billpalmer.net

So I'm on a plane to Florida tomorrow for the holidays. I wasn't expecting to lose four of my last five days in Los Angeles to a mild lingering flu bug, but that's the way it played out. Luckily we've parted ways in time for me to travel. This morning I had my first full meal since Thursday (when I said I wanted to lose ten pounds before the holidays this wasn't what I had in mind), and now for a full day of packing and tying down loose ends before I head to the airport Tuesday morning.

So it's eight days before Christmas and here's what I've noticed: the traditional long-established industries I cover have largely packed it in for the rest of the year, while the do-it-yourselfers are still cranking it into overtime.

The major-label music industry? Done. Trying to schedule an interview with a name-recognition artist, even last week, would have been a total non-starter. To be fair, most of these folks do their interviews from the road, and many of them have already wrapped their tours for the holidays. But even if the artists were up for an interview at this time of the calendar, the labels and publicists weren't. "Let's talk after the holidays" has been the typical response. Fair enough. It just means we get to have some fun in 2008.

People in charge of their own careers, however, seem to have all the time in the world this week. The two podcasters who are interviewing each other for iProng Magazine this month are getting with each other this week because they've finally cleared out their own shooting schedules. Nevermind that they're two of the better-known names in video podcasting; they're finding time during this holiday week. Same story with the indie musicians; it seems that if I've got time then they've got time.

Well, I've got my packing list completed and revised, which for me is the same as being packed (I'm a guy, what do you want from me?). Time for a metaphorical housekeeping day before heading home and, yes, probably doing at least four hours a day of magazine-related work during most of the days that I'll be gone. Hey, I'm in the indie camp. You think I'm going to be able to sit for two weeks with my feet up? Besides, the January issue comes out 1.03.08, in time for CES and Macworld Expo.

The real question of course is this: it's three thirty in the morning, what am I doing already awake, showered, and blogging? Looks like I'm ready for the east coast time zone already. See you on the other side of it.

Thanks and Happy Holidays,
Bill