All Good Naysayers, Speak Up!

Once upon a time, I interned for a magazine based out of LA.
It was an exciting experience and looking back, I forget why I hated it so much.

And then I open my Stickies (and if you're my mom and don't know what this is, it's an APP on Macs that is essentially a virtual post-it note) and see an email one of the "staff writers" sent me that was so ridiculous, I couldn't help but save it so I would never forget why not getting paid for a job you hate sucks. (As if anyone needed this kind of a reminder.)

At said magazine, I was a web intern. I helped write blogs, organize the website, opened an inordinate amount of contest mail and pretended to look busy...basically.
Once the actual online editor left for another job, the interns were kind of left scrambling. We were given a list of blogs to write everyday, but with no real organization or leadership, it became all kinds of messed up. Also, it was kind of hard to ask questions when no one knew (or even asked) your name.../wouldn't make eye contact with you.

But obviously, we were doing a lot of important work, so names and eye contact would just slow us down from saving the world!

So one day I came in and an older intern gave me the low-down and assigned me some blogs to write up. One was on a certain celebrity and his new dog.
Ground-breaking.

I wrote up some crap, unsure of what they wanted, but felt confident I could just kinda write whatever...given the topic.
I sent the email to the staff writer who's name was written next to the topic and this is what she sent back:

VERBATIM (except I changed her name to one letter, because I just watched Gossip Girl earlier and in case anyone from "said magazine" sees it ((again)), I don't want to be sued.)

"Hey Kelli, 

Thanks for helping with the post... unfortunately, that post was assigned to me last week. On the blog schedule, the writer's name is in parenthesis after each topic. I appreciate your hard work on the dog post, but the blog you wrote has nothing to do with what was supposed to be posted. Next time, check with me and we can work together on it, instead of wasting your time.

You are welcome to assist with any posts that don't have names assigned to them - just make sure to ask Heidi what her idea is. 

Thanks!

M"

Yep, they hated me.

They probably also hated me, because while I was still interning for them, I wrote a "less than flattering" though definitely not mean, post about how my internship was WAY below my expectations and how Disney stars are annoying and no one would tell me where the bathroom was. (Don't bother trying to find it, because I had to delete it or they were gonna let me go.)

Which by the way, how did they even find my blog? Or that post?
My guess, another intern did, (probably through facebook) and ratted me out!
What happened to all for one and one for all!??!

Also, I had to drive an hour and a half just to get there and then they would send me off on assignments, alone in LA, to again waste MY GAS.

Never once did they sit down and tell me what they expected of me as an intern or make me sign any papers saying I wouldn't slander their good name in a blog.
They never even asked for my phone number.
Or last name.

They simple threw me to the wolves to interview the likes of Disney Tweens and American Idol has-beens.

So for that, I don't feel bad for writing this.

Because you live and you learn.
True, it was great "experience" and the possibility for future networking and what not, but for working at a hot pink magazine with Justin Bieber on every, single cover...they were rarely nice.

Except one time I got a free Golden Girls shirt and that pretty much made up for everything.