March 16, 2004 - 11:54 PM

Where's My Gold Watch?

Technically, I am now an "Independent Freelance Assistant Engineer." Unofficially, I am laid off. I got the news yesterday that me and another assistant were being moved into the Independent Freelance class of assistants for budgetary reasons. Because we worked very sporadically, it was difficult for the company to justify paying for our benefits (even though we were already kicking in something like $100 a month from our paycheck for health and dental), so they had to let us go. From what the studio manager told me, we'll still be the first ones called when sessions need assistants, and there are some sessions coming up that will require us. I just hope that they don't decide to keep using the General Assistants/runners to fill in those slots as they have been lately.

While this does come as bad news, it is leavened with the onset (onslaught) of substitute teaching jobs. I have 3 this week, and 3 next week, and god love 'em, those 8 hour workdays should net me the same amount of money as six 14 hour days at the studio. The fact that substitute teachers are sorely needed pretty much every day engenders hope that I can let this be my steady job to buoy my finances while I continue to accept the occasional freelance assistant gig at the studio.

The added bonus of this scenario is that it leaves my nights open for concerts, shindigs, and plots to take over the world; or for recording sessions that I bring in to work on when there's downtime at the studio. As long as I have the night-time managers on my side (which I do), I should be able to continue this practice unhindered despite my not actually being a fulltime employee there anymore.

And it looks like I might actually have several more projects lined up. Tonight, I retweaked the mix I did with Adrianne last week, this time with her manager, a fellow Berklee-ite who has quite a few plates spinning, balls juggling, and burgers flipping and is interested in using me and my resources to get those things done. Plus, I'll be mixing two more songs of Adrianne's sometime in the next two weeks; and, I finally got back in touch with Brandon Schott who I had seen at a Berklee showcase last fall, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to work with him for an EP that he wants to put out later this year. Yeah, I'm finally getting that networking thing going on and trying to exercise those Schmooze muscles that are so weak and feeble.

If, within a month, it becomes clear that the studio has decided to just cut ties with me and not call me in to work as an assistant (and most signs point to that not being the case, but I still gotta be prepared), I'll be ready to send off my newly revised resume to several studios that I've heard are hiring and hope for the best. But it's all wait and see, one day at a time for now. I'm doing my best to not panic, and so far, my body's intact and my mind's in working condition, so I'm alright.

Oh god, I have to teach kids tomorrow. I am so screwed.

Now Listening To : Sarah Harmer-You Were Here
Random Thought : The latest search engine leads to me: "wearing wifebeater", "big and sassy", and "smack my bottom".

What I Just Wrote Before - What I'm About to Write

The Five Most Recent Entries

Here's a hand-picked playlist of 40-plus songs for you to listen to: