NP: Dashboard Confessional, The Swiss Army Romance (MP3)

First off, shame on Reuters, and probably AP, for covering John Edwards (D-N.C.) officially entering the presidential race and not even mentioning that he announced it Monday night on The Daily Show with John Stewart before the big ceremony. If figures that just as Wesley Clark enters the race, I suddenly have to like Edwards now, too.

Anyway, I've commented before on how, in some situations, I feel like I'm a complete fake and that someone is going to find out that I'm full of it and don't belong in certain situations, right? Mostly, that's been revolving around my singing and guitar playing, at least up until recently.

Sometimes, though, I can feel like I'm pulling one over on people and not feel like I'm about to get sussed out. Last night was one of those times, as I was recruited for a focus group on credit cards, which is all I can tell you about the group itself, as I've been sworn to secrecy and they've got the signature to prove it. The point here, though, is that, the last two years notwithstanding, I have many, many years of work experience in market research. So, in order to qualify for this sort of research exercise, I have to lie through my teeth.

I'm usually a pretty horribly liar, so I'm surprised that I can handle myself in this arena pretty effortlessly. Of course, it's largely a victimless crime, and maybe I'm egocentric enough to think my opinions are so valuable that the screening process shouldn't apply to me. I have no idea. But aside from that momentary trepidation as to whether or not the moderator will be someone I've worked with before, the whole Catholic guilt thing never kicks in. It may be that "thou shalt not lie to market researchers" just wasn't high enough to make even a top fifty commandments, but I'll take it.

Everything seems to be up on the yet-as-unrealized job lead leaderboard this week. Big job interview went well Monday, as did the voiceover auditions (including one for a soldier in a video game, which was a hoot), and there's hopeful news on the freelancing side. Most of the band turmoil may have passed, and I'm writing some paid stuff for the Fire. Also, a friend hipped me to the fact that The Reader is looking for a music columnist, so I'll be plumbing through list.in.to.chicago to find the good stuff.