I guess I should say something about…you know, quitting my job. Which I did. My last day is Thursday, March 20, so if you hang out over there, you’ll see me kicking around until then.
It’s not so much that I have much to say about quitting my job, but for people who have wondered what’s next: writing is next. Lots and lots and lots of writing, and lots of trying different projects to see what I want to do and what works out. Unfortunately, one of the things that happens when you leave a unique job is that you have to figure out what comes after it, and you kind of have to be free to work on projects at different places to see where you should settle.
Oddly, I’m not worried about myself. I have choices; I won’t be a bag lady. I wouldn’t have decided to leave if I didn’t think it would work out fine. In truth, I have been attached to this one project for such a long time now, and it has been so consuming in some ways both creatively and socially, that I’m really looking forward to just trying out other things. There are lots of kinds of writers, and I will wind up as one of them. Until then, I will, I hope, be writing all over the place and seeing what’s out there.
Writing is…I used to not understand about people who said that musicians or writers played music or wrote because they couldn’t not do it, but that’s sort of how I feel about myself now. Something will work out, because this is me now, and forward is the only direction to go in. The thing that I’m taking away from TWoP that means the most to me is all the people that I met and worked with, and fortunately, I get to keep them. Dinner with Tara soon, Sarah’s birthday, movies with Joe…and that’s not even counting the fact that many of my closest friends came to me through this job, because they’re writers, or they were readers, or they wrote me emails that said, “I love your writing, but you don’t know the difference between ‘comprised’ and ‘composed.’”
I used to take pictures. I used to write fiction sometimes and screw around with writing a novel. I used to write about movies, I used to think about lots and lots of things. Don’t get me wrong — I love writing about TV, too, and there’s every possibility I’ll keep doing that. But I like that it’s open at the moment. As one of my friends often says, “Come on, something! Happen!”
20 comments
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March 17, 2008 at 6:14 pm
nilbo
I first came to your writing through TWoP, as did so many others. I began to watch certain television shows simply because you recapped them so brilliantly and I wanted in on the jokes (although certainly not ALL the shows you recapped; you deserved danger pay for some of the toxic sludge you were exposed to).
I bought your book, and have recommended it to friends, and while I will miss your recaps terribly, I look forward to what new projects you’ll take on.
I’m a writer (not an “aspiring writer”, which, as you pointed out recently, is not a thing at all). I know what you mean when you say you MUST write.
So, write. The world will be a better place for it.
March 17, 2008 at 8:03 pm
flyballer
I was going to say the same thing nilbo said in the first paragraph above –I’ve watched shows because you recapped them. I’ll miss you terribly at TWoP, and I hope I’ll be able to read a lot of your writing in other places.
I don’t think I would ever have become a hardcore Amazing Race fan if it weren’t for you!
Best wishes to you — I’m not worried about you, either.
March 17, 2008 at 9:15 pm
elinatl
Good luck. I’ve enjoyed your work at TWoP and will very much miss it. The Amazing Race won’t be the same without commentary on Phil’s attire, and I’m fairly certain that you have “solved” Survivor like that computer solved checkers. As a lawyer who’s a lawyer only because I was too chicken to gamble on a writing career, I wish you the best of experiences and much success.
March 17, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Dana
I’ll miss you on TWOP!!!! You have long been my favorite recapper!
March 17, 2008 at 10:11 pm
raynasirocco
Just so you know, two of us (we?) lawyers in Boston have hung on your every word for years (and gotten into our own fierce e-mail debates about them), because we love the good kind of reality TV as much as you do, and we are devastated to see you leave our favorite site (which is not going to be our favorite site much longer if the exodus keeps up). I wish you all the very best, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Thank you for proving that lawyers can be cool, and for all the marvelous writing. I can’t watch Phil pop an eyebrow without thinking about your reasoned analysis.
Thank you.
March 17, 2008 at 10:47 pm
purplelara
Good luck. I just wanted to say that you are by far my favourite re-capper at TWOP and I will miss you terribly. Yes, others can write witty, snarky recaps but you always had a way of capturing what I felt but couldn’t put into words (you see, I am NOT a writer). I would watch Survivor and the Amazing Race and tell my friends “oooooh I can not STAND so and so” and when they’d ask why I’d be like “I just…he is so…I just…errrrrr” Then read your recap and forward it to them saying “There! What she said!”. So, like I said, I can still read funny recaps but they won’t be your recaps and I’m genuinely feeling sad about that. I have bookmarked this site though and hope to keep up with your writing elsewhere. Again – good luck to you and thanks for the many, many good reads over the years.
March 17, 2008 at 11:23 pm
randomesq
Man, I’ll miss you over at TWoP. Glad you’ll be blogging! I know I’ve subscribed.
-R.
March 17, 2008 at 11:45 pm
mistermcgee
It was Tarcon 5 at Play By Play when I muttered a little joke to you about racers Brandon and Nicole that made you laugh and made me think: ‘Wow, I made the great Miss Alli laugh. It’s always the other way around!’
I’ve enjoyed your writing immensely. Reading that last Survivor recap saddened me and I associate The Amazing Race as much with you as I do Phil! I’ve been with TWoP since 2000 and your insights have been consistently and hilariously insightful. Thank you for the great reading.
Best wishes to you as well. I am – at heart – a writer as well and I know how you feel. After several years as a newspaper crime reporter I lost some of the joys of writing. But your post above reminded me of how fulfilling writing is and the range of possibilities. I’ll be following your blog!
March 18, 2008 at 2:58 am
pormadi
I like to hear your decisions. Good luck!
March 18, 2008 at 5:55 am
blonde916
I am so sorry to know that I will never read your fabulous recaps of Survivor and The Amazing Race again. You truly brought both show to life in an awesome way. Thank you. You are a wonderful writer and I wish you all the best in everything that you do with your life.
March 18, 2008 at 8:42 am
pchillman
I’ll second everyone else here about how much I’ll miss your recaps — not only did they crack me up so consistently (loved the Not Me joke in the last Survivor recap!), but they always had so much psychological insight too. They made the shows a lot more fun to watch — I don’t know how I’ll get through next year’s Amazing Race. I’m glad you provided the link to this blog so I can keep up…
March 18, 2008 at 9:41 am
killercoconut
I suppose if it is acceptable to cry a little over Jonathan Penner, it is acceptable to cry a little over this turn of events. I’m just going to go Kathy-esque creepy and say that even though we haven’t met, and I really don’t even post that much in the forums, I’m a long time fan and I feel like I’m losing a friend. Your writing made watching (and caring about) shows like Survivor and TAR a reasonable and maybe even interesting thing to be doing.
I am sure you will have tremendous success, however you define it.
And that’s the real truth flavor.
March 18, 2008 at 10:06 am
crimsonline
Wow! What a shock to read about your departure over at TWoP. I’ll echo what others have said here and say that I’ll deeply miss your recaps. I appreciate your kind words about Sara M’s wit, and to be sure I’ll miss your humor. But what you brought to recaps of shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race is your deep understanding of the game, and of strategy. I learned a lot about how to play the games of TAR and Survivor from reading your recaps. I would look forward to your next article not because of the jokes, but because I came away from them understanding the gameplay at a deeper level. Your analysis of the proper use of the Yield in TAR, your keen insight into the Yul/Jonathan dynamic in their season of Survivor, those are just two of the many instances in which my enjoyment of the show was multiplied because I had read your column.
I enjoy Sara M’s recaps, and I’ll probably keep reading TWoP, but I always came away from your writing feeling like I’d watched the show with someone smarter than me, and had learned something about game strategy as a result. With no slight intended to Sara M, I’ll miss that at TWoP with you gone.
Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, increasing someone else’s enjoyment of a reality TV show doesn’t seem like all that high a calling, but you did it well, and I appreciate you for it. Thank you! You will be missed.
March 18, 2008 at 11:39 am
justrmor
Loved your recaps of Survivor. Cracked me up! Will definitely continue to read your blog.
March 18, 2008 at 12:11 pm
crazdgamer
While reading the last page of your final Survivor recap, I was saddened when I got to the part where you said that you were stepping down / away.
Your recaps are great reads and I thank you for those.
Sadly, I have nothing else to add. If I was a better writer, I’d have more gooder words, but “thank you” really does say all I wanted to say, so I’ll leave it at that.
March 18, 2008 at 7:27 pm
essdy
Will you be bringing over “Losing the Cow”? That’s one of my favorite blogs ever.
March 18, 2008 at 7:37 pm
lketoplay
I just clicked over here after reading your last recap of Survivor. I’m sad that you’re not going to be writing for TWoP anymore, but I’m happy for you that you’re doing what you want to do. I’ve been reading your recaps of Survivor and AR for some time now, and I think you are funny as hell. But after this last recap, when you referenced The Sure Thing? I think I love you. That is one of my all-time favorite movies. That quote you used, I heard in John Cusack’s voice. And how can you not love Anthony Edwards, with hair?
“Oh…but my father specifically said I can only use it in case of an emergency.”
“Well, maybe one will come up.”
Hee. Wishing you luck in your forthcoming endeavors! I know I’ll come back and keep reading here.
Shelley
March 18, 2008 at 8:15 pm
rachelmack
… I swear to god – I SWEAR TO GOD – my very first thought after reading about the departure of Wing Chun, Glark, and Sars was that if you left, I was abandoning TWOP. (I kid you not, my blog post talking about it said, and I quote: “If Miss Alli goes, I’m likely never returning to the site.” And now… Crap. Just… crap. It wasn’t just about recapping shows, and I hope the nitwits who are running the show realize that; it was largely about you guys, and how you interacted with each other – even though it was quite certain that none of you knew who *I* was, reading your recaps was like hanging out with friends – incredibly cool, highly witty, smart-as-a-whip friends. And now it’s over; TWOP has been a daily staple for me since 2001, and now what? Sigh.
I really wish all of you the best, and I will certainly keep track of your upcoming projects.
March 18, 2008 at 10:15 pm
sportsdiva
I wouldn’t have bothered watching Survivor (and often didn’t, because the recaps were so thorough) without you. I’m sure I wasn’t the comprise/compose email. But I know I did occasionally nudge. I’m so glad you didn’t seem to mind.
I’m really looking forward to where this all takes you. You’re a marvelous writer, and wherever you end up, I hope it will be somewhere I can read you.
For now, I’ll read you here. Thanks for all the laughter over the years.
March 24, 2008 at 12:54 pm
DT
Best of luck!
Like most, I came for your recaps, and stayed for your recaps, and now the whole thing seems rather tawdry without you, (and, of course, the founders). I’m sad to have found out on the later side, (haven’t been checking the forums like I should have), and had to hear about it from Wikipedia, of all places. I hope that the process wasn’t hard on you, as I’ve not only worshiped TWoP for years, but Bravo as well, and it would be a horrific shame for the marriage that seemed too good to be true, to let me down so badly.
Your recaps have been a driving factor in my own post-collegiate experience, and have really driven me towards creating something that people would enjoy, and not just something that satisfied my needs. One of the highlights of my time in New York has got to be waving at you across the Bar in MSG and giving you a thumbs-up; although I didn’t get to tell you so, I felt that that gesture communicated all of the good will I had towards you and the recaps that had gotten me through 6 seasons of television.
Still… creative and talented people are drawn to each other, and I have no doubt that whatever is next in store for you will be fruitful and invigorating, and that success will follow wherever you go.
Let me know if you end up writing any plays. I’m always looking for new works to produce, and it’d be an honor.
All the Best.