Update: January 2009

Hello all, a lot has happened since my last email... and I'm not sure where to begin so I'll recap where we were:

As of Friday March 14, I accepted a permanent position with Portland General Electric (www.portlandgeneral.com) in the Community Affairs department.

That, unfortunately (or fortunately, actually) didn't work out. The position both wasn't quite was it was represented to be, and the supervisor was extremely difficult to work with/for and her difficulty was why there had been multiple people in the position in the previous 6 months. Anyway, here's the timeline:

August 9, my grandmother passed away.
August 11, left for vacation to attend a wedding and see friends in SoCal
August 19, returned from vacation
August 20, laid off/let go.

I began to draw unemployment but it took 3 weeks to kick in, and was much, much less than either expected or needed. My roommate situation was deteriorating quickly, then the added stress of not being able to pay rent except in weekly increments and still finding a way to eat and travel. I was left with less than $75 week ($20+ need in transit alone), then less and less. My phone was disconnected several times, I wound up taking a loan (cash advance) from the bank to get the phone back on (gotta have a phone to find a job) and through the kindness of a few friends and family was the only way I was stretching out food and making it, along with the few paying gigs as Zora.

I signed up with 6 temp agencies, to no avail, as they had no positions open; receiving no responses from resumes... it was terrible. A friend of mine offered a better home in which to live and I moved in the beginning of November a mile or so from my previous house to a quieter and happier home with my friend and his partner. However, stress and money woes made Christmas suck ass as a result. The day after Christmas (if you didn't read this craziness already STOP NOW AND READ: http://thisportlandlife.blogspot.com/2009/01/unbelievable-day-after-christmas-my.html) It was the crap icing on the shit cake known as 2008.

HOWEVER (this is where the scene lighting gets brighter and soft music starts playing...)
I received a phone call from one of the temp agencies, with an offer to work at the Customer Service Counter of a worldwide package delivery company (name withheld for now), part-time, but for a decent rate. I started 12/30 and at first my body rebelled at standing and running for 7 + hours as well as lifting packages all day... but now I'm both loving it and feeling good doing some exercise. It's located close to my house (2.5 miles) and I am also walking to work (free shuttle service home is a nice perk of this job) and that gives me a chance to listen to music/podcasts as well as get limber for work. The job is unlike my last... ten years of work... but is active problem solving, as well as a fun game of 3D Tetris organizing boxes. Basically, I'm the person you come see to get your delivery if we tried to deliver a package and you weren't home, or if there is an exception, like incorrect address, moved or info needed; as well as providing one-on-one service to assist customers with shipping needs. Fun! I really like it!

THEN, on January 6th, I received a phone call Tuesday from a gentleman at CBS Studios, andhe had a scout in Portland looking for flyers that were representative of Portland's style and they grabbed a recent poster I did for the New Year's Eve event for which I was the event manager/graphic designer/emcee. He said he loved the poster and wanted to use it as set dressing in the filming of their pilot for a comedy-drama called 'Light Years'. He asked for my email and I was sent a legal document releasing rights for them to use it in the show (attached). There is no remuneration, just promotion, and he asked for other artwork I've done, which I directed him to my website at www.PrinterActiveMedia.com

which has a slideshow of select graphic design work I've done. So artwork I've done may be featured on a national television show!!! More info on that as soon as I know, and if you want to see the flyer, it's located at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/3116980193_fb3657ab47_m.jpg

AND, Zora has been receiving great press and bookings lately, as she's involved with several high-profile events including:
a monthly burlesque show at a local biker bar (no, really!): The local newsweekly, the Willamette Week had this to say:
Big Top Bottoms Up
Vintage pinup Bettie Page is no longer with us, but her spirit lives on at this monthly burlesque show. Miss Frankie Tease and Voodoo Tutu pay tribute to the black-banged beauty at the show, which is emceed by drag comedian Zora Phoenix and features bellydancing by Sparrow, plus burlesque performances by Baby Le'Strange and Tease-O-Rama '07 veteran Charlotte Treuse. Husband-and-wife duo Boy and Bean provide the bump-and-grind soundtrack, and your first raffle ticket is free. HEATHER WISNER. Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington St., 382-9321. 8 pm Wednesday, Jan. 7. $5. Map
http://wweek.com/events/latest/performance/

Those were their words, not ours... I guess I'm a drag comedian!

Also, Zora is now part of the cast of the Lipz Cabaret, (the best little show in the best little bar in Vancouver, WA) performing twice monthly on the second and fourth Saturdays.

She is still part of the rotating guest cast of the Superstar Divas, appearing every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the Month; as well as emceeing a monthly men's social night at a local nightclub every 2nd Tuesday of the month. There are also booking inquiries for other events, as performer, emcee and even a fashion model event coming in May!

Phew! Things are looking up now and I'm proud to say I have a new positive outlook on life this year, setting goals (and breaking them into attainable mini-goals or project steps) and making things happen.

To those of you I may have neglected in the past few months, I do hope this sheds some light on why. My energy levels have been dangerously low, my weight has fluctuated and I've been borderline manic for some time... even phone calls could set me off to need a nap, drink or could start a mood swing. Please accept my apologies and know that while I'm not always reachable, I'm always thinking fondly of you in my heart. I wish you the best of everything in 2009 and hope to talk soon! Please email me, call me, text me, MySpace me, Facebook me... send a smoke signal if you have to and let me know how you are!

Not sure who Zora is? More info on her here: www.ZoraPhoenix.com

2009... looking better already!

Unbelievable Day after Christmas (my true story)

Originally from December 26, 2008

I have to share my day after Christmas, because of its outrageousness and whoa factor.

I got up, rented a truck to pick up supplies and wood for a friend's project.  We got the truck stuck in the snow of the parking lot of the lumber store.  Finally, after rocking the pickup back and forth for 20 minutes, I was able to get the truck unstuck and into the street... going the wrong way on a busy one way.  

I got turned around and we headed to the location where we were to drop off the wood.  I park in the middle of the street, which is a side street and full of snow, was only plowed probably once right after the snowfall.  I get out of the truck, step into the snow and kick something.  I look down.  It's a gun. 

It appears to be a pellet gun to me, so I think "we wouldn't want this laying around" and I put it in the backseat of the truck.  I proceed to forget about it for the next 2+ hours, between sliding on the roads, watching the other drivers, and getting the truck stuck again after trying to return it to its parking spot.  I do get the truck unstuck after another 30 minutes of rocking and spinning tires.  I finally park it in an adjacent spot and call Zipcar and tell them the deal.  I load up my things, including the aforementioned gun, and walk a mile home, with the gun in a plastic Safeway grocery bag.

When I get home, I take the gun to the garage and lock it there, awaiting the arrival of my roommate, who was in the military.  In the interim, I go to turn on my computer and... it's fried.   (Note:  I'd had the computer for 31 days as of yesterday).  I spent a total of 4 hours on the phone with tech support, half of which was interrupted when their system went down in the middle of our call and they were to call me back. 

The roommate arrives after the first round of tech calls and during the wait time for the second round.  I take him to the garage and his eyes get big.  He says "When you said 'gun', I didn't know you meant a semi-automatic pistol.... that's loaded."  I call the police and explain that I've found a gun in the snow, they say they'll send an officer out.

Officer arrives (at the same time that HP Tech Support calls back mind you), basically reads me the riot act that I didn't call the police immediately.  I explain I have never seen a gun in my life, much less handled one, and had a) no idea what it was and b) was more concerned with it not being in the middle of the street in the snow.  He takes the gun (which my roommate had previously cleared and unloaded the clip).  He writes me an evidence receipt which states "one Springfield Armory 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.  one magazine clip with 40 cal hollow point bullets". 

Then I call HP back, and to wrap up, basically my computer powersupply or motherboard are fried and they need to ship me a box to ship them my pc for repair.  At least 2 weeks with no computer. Again.

What a day.

Busy days are sometimes the best

I had a good day today, after getting up and getting moving, I was able to answer some emails, and get some lunch... and then walked the 2.5 miles to work today!  Great way to start the day, walking to the beat of music from my Blackberry and getting my blood pumping.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) it only took me 25 minutes to walk the distance that Google told me would take 45 minutes, so I showed up to work a half an hour early... but we were busy so I came on early.

Work, work, work (and I finally got a shirt and pants, but no badge yet.)

Came home and on the way came up with a brilliant idea:  a social networking event for gay men and women new to Portland!  I've already scouted out a domain name and thought of when, where and how... I'm so excited! 

Top that off with a considerable amount of research and work for one of my clients made for a good night...
List for my purposes only:
for OLT Productions
1.  Updated website
2.  Created contact us menu bar
3.  Added Kiss This photos
4.  Added Links page
5.  Created YouTube account
6.  Created PicasaWeb account
7.  Created feedback form
8.  Updated Google Group email settings
9.  Researched subscribe settings
10.  Created new logo (black on white, black on clear, white on clear)

And was able to calm two of my friends and business associates (though they may not be associating with one another after tonight).  Long story short:   Two event promoters I'm working with... one's calling the other a racist (she black), cause the white girl doesn't want to book her... cause the black girl has been somewhat unreliable and somewhat unstable.  We all have stress in our lives, some more than others... I more than most know that.  However to a) allow one's stress to stew one into a thick volatile mess is unacceptable and will just cause one to lose friends and business and b) to feel pity upon one's self (which we all do) to the point that one lashes out at other for the slightest misstep... see result of letter a.  I do hope we can all be friends, work together and play nicely.  Portland (and every city) is a small town.  Stealing one another's ideas and shitting on the rest are a terrible way to do business.  I live by the motto "It's showbusiness not showfriends"... however the flip side of this is that one much think of business associates as friends and enemies (frenemies, if you will), and remember to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.  Tis similar to killing your only spy in enemy camp cause they had said somethin' you di'int like, yaknowwha'Imsaying?  Not smart.

And off to bed (after laundry and tidy).

Busy weekends

Busy day. Up at 10, spray painting posterboard to make it look vintage, then handlettering title signs for the burlesque show I'm emceeing on Wednesday.  Which was a fiasco all in itself, as I was trying to do this in the garage, where it was literally freezing temperatures.  I would plug in the heater, and all the power would go off.  Finally the roommates fixed that issue, but phew!

Then off to Vancouver for rehearsal, missed the train, was 15 minutes late, ~3 hours rehearsal in heels, as I left it started blizzarding, we already have ½ of snow or so.

Came home checked emails, got a headache, finished my book, played PS2... and chatted online, then to bed early to get rest for work.

Phew!

After a year

I decided it's time to get back to blogging, for my own purposes more than anything.

My New Year's Eve was great, busy with the Out Like That event, Kiss This. We had over 300 people through the door, and the staff at the Mt Tabor Legacy Theatre made it an amazing place to have an event! Even though the day/night was exhausting, I had fun. I was working there from 2pm through 3am, with 9 of those hours in costume. Phew!

I spent New Year's Day recovering and resting. With my computer recently dying from what I believe to be a static discharge that fried the power supply, I've been using a loaner desktop while mine is off to HP Repair Land... and it's an older PC that had little to no software installed, so I've been spending off time trying to both adjust back to Windows XP and get a few things installed to make it easier to get things done. That in itself is a huge task... and I do hope that my PC is returned to me with harddrive intact, but if not, I don't need the data... but the setup time is a real bitch. It's like a pair of shoes, it takes a while to get the comfy creases and wear into it.

I had my second day of work on Friday... phew. UPS is so backed up from the 'Arctic Blast 2008' that we are still delivering and holding packages from 12/22. I worked nearly 9 hours with no break nor lunch due to the incredible customer count through the door. It isn't difficult, but my body is protesting all the physicality after both being unemployed for 4 months and having desk jockey jobs for the past 11 years. But unloading and loading packages all day will be great exercise and who knows, I might get muscly!

For now, this is enough, as I have a lot to do tomorrow, including painting title signs for the burlesque show I'm emceeing on Wednesday and rehearsal for Saturday's show... and these are supposed to be my days off! I must learn to take Saturdays for myself and relax.

Today...
I learned: It might be harder to not smoke in the bar than I thought...
I read/am reading: Excavation, James Rollins