Long time coming

Okay, update time. I've been seriously lax on this shit and apologize from the depths of my cold, cold heart.

You ask, "Alex, what has kept you so busy lately that you could justify leaving your loyal readers in the dark?" Short answer: I got a job. Longer answer: I got a job in my chosen profession. More specifically, at the Missoula Independent, an alternative weekly in the town that just won't let me leave.

This is how it went down. I've been qualifying for food stamps since graduation, freelancing for a number of journalistic outlets in order to fund my drinking habit. The money wasn't great, hardly a trickle. But it got my foot in the door. When a position opened up at the Indy, my editor looked to his loyal freelancers as a sort of potential employment pool. He called me in to meet with the execs, offered me the job a day later. That was March 6. Now I'm a full-time staff writer, one of three. I cover University news, the Bitterroot Valley, and various aspects of the community at large. Four years of entertainment writing has me scratching my head over news stories at times, but it's a kick. And I've succeeded in landing a job in arguably one of the most tumultuous industries of the time.

No less worthy of note, I blew the last of my freelance savings on a beautiful Epiphone amp. Valkenberg has taken to the air again, flying Monday nights at Sean Kelly's with something less than regularity. I've skied, I've fished, I've bought far more Moby and Cake from Amazon than any human should. Hopefully now I'll take it upon myself to update at least once a week.

Hell, the job is slow enough at times. And blogging is more productive than playing online Scrabble in my cubicle.