It's not really reality TV, but it might actually be my 15 minutes. OK, so here's the story, this week there was a story all over the news about "The Best Job In The World", and for some people it really is exactly that, the best job in the world. I'm one of those people. It is a chance at a 6 month contract to live and work on an Island above the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The key here is this, the job requires that the person who gets the job be a decent photographer, film maker, and writer. Basically you need to be a communicator, who can sell your experiences to others and get them as excited as you about the stuff that you see and do. The job is public relations and marketing, with some ham and fluff thrown in to make it interesting.
There is provided living space where the candidate will live and "work" because there are certain set duties, two of which are to produce a weekly or bi-weekly blog about the experiences exploring the islands and the Reef. It requires some swimming and lots of outdoor savvy. There will be many public appearances and media relations are involved, but the main idea is to be a tourist for the length of the contract and write about it with pictures and videos. They will provide all the needed equipment and electronics, as well as a fairly open itinerary of activities.
Who is "they"? "They" are Tourism Queensland, and the job is a brand new created position the brainchild of their marketing department. They made a good move because the idea of this job has really caught fire, as of today there has been well over 2 million hits on their website since Wednesday when it first made national news here in the United States. It has actually been advertised in job listings world wide for almost 2 weeks, and most people thought that it was a hoax. But it is real.
So where is my hypocrisy , you ask? I have applied for this job! I didn't do it because it's a way to get famous, but rather because it may actually be a way into what I have long wanted to do, and that is to be some sort of travel writer. I have wanted for many years to be able to travel and to take pictures and videos and to share this with anyone who is interested. To get paid for it is the dream part. In the last 30 years of my life I have been a photographer, in the last 20 years of my life I have been a DJ and an MC, and in the last 10 years I have been working in video. I have been a writer is some way, shape, or form for at least 30 years if not more. It is as if my entire life experience has been guiding me towards this cusp in time. Just in the last 2 weeks I have actually said out loud that if given the chance I would love to be a travel writer. I have thought this for years, but only now have I actually given voice to this dream. It is almost like fate was waiting for me to say it out loud. I guess that the job requires a little measure of fame to get people interested in what I will be photographing and writing about, so this may be my hypocrisy.
The pay is not in the millions by any means, but it is sufficient to make me happy. It could be a doorway to a future, or it could end up being once in a lifetime chance to live out a dream, either way I look forward to doing this job. I just can't imagine that the universe would create this opportunity and put in in front of me , then yank it away like Lucy with the football. Every person that I know personally that I have talked to about this, agrees that there could be no better candidate for this position than me. So I will be keeping a positive thought, and when the time comes I will put the links up here so that anyone who is interested in supporting me will be able to give me some points and support. I hate to think of all the disappointed people when I get the job, but I think I will still be able to sleep at night! LOL
Showing posts with label DJ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DJ. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, October 31, 2008
Why "troll"?
Some things about me that may interest anyone who feels like reading. I have done loads of different jobs over my life looking for that one thing that makes me happy and gets me paid. When I was in school I dreamed of being either a Hollywood stuntman, or a NASCAR driver. These were the two things that I wanted to do above all else. Then I thought maybe I wanted to be a Truck Driver. (yeah I watched BJ & The Bear, Have you figured out my age yet? ) When I got into high school I discovered 2 things that I was semi-decent at, and that might eventually make me some money, one was talking and the other was taking pictures. Along with the talking I have a primarily auditory memory and I love music, so I decided that I wanted to be a DJ, but I didn't want to be just any DJ, I wanted to work the overnight shift at a rock station. Where I grew up, the best station around had the best overnight guy I ever heard. He was Murdered a few years ago, but he was Unkle Rog. He was THE Coolest DJ in the world as far as I was concerned, and I wanted to be like him. Rumor has it that the Venus Flytrap character from "WKRP in Cincinnati" was modeled after Unk. I'll tell you more about him some other time, but for now back to my story.
So I wanted to be a DJ, now this was a time of transition in the radio business, they were done with the guys who walked in and started with a few weekend gigs and eventually made it to a regualr weekday/night gig. You were either "discovered" by someone in the business or you weaseled your way in as an intern. To be an intern, you needed to have a college course that was specifically geared toward the radio business, such as communications, or advertising. Plus you needed to have either a big bank account or a second job, because these internships were very rarely paid positions. Well I did my research and found out that a lot of the local radio guys liked this one particular titty bar, and I went and got a DJ job there. Long story short I was there for 4+ years and never got "discovered" Not for lack of trying, but because I didn't have the cutthroat attitude needed to get into radio, I'm just too damn nice. lol But while working there I did get my nickname. Here's how it happened:
There was a time in my life when I was dead set against scissors anywhere near my head, and I had LONG hair, at one time nearly down to my butt. Since my hair is naturally pin straight, I generally kept it tied back in a pony tail and I wore a hat most of the time. But me being me, I didn't where any old hat, I preferred cloth welders hats. If you are not familiar with a welders hat, they are special in that they come in bright colors, VERY bright colors! I had a large assortment of them once upon a time, now I am lucky if I know where I can find one or two, but anyways, back to my story. So I get this job working with nekkid babes, and music. Man I was in heaven! ( at least I thought so then!) So it's my first week working there and people are still trying to learn my name, and the day shift bartender was bad with names, (She could tell ya your drink in a heartbeat, but name? Not a chance!) So my second day, I was running behind, very uncharacteristically, and I forgot my hair tie, so it was sprawled out across my shoulders. One of the Dancers decided that she liked my hat, and wanted to wear it on stage, (It looked really cool under the balcklight. ) so who am I to deny a half nekkid babe? I let her borrow my hat. Have you ever pulled a blanket across your head and heard that static crackle? Now look in the mirrow, and see you hair standing on end! Imagine LONG hair static-ed out and sticking up everywhere. This was me in my little DJ booth. The Bartender needed to get my hours for the next day's schedule, and she couldn't remember my name, when she came around the corner she saw me with my hair all static and climbing up the wall and I bopped around in my booth, and she immediately thought of the little troll dolls that were all the rage at the time. She instantly called me DJ Troll, and it stuck, in less than three days, everyone in the places was calling me DJ Troll. I didn't mind it and in time I grew to actually enjoy it.
Jump ahead ten years, and I was no longer a DJ, I was now a maintenance guy in a factory, and since I didn't like most people to know my name I stuck with troll and even had it printed on my uniform nametags. I was troll and everyone knew who I was. There was no mistaking me for any of the dozen or so Karls and Carls walking around the place. Jump ahead another few years, and now I am discovering the wonders of the internet. Wow, there was all this knowledge and other interesting stuff, but I needed an alias of the crazy axe killers would hunt me down and kill me in my sleep! AAAHHH! OOH, I know I'll be troll. Already taken. troll69,( hehehe) taken. troll1967.... nope, trollpiano? YES, I could use that one, Since I love the piano, and play somewhat, it worked for me. Now I had me an alias that I could use around the internet. I wasn't thinking about the personals at that time, D'Oh! Oh well. So time goes by and I use a few different versions of the troll calls sign, trolleolleo, trollburger, and tragictroll. Now I have a job doing shipping and receiving, and Receiving troll just doesn't sound right, so I decided to go with shipping troll. It works and it seems to be fairly unique, so I will use it for now. Maybe someday in the future I can be "movie troll" or the one I really want, "travel troll".
So I wanted to be a DJ, now this was a time of transition in the radio business, they were done with the guys who walked in and started with a few weekend gigs and eventually made it to a regualr weekday/night gig. You were either "discovered" by someone in the business or you weaseled your way in as an intern. To be an intern, you needed to have a college course that was specifically geared toward the radio business, such as communications, or advertising. Plus you needed to have either a big bank account or a second job, because these internships were very rarely paid positions. Well I did my research and found out that a lot of the local radio guys liked this one particular titty bar, and I went and got a DJ job there. Long story short I was there for 4+ years and never got "discovered" Not for lack of trying, but because I didn't have the cutthroat attitude needed to get into radio, I'm just too damn nice. lol But while working there I did get my nickname. Here's how it happened:
There was a time in my life when I was dead set against scissors anywhere near my head, and I had LONG hair, at one time nearly down to my butt. Since my hair is naturally pin straight, I generally kept it tied back in a pony tail and I wore a hat most of the time. But me being me, I didn't where any old hat, I preferred cloth welders hats. If you are not familiar with a welders hat, they are special in that they come in bright colors, VERY bright colors! I had a large assortment of them once upon a time, now I am lucky if I know where I can find one or two, but anyways, back to my story. So I get this job working with nekkid babes, and music. Man I was in heaven! ( at least I thought so then!) So it's my first week working there and people are still trying to learn my name, and the day shift bartender was bad with names, (She could tell ya your drink in a heartbeat, but name? Not a chance!) So my second day, I was running behind, very uncharacteristically, and I forgot my hair tie, so it was sprawled out across my shoulders. One of the Dancers decided that she liked my hat, and wanted to wear it on stage, (It looked really cool under the balcklight. ) so who am I to deny a half nekkid babe? I let her borrow my hat. Have you ever pulled a blanket across your head and heard that static crackle? Now look in the mirrow, and see you hair standing on end! Imagine LONG hair static-ed out and sticking up everywhere. This was me in my little DJ booth. The Bartender needed to get my hours for the next day's schedule, and she couldn't remember my name, when she came around the corner she saw me with my hair all static and climbing up the wall and I bopped around in my booth, and she immediately thought of the little troll dolls that were all the rage at the time. She instantly called me DJ Troll, and it stuck, in less than three days, everyone in the places was calling me DJ Troll. I didn't mind it and in time I grew to actually enjoy it.
Jump ahead ten years, and I was no longer a DJ, I was now a maintenance guy in a factory, and since I didn't like most people to know my name I stuck with troll and even had it printed on my uniform nametags. I was troll and everyone knew who I was. There was no mistaking me for any of the dozen or so Karls and Carls walking around the place. Jump ahead another few years, and now I am discovering the wonders of the internet. Wow, there was all this knowledge and other interesting stuff, but I needed an alias of the crazy axe killers would hunt me down and kill me in my sleep! AAAHHH! OOH, I know I'll be troll. Already taken. troll69,( hehehe) taken. troll1967.... nope, trollpiano? YES, I could use that one, Since I love the piano, and play somewhat, it worked for me. Now I had me an alias that I could use around the internet. I wasn't thinking about the personals at that time, D'Oh! Oh well. So time goes by and I use a few different versions of the troll calls sign, trolleolleo, trollburger, and tragictroll. Now I have a job doing shipping and receiving, and Receiving troll just doesn't sound right, so I decided to go with shipping troll. It works and it seems to be fairly unique, so I will use it for now. Maybe someday in the future I can be "movie troll" or the one I really want, "travel troll".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)