Although Baltimore is calling in another media consultant to "fix" its "hopeless" image after Simon's been working on it.

John Waters clones!

Oh, goodie, I forgot about a subconsultant. Yikes.

Although Baltimore is calling in another media consultant to "fix" its "hopeless" image after Simon's been working on it.

Also known as, if you didn't have crime and shit, people would not be making TV shows about it, yesno?

Of course, the crime aspect of "crime and shit" is kind of incidental to the themes of The Wire, and that's also true in some ways for Homicide. The former is really a show about work-hierarchies and interpersonal relationships (one of these workplaces just happens to be a drug empire, but the other is a police department); the latter is about philosophy.

"He looks like a cross between Steve Buscemi, John Waters, and Edgar Allan Poe."
"Aren't those the same guy?" Nutty is totally right. And also, giving yourself a slogan is like giving yourself a nickname. Nobody will ever take to it. I suggest "Baltimore: You didn't come here to hunt, did you?" What? It's...urban. snicker, snicker.

You have to go, so I can buy you drinks and "encourage" you to quit your job.

If I haven't given notice by Escapade, I give you full permission to kidnap me.

Oh, right, hotel. Registration and stuff.

Yeah. I'll put calling for a reservation on my to-do list.

Remind me that this year, I'm not volunteering to moderate anything. And I'm drinking more.

I'm not planning to volunteer or moderate! I'll be drinking! Follow my example, and you'll do fine.

Laura's announced she's only going to the vid show; the rest of the time she's in the bar.

I may be doing this, as well. Last year, I was holed up with tzikeh et al. in the con suite watching episodes of House most of the time.

Time's 50 coolest websites of 2005. Previous 50 coolest.

So ... I got some weird pushback in this morning's meeting ("I only told them what I needed because you wanted me to!" -- what sort of an excuse is that?) but I'm cautiously optimistic we can right this in 2005, which is the requirement.

but I'm cautiously optimistic we can right this in 2005, which is the requirement.

Yay.

::crosses fingers::

Good luck, ita.

So I'm avoiding doing my christmas shopping and what do I find but

Take Along Chainsaw Playset

I'm amused.

Baltimore has also had multiple re-imagings by consultant types. They don't stick. Everyone just rolls their eyes and whatever. The BELIEVE one kinda sticks, but according to someone, it's too hopeless. Whatever. So are parts of Monroe Street, and no image consultant is going to make a dent in that blight.

Tarps over the dead guys and maybe decorative kiosks for the dealers...you've got to let Lindsay Nagle take the City That Bleeds, uh, Reads, out of the box. But not The Box, because that's bad.