About
Hi, my name is Julia and I am a D.C.-based journalist. Gavelwrench Fishfire is a blog I started in 2007 to document my last two years in college before being thrown into that realest of worlds. Nowadays I mostly discuss pie, pop culture and traveling poor. But because I’m a media serf, I also like to include my take on current events. And because I think the blogodome is overpopulated by people like me, I try to keep it funny. Furthermore, I know it’s hard to break out of the U.S.-centric worldview when discussing certain topics (the Middle East for example), but I’d like to think I try harder than most to keep a globalist equilibrium. You can tell me if I fail, I’ll understand.
My site is also the only place where I can comfortably express myself through gross overuse of parentheticals (see?!). Please excuse grammar lapses and general stupidity. I mostly use AP style to keep things consistent.
Below are the other contributing writers to the blog — okay, there’s only one right now — and a beginning FAQ (send me an e-mail if you have any questions).
Meet the contributor:
Lee started posting in May of 2008. He has a Master’s degree from William and Mary College in Virginia and is pursuing his Ph.D. in statistics in some state where they fry cheese curds and serve them with ranch dressing — believe me when I tell you it’s delicious. Lee lends the site gravitas by using graphs and numbers.
Lee is an avid weightlifter and full-time gym rat. I think he can bench press at least three Hooters waitresses. For all articles written by (or about) Lee, click here.
About the site:
- Are you still podcasting your radio pieces?
Not right now. But check back in a few months and I might have a new podcast feed up by then. All my older pieces are no longer available (and won’t show up on older posts), but if you’re interested in hearing something, let me know and I can send it to you. I also post audio/video from some of my better reporting pieces over on my portfolio page.
- Why did you name your blog Gavelwrench Fishfire?
On New Year’s ’06/’07, my friends and I were playing Scene It™. One of the video clues was a gavel, a wrench, a fish and fire. The goal was to name the actor whose name corresponded with those objects. Someone eventually said “Lawrence Fishburn,” but not before my friend (Lee, actually) blurted out “GAVELWRENCH FISHFIRE!” It was quite possibly the funniest thing ever. EVER. Well, to me it was. My old Xanga was named “The Anxiety Booth,” which I liked but decided to change. I deleted it a long time ago, so it’s no longer there.
- Why a hand turkey mascot?
I love hand turkeys. They’re quite possibly the only pictures I’m good at drawing. I’m like the Thomas Kinkade of hand turkey pictures, except I’m not a hack.