The Journal of Devon DeLapp

• 15:14 I am a big fan of Dreamhost. I've been using them since 2004, and had nary a problem since.

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• 17:59 Going to dinner at MLou's.

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Today is the culmination of the film I've been working on for two years -- Stan Helsing is being released in theatrically. The first showing is at 12:40 pm. It's my first film release, and I hope it goes well.

It's an odd feeling. We've been very hands on for years planning for, making, and finally marketing the film, all in preparation for this day. Now that the time has come, there is little to do but see what comes of our efforts. It's not completely hands-off now (marketing will continue for a few weeks) but there is a sensation that the film is "out of our hands" now. People will seek it out, or they won't. I'm hoping for the former, of course.

You ever have one of those nights where you feel like you just forgot everything you thought you knew about bowling? I just had one. Bowled a 63.

• 21:25 At a screening of the Sam Rockwell film MOON.

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• 13:19 At Breadbar in Century City, Japanese on my right, Russian on my left, a menu of French, Indian, and American in my lap.

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• 15:33 In the final four of the bowling league.

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• 20:36 I'm making a party playlist solely from KEXP podcasts, and the party loves it.

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• 14:11 Eating subway with Halbe. Just mailed the wedding invites.

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• 15:08 Whole Foods is a rip off.

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A creative exec friend of mine (let's call her "C.") was recently tasked with hiring a few assistants for her entertainment company. From this experience she gleaned a few lessons. I thought she made some excellent points so, with her permission, I'm happy to share "C's Unsolicited Advice For You Job Seekers":

Having been given the enviable task of finding both our CEO and COO new assistants in the last six weeks, I have seen more résumés than any girl should ever have to sift through. But it has given me insight into why some candidates are asked to come in and why some aren't, and I wanted to share a few of the things you'd think would be common-sense, but apparently are not.

I know this is unsolicited, but with things as tough out there as they are right now, none of us can afford stupid mistakes. And please know, this is GENERAL, and not in response to any one particular résumé.


1. Triple check for spelling errors and typos. And then ask your roommate, BFF, mother, lover AND goldfish to look it over as well. I've literally seen an otherwise well qualified candidate booted out of the "consider" pile because she forgot a space between two words.

2. Your résumé doesn't need to include every job you've ever had since you were in high school. For assistant level jobs, there is no way you need to provide more than one page of information.

It also shouldn't be color-coded or have boxes around key phrases in order to make them stand out. And yes, I've actually seen both of these things in real life.

3. Along the same lines, a full-page, single-spaced cover letter is completely unnecessary. You really only need to provide the highlights of how fabulous you are, and make a quick mention of whatever special skills you have that are perfect for this particular job.

Also, we're professionals, so that means no jokes or silly little puns in the cover letter. You are not trying out for a sketch show, and your potential boss probably doesn't want to be your pal, so probably best to leave the personality display for the actual interview.

4. Follow the directions listed in the job posting. That means if it says to email it to a particular address, you should email it to that address rather than hunting down the personal email of someone at the company and sending it there instead. Of course if you actually KNOW (or are on a board with) someone at the company, it makes sense to shoot them an email and ask more about the job, if it's OK to send over a résumé, etc.

And if the posting says "Please put COO ASST in the subject line," then do that. Don't put "Your dream assistant's résumé is attached!"

5. Don't have a stupid email address. Your résumé might be fantastic, but if your email is donkeypunch123@gmail.com, it doesn't reflect well on you. Neither does scriptdevelopmentdude@hotmail.com when you're applying for a job that has been specifically listed as a NON-development job.

6. Last but not least, take the three seconds to at least write a tiny note in the email you're sending. It doesn't have to be an official cover letter, but don't just send a blank email through with your résumé attached. It screams of lack of effort. (This one might just be a pet-peeve of mine, but so be it. I'm still throwing it out there.)

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Thanks, C!

• 09:54 What a great speech! I convinced Halbe to stay late, and we watched it together in our living room.

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• 19:41 I'm excited for tmw, and trying to ignore that tiny worry that something terrible might happen. I had the same feeling at his acceptance ...

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Dear LazyWeb,

Hey. It's been a long time. I know you're busy, but I'm stuck. Could I tug on your ear a moment?

I'm looking for a way to organize my contacts. I've muddled along with half-baked, clumsy systems for years. No longer. 2009 is the year to get this done. BUT I'm picky. Specifically, I would like the following from this system/site/software/whatever:

• Accessible and up-datable from anywhere, i.e., Blackberry, web interface, iPhone.


• Fast. Gmail's contact organizer is almost too slow.


• Searchable and sortable by field.


• Customizable fields.


• Export the resultant database to standard formats (CSV, Excel, Outlook).


• A way to track my interactions with the contact, like an "Activities" tab, or at the least a robust "Notes" field.


• A way to remind me to do things, i.e., "Call this person on 1/20/09."


• In that vein, it be wonderful if there was a way to connect it to my Gmail and Google calendar.


• Some way to back up the data.


• Free, or mostly free.

Am I dreaming the impossible dream? What do you use to organize your contacts? Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Devon

• 11:27 At LAX, waiting in the (relatively) comfortable Virgin America terminal for a flight to Seattle.

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While on a walk through Runyon Canyon today, I came across the set for FUNNY PEOPLE, the new Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen film. I saw Jonah Hill. Ironically (coincidentally?) I was wearing a FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL hat, a film that Jonah was in. He didn't notice though.

I may have just spotted the first two gray hairs on my head. They're at my right temple. We can't tell if they're gray, or light blond, but they look distinctively colorless against my otherwise mouse-brown hair. I'm twenty-seven years old. I don't feel stressed, but perhaps I am and don't realize it?

• 08:37 I'm in a line that stretches out the door and around a city block, queued up to vote. My guess is it will be a 75 minute wait.
• 20:12 Obama won. My faith in our democracy has increased immensely. I can hear people cheering outside.

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Halbe and I celebrated our fifth anniversary yesterday with a French meal at Comme Ça, a brasserie on Melrose. The meal we shared is worthy of its own post, but as I browsed the heavy brown paper placemat menu, I knew only about half the offerings. Escargot is a snail dish, but what is "escargot persillade"? I thought a "charcuterie plate" might involve charcoal or grilling, but I was just guessing. And just what is a "paleron of beef", anyhow?

Sick of my ignorance, I used a pen to underline the words I didn't know, then took the menu home after dinner. Many of these words I've tasted and could attempt to describe them. By a strict definition though, I knew I couldn't detail the difference between a béarnaise and a Hollandaise. This morning I researched those underlined words -- here is what I found:

béarnaise - A sauce made of clarified butter and egg yolks flavored with tarragon and shallots, with chervil and tarragon simmered in vinegar to make a reduction. It's a traditional sauce for steak. At Comme Ça, they were serving it on Scottish salmon.

brioche - A highly enriched French bread, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust from an egg wash applied before and after proofing (proofing is when the yeast causes a dough to rise). They were serving a "brioche chocolate pudding", which, knowing what it is now, I am sorry I skipped it.

burgundy snails - a helix snail from Burgundy, France, known for their subtle, grassy taste, and considered superior to snails from other countries, like China or Malaysia.

Charcuterie - The branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products (i.e., bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, pâtés). Originally intended as a way to preserve meats, these preparations are prepared today for their flavors that are derived from the preservation processes. In this case, it was a plate covered with prepared meats, served with pickles and mustard.

Choucroute Garnie - French for "dressed sauerkraut". It's sauerkraut with a collection of meats and potatoes, typically salted meats and sausages. According to food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, every traditional recipe includes black peppercorns, cloves, garlic, juniper berries, onions, and potatoes; most include bay leaves and wine. In France, you can buy it in cans, or in microwavable ready-to-eat form.

coq au vin - Literally, "rooster in wine". A French fricassee (or "stew") of rooster cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. Older roosters are traditionally used because they contain a lot of connective tissue, which creates a richer broth when cooked.

cornichons - Crisp, tart pickles made from tiny gherkin cucumbers.

côte de bœuf - "rib of beef", or ribsteak. A tender beef cut, that tends to be well-marbled with fat.

legumes de saison - "vegetables in season."

fleur de sel - "flower of salt." A hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans. Usually slightly gray due to sandy minerals in collection. One of the most expensive salts, often sold in jars, slightly damp.

gratinée - It means "with breadcrumbs or grated cheese." Something cooked or served with browned breadcrumbs or melted grated cheese on top. "Au gratin" means the same thing. What I'd call French onion soup was listed here as "soupe à l'oignon gratinée."

haricots verts - "beans green", or as we say in English, green beans. That's it, just green beans. Also known as string beans or snap beans.

lardons - Strips of fat bacon or salt pork. Usually about 3/8 inch across, they're frequently used to add flavor to salads, stews, and other dishes.

Manila clams - A common clam. All over the place in the Puget Sound.

paleron (of beef) - According to some, the best cut of beef for braising (besides the shin) is a small (about 4 pound) roast from the shoulder. It sits between the shoulder blade and the neck and is called variously upper blade roast or top blade roast. The roast comprises two long, flat steaks sandwiching a layer of connective tissue, though in stores that tissue is often removed, leaving a typical flat-iron steak.

Persillade (escargot) - A chopped mixture of garlic and parsley, usually in equal parts by volume. The root of the word is persil, the French word for parsley. It can be added early in a dish for a mellow flavor, added at the very end of the cooking to provide a garlicky jolt, or even used raw as a garnish. It was served last night with "burgundy snails, garlic butter, parsley," which seems a bit redundant.

piquillo pepper - Small, often roasted pepper (red or green), traditionally grown in Northern Spain. Rich, spicy-sweet flavor.

profiteroles aux glace - a creampuff with an icing or glaze.

rouille - Literally "rust." A sauce that consists of olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron and chili peppers. It is served as a garnish with fish, fish soup and, notably, bouillabaisse.

Salade Frisée - Frisée is that skinny, bitter, light-green lettuce. It looks frizzy.

skate grenobloise - A preparation of brown butter, capers, parsley, lemon juice and lemon meats with tiny croutons. It comes from the town of Grenoble in the Dauphine region of France and is served traditionally with the trout that are abundant in the Alps. Skate is delicate fish with a sweet taste, similar to crab or lobster.

spaetzle - a type of egg noodle, found in Germany and Austria.

sweetbreads - The thymus glands of lamb, beef, or pork. Typically sweetbreads are soaked in salt water, then poached in milk after which an outer membrane is removed. Once dry and chilled, they're often breaded and fried until crisp. "Sweet" because they are sweet tasting, and "bread" from the Old English "braed" meaning "flesh."

terrine - Terrine is a French forcemeat loaf that is served at room temperature. Forcemeat is meat that is ground or finely chopped. Terrine also refers to the covered, glazed earthenware cooking dish used to cook and mold the terrine meatloaf.

• 00:59 Sleepy. Drunk. At a Hallowee party near downtown.

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