life has a tangible, one line definition. I can look it up and read it and this world and its people would make complete, blissful sense. There are some days where I would have no explanation, no reason for anything. Some days I would not be where I am. I’ll be this floating, drunken set of words, just floating around, seeing everything and not understanding anything. Once in a while people would notice me floating there and be confused, and they’ll wonder why I looked at them that way. Sometimes I would see a ghost, and she would be a beautiful ghost with a bad sense of fashion, and she would ask me how to find Monday.
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Comment by Tim_booth
Cheers
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
This is my favourite part, so well-described:
There are some days where life has a tangible, one line definition. I can look it up and read it and this world and its people would make complete, blissful sense. There are some days where I would have no explanation, no reason for anything. Some days I would not be where I am. I’ll be this floating, drunken set of words, just floating around, seeing everything and not understanding anything. Once in a while people would notice me floating there and be confused, and they’ll wonder why I looked at them that way. Sometimes I would see a ghost, and she would be a beautiful ghost with a bad sense of fashion, and she would ask me how to find Monday.
Congrats on finishing your manuscript!
Tracy
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
I wouldn't mind meeting another floating person. I'll treat him to a beer!
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Thanks. Now that it's been a month since I've completed it, I'm going to revise it and resend it and change my cover letter.
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Thanks
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I'm well thanks, but I haven't been doing as much writing as I should!
That's great news about your book, have you submitted a manuscript before? You sound like you know what you're doing.
Tracy
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
No, I haven't submitted a manuscript before, but I've done a lot of research and heard enough stories and advice to drench my brain in.
I'm still waiting. I actually hope I get rejected because I've been spending the past weekend resharpening my manuscript - the plot, the characters, its all a lot better now!
You're not writing? Hurry - write write write!
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
It sounds like things are good either way the manuscript turns... good luck with it.
Yes, I'm writing quickly!! Well, trying to anyway
Tracy
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Hahaha. Yey we're both writing! I'll race you
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life