Something big happened this week, and it’s got me feeling kinda goofy. Not only did I get a new job, I’m about to embark on a new career! After more than 12 years (and 3 1/2 at my current job) I will be a journalist no more, jumping to the other side of the media fence.

Starting March 31, I will be working in the NYC office of corporate communications for CB Richard Ellis, the largest commercial real estate company in the world, with my focus specifically on the NYC metro area.

So whaSomething big happened this week, and it’s got me feeling kinda goofy. Not only did I get a new job, I’m about to embark on a new career! After more than 12 years (and 3 1/2 at my current job) I will be a journalist no more, jumping to the other side of the media fence.

Starting March 31, I will be working in the NYC office of corporate communications for CB Richard Ellis, the largest commercial real estate company in the world, with my focus specifically on the NYC metro area.

So what does this mean? Well, instead of being the editor on the phone who talks to a company’s middle man to set up interviews, I’ll be the middle man! If a real estate reporter wants to talk to a broker at CB Richard Ellis in NYC, they’ll call me, and I’ll set it up. [i]The Wall Street Journal[/i], [i]The New York Times[/i], [i]The NY Post and Daily News.[/i] Plus all the local trade magazines. And I’ll be writing press releases, and getting brokers to speak on panels, and a bunch of other things that I probably haven’t thought of yet.

I’ve been thinking about a move like this for quite some time, and circumstances unfolded such that this was just the right place and the right time. It’s a big move in a lot of ways. I’ll be leaving some really good people, and I’ll be leaving behind a career I’ve spent more than a decade cultivating. Although, because I’ll be on the other side of the media fence, I’ll still be in touch with a lot of the people I work with now, so that’s kinda fun.

This just happened on Tuesday, so I’m still just getting used to the idea, still a little stunned by it. I’m sure I’ll have lots more to say about this over time, but for now, I’m thinking about the end of one phase of my life and the beginning of another.

It’s about noon on Sunday, still up in Vermont. Everybody at the ski house (about 15 or so) is out at the slopes either skiing or snowboarding, but Liz and I stayed behind today, because we are FRIGGIN’ SORE!

We both had a great time yesterday, but we ain’t used to all this winter actiivty. Liz spent the day snowboarding (her first time), and I went off to snowmobile. And it … was … awesome. (For pics, go to the PHOTOS sections).

There’s a snowmobile company about 15 miles away froIt’s about noon on Sunday, still up in Vermont. Everybody at the ski house (about 15 or so) is out at the slopes either skiing or snowboarding, but Liz and I stayed behind today, because we are FRIGGIN’ SORE!

We both had a great time yesterday, but we ain’t used to all this winter actiivty. Liz spent the day snowboarding (her first time), and I went off to snowmobile. And it … was … awesome. (For pics, go to the PHOTOS sections).

There’s a snowmobile company about 15 miles away from the main Killington ski mountain, so after Ron dropped me off in the morning, I did a two-hour tour through the Calvin Collidge State Park. I wound up going in a small group–just the guide, me and another couple, who rode double on one snowmobile.

I had never gone snowmobiling, although I’d been on Jet Skiis many times. It’s pretty similar, except that if you tip over, it’s a little harder to get up. Well … I did tip over–but only once!–although I almost went over a few other times. And, of course, it was going like 2 miles an hour. Those sharp turns can be tough if you don’t shift your weight opposite to the pull of the snowmobile, otherwise … clunk.

But still, it was a great day. We got up to around 35-40 MPH at top speeds, going along very narrow trails through dense forested paths up and around the mountain. (check back soon; pics coming as soon as I can post them). It’s just trees and snow as far as the eye can see–and you have to keep your eyes on the trail. At all times. You can’t really just look around and enjoy the sights, otherwise, you could find yourself wrapped around a tree!

To keep the snowmobile powered, you have to squeeze the throttle (on the right hand), so after two hours … my right is arm sore. And now that it’s a day later, the back of both my shoulders are sore, as is my lower back. Not too bad, but I’m wiped. In fact, Liz and I went to bed around 11 or so last night, and then slept until around 7:30, when everbody was stirring and heading out back to the mountain. But then we went back to sleep for another few hours.

We’re not used to this activity!

So totally fun, though. If you haven’t done it, try snowmobiling. Not only is it fast, but you get to travel through some really beautiful country that you usually don’t have access to. I would do it again for sure.

Thumbs up!

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/03/02 12:16

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/03/03 06:33

Now that I’m done with the revisions of Finders Keepers and it’s off to the agent I’ve been telling you about, it’s time to do a little clean up.

As us writer dudes do, we tend to accumulate a lot of paper. A lot. Just ask Liz about that (actually, for my sakes, better not!). Well, now it’s time for me to figure out what I need for my files and what I don’t, as I’ve got just piles and piles of edited pages with little handwritten marks denoting what I changed and what I corrected. In the enNow that I’m done with the revisions of Finders Keepers and it’s off to the agent I’ve been telling you about, it’s time to do a little clean up.

As us writer dudes do, we tend to accumulate a lot of paper. A lot. Just ask Liz about that (actually, for my sakes, better not!). Well, now it’s time for me to figure out what I need for my files and what I don’t, as I’ve got just piles and piles of edited pages with little handwritten marks denoting what I changed and what I corrected. In the end, most of the pages I can chuck in the garbage, because I don’t have a lot of need for a page that has the word "the" circled and marked up with the word "then," noting that I left off one letter.

Thing is, I’ve got my name and phone number on every page, and as identity theft is the real deal (Liz got nailed by it–twice–years back), I’m paranoid about leaving info around. So I’ve been tearing off the top of page after page after page, just to shred that personal info. Naturally, I’ll tear 5-10 sheets at a time, but still, it’s time consuming. I don’t just shred the whole page because that’s a lot of shredding, and it fills up the shredder bin too quickly, and it’s a pain to take off the metal top with the shredding gear, take out the garbage bag in the bin, replace the bag, and then put the gears back on top. It’s like emptying the lawn mower.

So now that I’ve got piles and pile of little pages, from my big pages, I’ve got a ton of shredding to do.

And you thought editing pages was easy …

Liz and I are heading up to Killington, VT, this weekend with Finders Keepers Web master Ron and his wife, Anne, so I’m pretty excited about that. I went skiing once about 15 years ago–in Killington–but haven’t been on the slopes, or Killington, since. But since I’m not much of a skiier–and my back keeps me away from some of the more dynamic activities–I’ve decided to try something else:

Snowmobiling.

Ron is a big-time snowboarder, so he’ll be doing that, and Liz will be trying theLiz and I are heading up to Killington, VT, this weekend with Finders Keepers Web master Ron and his wife, Anne, so I’m pretty excited about that. I went skiing once about 15 years ago–in Killington–but haven’t been on the slopes, or Killington, since. But since I’m not much of a skiier–and my back keeps me away from some of the more dynamic activities–I’ve decided to try something else:

Snowmobiling.

Ron is a big-time snowboarder, so he’ll be doing that, and Liz will be trying the snowboard for the first time. And Anne will be skiing. So that leaves me all by my lonesome, off to snowmobile. I’ve been jet skiing many times, so I figured this wouldn’t be too far off. I’m already booked for a two-hour guided tour through a state park, which I hear is great.

So as Friday comes closes in, I’ve got snowmobiling in my sights …

Last month Liz and I took a nice little jaunt to Jamaica, and it was faaaaaan-tastic. We stayed at a boutique hotel–Coyaba Resorts–in the Montego Bay section of the island. If you want to check it out, go to www.coyabaresortjamaica.com. We give it a big, big thumbs up.

Now, it depends on what kind of vacation you’re looking for, but if you want nice and quiet, this is definitely for you. There’s only 50 guest rooms set among three buildings, so it’s nice and quaint, with great, friendly sLast month Liz and I took a nice little jaunt to Jamaica, and it was faaaaaan-tastic. We stayed at a boutique hotel–Coyaba Resorts–in the Montego Bay section of the island. If you want to check it out, go to www.coyabaresortjamaica.com. We give it a big, big thumbs up.

Now, it depends on what kind of vacation you’re looking for, but if you want nice and quiet, this is definitely for you. There’s only 50 guest rooms set among three buildings, so it’s nice and quaint, with great, friendly service. Rooms are big, food is very, very good, and the beach, while small, is clean. There’s a small gym and spa, and a nice tennis court. The outdoor pool in the back is great, as is the outdoor bar. There’s also a nice dock that overlooks the ocean. And I made good use of the various hammocks set back from the beach. (I posted some pics under the PHOTOS section).

I will say that you can hear some nearby traffic and some planes at a distance, so that is one detractor, but overall it’s super quiet and calm.

Liz and I did the all-inclusive food plan, which works out great. The breakfast and dinner menus are excellent. Lunch is just so-so, but otherwise really, really good food.

If you’re looking for a big activity vacation, this place isn’t really the ticket, but if all you want to do is chill on the beach while a waiter brings you Rum Punch and Pina Coladas all day–jackpot. I would absolutely go back.

For those of you with cats, this might sound like a familiar tale, and for those without … well … here is one of the joys of having a cat.

Now that March will soon be upon us (not that we could tell given all the snow), Alex is starting to go through his annual shedding phase. It only really started kicking in about two weeks ago, but now that it’s started … oh, is it loads of fun.

Since cats constantly clean themselves, it’s sort of an occupational hazard to wind up ingesting soFor those of you with cats, this might sound like a familiar tale, and for those without … well … here is one of the joys of having a cat.

Now that March will soon be upon us (not that we could tell given all the snow), Alex is starting to go through his annual shedding phase. It only really started kicking in about two weeks ago, but now that it’s started … oh, is it loads of fun.

Since cats constantly clean themselves, it’s sort of an occupational hazard to wind up ingesting some loose fur. And to rid themselves of that fur, cats puke up these giant clumps, otherwise known as hairballs. I can usually tell when Alex is about to hurl up a hairball, because he’ll be still, and start wheezing … [i]kaff … kaff [/i]… and then [i]hhrrrlllll [/i]… just a big yak.

Well, yesterday morning around 5 a.m. I got up to take a shower, and I see Alex sitting in the living room, in pre-yak mode. He wheezed a few times, and so I readied myself to get some paper towels for the innevitable mess. Only no puke. So in my early morning fog, I shrugged it off and took my shower. Afterwards, feeling clean and at least modestly refreshed, I got dressed, and then went into the living room for my shoes.

Yeah … that’s was my bad.

It’s not so much that Alex yaked up a big skanking puddle of hairball and salmon flavored cat food on my shoe–which he did–but it’s that he yaked up a big skanking puddle of hairball and salmon flavored cat food [i]in[/i] my shoe. Not just on, but in. In a 1,000–square-foot, two-bedroom apartment, that’s the one place he chooses to yak.

So my day started off by scooping out a whomping puddle of cat vomit from my shoe.

Ahhh … good times. … Good times …

Now that I?ve finished Finders Keepers, and the manuscript is channeling through the U.S. postal service on its way to the agent I?ve been telling you about, I thought this would be a good time to look back at really crucial part of the writing process:

When to stop.

Last week I had lunch with an old friend of mine, and were talking a little bit about it, and the thing is, it can be really, really difficult to know just when to be finished with a project. Even though I?ve read Finders Now that I?ve finished Finders Keepers, and the manuscript is channeling through the U.S. postal service on its way to the agent I?ve been telling you about, I thought this would be a good time to look back at really crucial part of the writing process:

When to stop.

Last week I had lunch with an old friend of mine, and were talking a little bit about it, and the thing is, it can be really, really difficult to know just when to be finished with a project. Even though I?ve read Finders Keepers all the way through at least a dozen times, plus read and edited sections another 20 times or so, I can always find something else to tinker with.

As I was telling my friend, I?m sometimes at odds with myself about when I should keep going and when I should do more revisions. Sometimes I think that a section isn?t quite working, and then I look at it the next day and realize it?s good, even great. And sometimes I feel great about a section, and then look at it the next day and realize it needs work. And sometimes a lot of work.

So when should I let it be? When should I get back to it? Not only can I just get too close to the work, sometimes I get tired. I get woozy. I get hungry. When I?m going for hours, or just having a tough day, I?m not always at my peak focus. I’m not concentrating as well as I could. Ideally, every session at the computer would be as good as every other, but I?m human. Sometimes I?m on fire, sometimes I?m not. Which is why I find it so important to stay on a schedule, doing multiple revisions, trusting that, in the long run, I?m getting it right.

I?m sure there are parts of the manuscript that simply aren?t as strong as others, which isn?t to say they?re bad. It?s just that, not every portion can be great. I?d love to say that Finders Keepers is absolutely perfect all the way through?and hey, maybe it is; it?s a matter of opinion?but no matter how many times I?ve said to myself, [i]okay, that?s a wrap. I?m finished[/i], I would inevitably look back at a section and think, [i]oh, boy, that?s not quite right. I just need to change this a little bit …[/i]

This can go on forever and ever and ever. At some point, as a writer, you just have to decide to be done.

Take George Lucas, for example. I won?t rehash all of the re-issues he?s done on [i]Star Wars[/i] over the years, but I can relate to his desire to fix what he thinks isn?t quite right. What could be better. And I?m not saying it?s right or wrong to go back and release newer versions of and older work, but think of it from the creator?s point of view. You spend months, years and sometimes even decades working on something, and you?ve released it to the world. But then you start obsessing on all the imperfections and think, I know how to fix this. All I have to do is …

So, yeah, it can be tough to know when to stop. There?s always some part of a project that could be better in one way or another. Sometimes it?s easier than others to know when to keep going, but sooner or later you just have to move on with your life, and trust that the work you did is good enough.

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/02/28 17:27

After almost three months of intense revisions on Finders Keepers, let me say this:

[i]FINALLY![/i]

As I noted in some of my previous blogs (Jan. 19, Dec. 26), I?ve been cutting, tweaking, pruning, dicing, slicing, editing, re-editing, re-re-editing and re-re-re-editing Finders Keepers to get it as lean and mean as possible for the wonderful world of publishing. Well, that time has come.

I?m proud to say that I?ve made my last edit (thank God) and that the most up-to-date versioAfter almost three months of intense revisions on Finders Keepers, let me say this:

[i]FINALLY![/i]

As I noted in some of my previous blogs (Jan. 19, Dec. 26), I?ve been cutting, tweaking, pruning, dicing, slicing, editing, re-editing, re-re-editing and re-re-re-editing Finders Keepers to get it as lean and mean as possible for the wonderful world of publishing. Well, that time has come.

I?m proud to say that I?ve made my last edit (thank God) and that the most up-to-date version of Finders Keepers is now in the mail to the agent I?ve been talking about.

And as of today, I’ve got a shiny new manuscript ready to send to the agent I’ve been talking to. She’s waiting to receive this bad boy, which will go in the mail tomorrow.

But for now, I want to do a little recapping. When I started this campaign of editing madness, my manuscript came in at 128,368 words and 544 pages, which, as I?ve noted before, was a bit on the long side. Well, after many, many, many, many, many rounds of editing, Finders Keepers is now a mean and lean 103,503 words and 420 pages.

Let?s check out that progress in grid form:

Original Word Count: 128,368

Final Word Count: 103,503

Original Page Count: 544

Final Page Count: 420

Applying a little more math, here’s some additional analysis.

Total Words Cut: 24,873

Total Pages Cut: 120

All told that means I cut 25,000 words?twenty-five thousand?and 120 pages. Honestly, I didn?t think I could do it and keep the story fully intact. And I?m proud to say that, not only did I get there, but I did so without sacrificing the story, without cutting any chapters, characters, plot points or humor. Finders Keepers is as wild and goofy and fun as ever.

What it did take was about a bazillion little snips that ultimately added up to something significant. Tweak after tweak after tweak.

Having Finders Keepers this sizzling and lean only helps me. Shorter is almost always better, and Finders Keepers is certainly better than ever, which really jazzes me up, as the buzz from the earlier, longer versions was pretty darn good too!

So now that I?ve got this butt-kickin? manuscript circulating in its best form ever, the odds of it getting picked up sooner rather than later have only increased.

These past few months were a real triumph for me. Not just in regard to Finders Keepers, but to me as a writer. The time I spent really forced me to step up my game, to become even more disciplined and focused than ever. And since I?ve got about another dozen books just circulating in my brain, ready to come out, that?s going to be good news indeed.

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/02/23 06:07

I’m not a Mets fan, so I have no sentimental attachment to Shea Stadium, but I am PSYCHED! Got tickets to see Billy Joel give the last concert there. Ever.

I was surprised I got through online, but I’m going!I’m not a Mets fan, so I have no sentimental attachment to Shea Stadium, but I am PSYCHED! Got tickets to see Billy Joel give the last concert there. Ever.

I was surprised I got through online, but I’m going!

I was running low on cash the other day, so it was time to make a stop at the ole bank machine. I’m a Citibank dude, so I made a special trip Friday morning to swing by the Citibank branch off the 14th St. F stop, so I wouldn’t have to pay a user fee at another bank. Except when I got there, I discovered that it’s no longer a Citibank. (It’s another bank; I can’t remember which).

So I kept walking, thinking (incorrectly) that I would find another Citibank somewhere on the way. When I didn’tI was running low on cash the other day, so it was time to make a stop at the ole bank machine. I’m a Citibank dude, so I made a special trip Friday morning to swing by the Citibank branch off the 14th St. F stop, so I wouldn’t have to pay a user fee at another bank. Except when I got there, I discovered that it’s no longer a Citibank. (It’s another bank; I can’t remember which).

So I kept walking, thinking (incorrectly) that I would find another Citibank somewhere on the way. When I didn’t, I finally stopped into a Bank of America in Union Square, and did the bank machine thing. I inserted my card, denoted how much cash I wanted, and then waited for the bills to start churning. But before I that could happen, I got that usual message, telling me that because I wasn’t using a Bank of America card, I would have to pay a fee.

[i]Yeah, yeah. Gotcha. Let’s just get on with it.[/i]

The user fee? $3! [i]Three dollars![/i] To get my own money! Are they out of their #$@! minds?

Naturally, since there was no Citibank near my office, I had to ultimately use another bank’s machine. Washington Mutual got me for $2, which is still outrageous. But of all the banks so far, Bank of America has the highest fee I’ve seen.

I’ve come to accept that I’ll need to pay a service charge if I withdraw cash from another bank’s machine, but $3 is just a slap in the face. Bank of America can bite me. Really … really … hard.