Goethe

For years I have been joking that I am quite ready for my Faustian deal.
In my mind it was a TV show. A sort of a cross between "Facts of Life" and "Home Improvement." Or, maybe it was writing the book for a musical based on "Bridget Jones' Diary."
But I am seeing sings now that it will be shabbier and most likely march under the banner "New Media." (Which is a term that does nothing for me. In fact it reminds me of those lazy art curator labels, "mixed media" which can mean anything from "A variety of metals and polyvynl" to "A bunch of crap glued together.")
I've had a handful of meetings and email exchanges in the last week about different vague projects. All of which I could do quite well (with hands tied behind my back.) None of which excite me.
Now, I am someone who tends to tell short, economical tales. But these ventures seem beyond short. They seem fragmented, designed for an audience that is always and forever a moment away from checking out the ball scores or a new kitten video or an Ashton Krutcher twitter.
I guess I got old. "User Generated" and "Interactive Content" just seem like code for "Writing isn't really that important."
The other difference between this and "The Facts of Home Improvement as told to Bridget Jones" is that the new business models and revenue streams are experimental at best, elusive at worse.
But there is an anxious urgency, because there are stories told about people who got in on the ground floor of a ridiculous idea and are now having lunch with the likes of Richie Rich and Scrooge McDuck.
There is a feeling that if you say "no" to the wrong project, you will not only live to regret it, but that in the future you will be used as a text book example of a short sighted fool. (Probably in economics texts books, or more likely, interactive educational economics websites.)
Why is it that with so many new things coming at us all the time, it still feels like end days?
And Yeah, when Mephistopheles comes a' knockin' with my Faustian deal, my response will be: "Yes! Yes, sir! Of course! Please! Thank you!
That's the thing about the devil, he's patient. He's willing to wait until the market is right and there are bargains to be had.