How long does a cover letter need to be?

One page.

An inspirational needlepoint for those with cancer

Posted to Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin. Is she a secret Buffista? Anyway, she has breast cancer and has done a number of posts on the subject.

Please don't click on the "somebody is saying horrible things about you" PM - that's the phishing message.

This makes so much more sense. I was worried about all the horrible things being said!

The thing that's problematic about that is it makes your own culture the default of being, and not an actual culture, which it is.

I wonder if this is mostly an American issue what with the melting pot and all. If you're in France, is it problematic to think of a taco as ethnic food? Wouldn't French food be your default? If you're an old school North End Boston resident, marinara might be your default and boiled dinner is ethnic.

We're supposed to absorb other cultures and add their stuff in to our experience. Like food Borg.

I got a nice note from an Angel writer who just read Vampire People.

Do you guys feel a little off-kilter about the huge amount of major press Joss is getting? I keep reading stuff about him and thinking, "yo, that's not how it was at all."

I read a thing yesterday that said we crowdsourced funds for the Firefly ad.

And I was all, "you know, Back yonder in mah day, we called it a "collection." We didn't have any of your fancy crowdsourcing sort of new fangled jargon."

Now I feel really old.

How long does a cover letter need to be?

Here's my standard: Opening short paragraph that says how much you want the job. Meaty middle paragraph detailing how your experience fits what they are looking for. Short closing paragraph that says why that job in particular. (In the nonprofit world, I talk about how passionate I am about the mission, but doubt that's as important for your work!)

I wonder if this is mostly an American issue what with the melting pot and all. If you're in France, is it problematic to think of a taco as ethnic food?

But don't French people think of French as an ethnicity? The best, most obvious one, but I think there's a weird erasing of "culture" here, what with the (also problematic) "melting pot."

sarameg, the Temple of Debod looks awesome, I wish I'd gone to see it in Madrid.

The Springsteen show was awesome: he played for three hours, did a bunch of great stuff from the new album (my current favorite might be "Rocky Ground"), and also did "Rosalita", "Thunder Road", and "Born to Run", and closed out with "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", which included a really moving tribute to Clarence Clemons. Oh, and they also played "American Skin (41 Shots)", that song he wrote for Amadou Diallo.

They had a five-man horn section (which made me laugh: they need FIVE people to replace the Big Man!), including Jake Clemons, Clarence's nephew, on sax. He also sang and played percussion, and he was great, and got a lot of cheers from the crowd, who obviously knew who he was.

I fell into bed around 1:45 and slept until 9 and now I'm at the office and all my projects are falling apart, ARGH.

Dear dudes whose company I have enjoyed for the past few days: the reason I suggested that time was because the bartender told me the chef wouldn't be in until at least 8. I have no control over that, so if you want to go a whole 30 minutes earlier, have at it, but you might have to eat elsewhere if you can't wait that long.

Love, me

...

I know I've been very much not linear with the conversations going on here. I can barely track between the time difference and, well. Vacationing?

(Also, I hope we don't miss them, cause I really don't mind listening to their french accents. HAH.)

But don't French people think of French as an ethnicity? The best, most obvious one, but I think there's a weird erasing of "culture" here, what with the (also problematic) "melting pot."

I prefer Food Borg, Jesse.

Yeah, it's totally problematic. I don't know if the French in France think of themselves as ethnic, but as the default. Oh hey! I can go ask a French person. She's down the hall.

Ethnic is a weird word -- but what about culture? I think most Americans really don't think of the default culture here as being "a culture," when it totally is.

Do you guys feel a little off-kilter about the huge amount of major press Joss is getting?

I don't know if I'm reacting to what you are, but I think it's cool. It's like, we've loved him for so long thanks to Buffy et al, but now the rest of the world will get to see what he can do.

They had a five-man horn section (which made me laugh: they need FIVE people to replace the Big Man!), including Jake Clemons, Clarence's nephew, on sax.

Aw! Sounds like a great show, Consuela.