L.B. Lewis's Blog, page 3
November 24, 2023
Make Craigslist Great Again for Jobseekers
Photo by Simona KidričSomething that is not on your resume is how you got each of your jobs.
On my resume, many of my jobs came from Craigslist.
Craigslist, founded in 1995, still looks the same to keep things simple and functional.
But things today are not so simple.
There may have been a time when you used Craigslist, too.
However, when you visit the site now, you can’t believe how hard it is to find anything you trust.
So, since there’s a 90’s fashion revival going on, I’d like to propose why not make Craigslist great again, too?
From San Francisco to Paris, I used to use Craigslist to find both freelance and full-time employment in marketing, teaching, and writing.
While some cities’ listings are better than others, overall Craigslist has declined due to an influx of illegal activities, scammers, and competitors like Facebook Marketplace.
But I’d be very happy to see Craigslist come back in style just like scrunchies!
Craigslist is still free to use and continues to earn revenue from postings. It’s estimated to post 80 million new ads a month. But the quantity and quality of the job postings, in my experience, has declined.
In 2022, after being laid off and then job seeking for eight months, I started looking again on Craigslist and every other job site for local employment in Los Angeles.
I hadn’t used the site to look for work since 2019 when a freelance job from Craigslist San Francisco failed to pay me.
But, thanks to Craigslist Los Angeles, I finally landed my first real job in my new city.
I was cast as an extra on a German reality show. I went to a house in Culver City, sat in an audience of extras, and clapped when they gave me the signal. I got paid with a snack size bag of chips and IMDb credits (still waiting).
This was the best opportunity to come my way during this time.
So, Craigslist is not dead. It’s just not like how it used to be.
It is eye-opening to learn Craigslist’s current value is estimated to be $2–3 billion and still provides services in 570 cities in 70 countries, with the United States continuing to be the strongest market.
I have a lot of gratitude for Craigslist providing me employment opportunities and haven’t given up all hope.
Just like fashion trends, I’d welcome seeing a renewed interest in the simplicity of a local classified job site like Craigslist, not dependent on applicant tracking systems, social media, or paid subscription models.
Stop Doing Laundry.Why I Wrote a Pandemic Memoir[image error]
November 5, 2023
How I Almost Bought What I Donated…
Photo: L.B. LewisRecently, I celebrated two years of living in Los Angeles.
And, I can’t wait until I get to year three.
Because that’s when someone told me I’ll start to have friends.
Until then, I’ve been keeping busy shopping.
Because the shopping is so good here.
And, I’ve never spent so much money on used clothes before in my life.
Through the years, I very much supported Loehmann’s, Jeremy’s, and Tuesday Morning. But they’re all extinct now.
Nothing’s permanent except change in this crazy world and as for this chapter of my life, I’ve (re)discovered Goodwill.
At Goodwill Santa Monica, there’s a designer annex you have to climb one flight of stairs to shop (and it’s worth it!).
Designer brands I’ve gotten there include: St. John, AYR, Joe’s, Equipment, Bloomingdale’s, and Lolë.
Plus, I get a 15% off coupon everytime I donate.
I spend so much time at Goodwill, I almost bought the pants I donated.
It happened naturally while I was looking through the pants rack (picture).
I saw a green pocket stick out and I grabbed it, touching it, thinking these looked so familiar.
Then, I had a nostalgic feeling because I knew I had these exact same pants. I got them during the pandemic and, then when they wore out, I bought the same pair with a gift card I got last Christmas.
“I need to get these pants again,” I told myself, after I saw they were $6.99.
As I took them off the rack, I saw the same grease stain caused by a flying poached egg during a brunch back in May. I couldn’t get it out then and I knew I couldn’t get out now.
And, so I put them back, no longer nostalgic.
**Note: Thanks for reading! Clap, comment, and click to laugh more. Your support helps writers earn money and gain exposure.
Driving at NightStop Doing Laundry.[image error]October 11, 2023
September 24, 2023
August 31, 2023
August 15, 2023
August 1, 2023
June 27, 2023
100 Years Later: Why ‘A Moveable Feast’ Still Captivates
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsYou still can’t judge a book by its cover. Or its title.
I heard about “A Moveable Feast” when I worked in Paris. I even stayed on Rue Mouffetard, a few blocks away from Hemingway’s first Parisian apartment. Everything from street vendors to supermarkets captured my appetite.
It seemed everywhere I went there was a feast of options. For a long time, I had thought this was a book about joie de manger, without reading it. But, after I read it, I realized,
“A Moveable Feast” is not about food.While “A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway takes place in Paris from 1921–1926, a great culinary city, it’s not a book about food.
Hemingway writes in cafes, goes to bars and restaurants — a type of American digital nomad without the digital. Today, you can follow in his footsteps and take a walking tour of Hemingway’s Paris.
The title was not chosen by Hemingway, but rather taken from a quote to a friend. It refers to Paris being a moveable feast: one’s Paris memories treasured for a lifetime.
“A Moveable Feast” is about hunger.“A Moveable Feast” is a collection of Hemingway’s stories of living and working as a writer in Paris. It also includes interactions with his contemporaries Gertrude Stein, Wyndham Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and more.
In “Hunger Was Good Discipline,” hunger is the catalyst for increased focus and “you learn from it” (p. 74). From the highs of getting paid to the lows of rejection as a journalist, Hemingway aspires to writing a novel as the potential next phase in his career. Yet…
“A Moveable Feast” is not classified a memoir.Although it reads like a diary, especially the incredible road trip he takes with F. Scott Fitzgerald, the preface states: “If the reader prefers, this book may be regarded as fiction. But there is always the chance that such a book of fiction may through some light on what has been written as fact.”
There’s a sense of community and shared experiences of Paris in 1920s. Being a writer is a central theme and details of how the writers interacted and shared their work offer a fascinating look into this time period.
“A Moveable Feast” is about Hemingway.Almost as good as the book, is the story behind the book.
In 1956, Hemingway retrieved two forgotten trunks from the basement of The Ritz, which would help him write A Moveable Feast. He wrote “A Moveable Feast” almost 30 years after the actual stories take place and completed the book in 1961. It was first published in 1964, posthumously.
Hemingway had a long relationship with Paris and seems comfortable with French culture. By writing “A Moveable Feast,” the impact Paris had on his life is memorialized.
“A Moveable Feast” is not glamorous.Hemingway was no “Emily in Paris.”
When he goes to Shakespeare and Company for the first time, he didn’t have money on him to pay the fee, but was still allowed to borrow books. He also writes about not having hot water or a toilet inside his apartment at 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine.
The cliché American or Parisian characters don’t exist. Hemingway spoke a few languages, including French, and he gives cultural nuances throughout the book, from French words to relationships with Parisian business owners.
“A Moveable Feast” is rich.Today, une génération perdue continues to captivate, 100 years later.
I can’t explain why it took me so long to read this book after working in Paris. At this time in my life, I find it impressive both in prose and content. I highly recommend to those interested in learning about Hemingway’s journey as a writer and as an American abroad.
A bittersweet and beautiful tribute to the influence Paris had on Hemingway, “A Moveable Feast” concludes: “Paris was always worth it and you received return whatever you brought to it. But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy” (p. 207).
Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast. Scribner, 1992.
About the author: L.B. Lewis is the author of “Small Talk with Myself,” an award-winning, comedic memoir. She’s producing new content under Monte Cristo Studio, LLC and also available for collaboration in July 2023.
[image error]100 Years Later: Why ‘A Moveable Feast’ Still Captivates was originally published in Any Writers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
June 22, 2023
Help Choose A Blog Post Title
I'll be publishing a book review on Medium and need your help: What title do you like best for a book review about A Moveable Feast?
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
A Moveable Feast
Thank you and happy summer!
May 29, 2023
Serfing in LA
An original story by L.B. LewisA black 2023 Tesla Model X stops on a palm-tree lined street in Santa Monica. The driver’s window opens halfway.
“JoJo, brother, looking good. So is your big guy. Drinking the ginseng I gave you?”
“Hey man, yes, yes, I am. What’s good lately?”
“Can you get me the rent a few days early from everybody? Just have some things to take care of…”
“No worries. I got you.”
The Tesla speeds off.
Photo by Huy LamJoJo pets his lizard’s head on his right shoulder while he pulls keys from his pocket and slides into the driver’s seat of a white 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLK 300.
Once seated, he takes out his phone, snaps it into the phone mount, and starts recording.
“Inflation. The housing crisis. And, don’t forget, the parking crisis.”
JoJo reverses, hits the back car’s bumper then moves forward to an abrupt stop. He stops recording and yanks the phone from the dash. JoJo quickly gets out and walks towards the apartment building.
Photo by Kampus Production:“Thanks, man. Don’t know what I’d do without you,” Tenant 1 says, while moving his surfboard from his head to under his arm.
“Don’t mention it! Catch!” JoJo slow jogs to catch up with Tenant 1.
“See, someone banged your bumper pretty bad. I just want to say that was not me, but I can help you with the insurance, if you want?”
“Oh yeah, I’ll be over later. Thanks, you’re the best.” Tenant 1 walks to his apartment.
JoJo takes his camera out again and starts recording in front of the building.
“In LA, it can be hard to find a place to call home. Isn’t that right, Betty Boop?” he says to his phone.
Photo by Anna ShvetsA woman in a bathrobe suddenly is seen on the phone screen, coming up behind JoJo. He quickly puts camera back in this pocket, while turning to face the tenant.
“Hey, Jo, can you come by later and water my plants, take out my garbage, and empty the kitty litter?”
“Sure thing, Miss Joyce.”
“Such a wonderful serf you are.”
Tenant 2 walks away. JoJo takes his phone out and starts recording again.
“You see, I traced my ancestors back to the Roman empire. And, my people were serfs, they did jobs for land. They didn’t pay anyone rent.”
JoJo walks to mailbox area, still recording.
“A good serf knows how to work. A good serf knows how to organize, especially everyone’s mail. Then you really get to know your neighbors.”
Photo by fran1Tenant 3 shouts “Joseph! Can you take a look at my plumbing NOW? Think that leak you fixed yesterday is still going on.”
JoJo quickly puts his phone back in his pocket, adjusts his posture, and smooths down his hair.
“We’ll be right over after we finish something,” he says while petting Betty Boop.
“Can you come NOW? Got water all over!”
“Sure, Betty Boop and I can come NOW.”
JoJo slowly walks to apartment C, knocks lightly then enters. Tenant 3 motions to all the water on the floor in the kitchen and shakes his head.
“Oh, that’s nothing. Let me look on YouTube like we did last time.”
“No, no, NO! The YouTube-masking-tape trick didn’t work. And, it’s not going to work this time. Can you please call a real plumber?”
“Yes, will be right back. Need to check something. Can I leave Betty Boop here with you for a swim?”
“No! Get your serf act together and call someone who does a real job!”
“OK, man, don’t have a cow. We’ll be right back.”
JoJo closes the apartment door, then takes out his phone to start recording again.
“The thing is we have to teach these people self-sufficiency. And, we don’t have a plumber, and since he doesn’t like YouTube he can just figure that out on his own.”
JoJo goes to a flower bed and picks up a mini shovel.
“But at the end of the day, it’s all about connecting to the land again. I love landscaping in LA. And, I love being with Betty Boop in nature, where we belong, not slaving to pay rent.”
All of a sudden, JoJo stops digging and looks left then right.
“BETTY BOOP, MY GREEN GODDESS, WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE DID YOU GO?”
A beige 2002 Toyota Corolla LE with tinted windows screeches to a stop.
“Betty Boop! I almost ran over you! Brother Jo, I knew I’d find you serfing over here from the Facebook group Serfs Need New Turf …hey, you know if they still need another serf?”
Do you want to see more of “Serfing in LA”? Let me know! Please clap for this story. Like it on Twitter. Leave a comment about what you want to see happen.
Photo by RDNE Stock projectBehind-the-Scenes Look at “Serfing in LA”
January 2023: Originally tweeted as a show idea.
March 2023: Took Eric Moneypenny’s Pack Theater sketch class and wrote a version of the show into sketch script format.
March 2023: Casted classmates as characters and read outloud in class. Got feedback.
April-May 2023: Took feedback and reworked script into short story in Word.
May 2023: Edited story and designed promo graphic in Canva. Looked for character pictures, including researching what lizards make the best pets. Uploaded and formatted story on Medium. Added relevant tags. Published on Medium.
Special thanks to Brandon Burkhart and Eric Moneypenny.[image error]
