Lawrence.com

David Ryan, online manager for the World Company, and

Fally Afani, producer/web editor/filmmaker/social media maven for lawrence.com

Wait a minute...how do you have a real job? A townie being gainfully employed is like the sun rising in the West. What Faustian pact did you strike? Did it involve the unimaginable...giving up binge drinking?

David: Well, I got in when the getting was good. It was back in the days where if you knew how to select "View Source" on web pages, you were like a boat captain in the land of rivers—people needed your skills. Plus, I might be a townie now, having done enough time to warrant that mantle, but I'm really a transplant. I came here for academia and jumped out of that sinking boat for the far more stable world of journalism. (Editor's note: Hardy har har…)

Fally: Well, I don't drink. Ever. So that saves a bunch of moolah. And sanity. I went through some really crummy jobs before finding a great one, but in order to be gainfully employed I travel a half hour in the car to Topeka each day. It isn't bad, considering at the end of each day I get to look forward to coming home and resting my head in the beautiful bosom of my lady Lawrence.

Do you suffer from survivor's guilt by having a job in this economy?

David: More like “survivor's empathy.” And I assuage that by eating out more than I probably should, in order to do my own little bit to stimulate our local economy.

Fally: Oh goodness, yes. I try to even it out by listening to my friends bitch about their crummy part time jobs. And by “crummy” I mean “sucky.” And by “part time jobs” I mean “full-time unemployment.”

Is having a 9-5 job as whimsical and hilarious as it is in "The Office"? Or is it more like a Kafka-esque nightmare, with your cubicle an apt metaphor for a cage?

David: It is precisely as hilarious and whimsical as "The Office," and at the same time precisely like being Joseph K. in The Castle. Matter of fact, recently I was summoned to a 3 a.m. off-site appointment to discuss IE 8 rendering issues. None of the roads on the directions I was given actually exist, so it was difficult finding where I was supposed to go. Eventually, through deep snow, I arrived, but only to be dismissed by an impersonal guard who told me my appointment was for the next week, and that I didn't have the correct permit and stamps to attend the meeting anyway. The next week I went back and was told my appointment was for 2 weeks ago and that, having missed it, I was to have the entirety of the next deadwood edition written onto my body over and over again using sharp tattooing instruments, in full color. Good thing this is the last deadwood edition, then. I've got enough dermatological issues, thank you very much.

Fally: Whimsical? Yes, considering all the little Japanese and vinyl toys that litter my desk. Hilarious? Only by accident. That's what blooper reels are for.

Any tips for those trying to find a job in the hell-scape of a job market, specifically here in Lawrence?

David: Speaking only of web developers, learn Django. Absent that—it sounds silly and cliché—but keep in mind those things that really matter—friends. If we're to have a Max Max future, at least we can be pleasant about it.

What will you miss most about the lawrence.com deadwood edition?

David: I'll miss the Molly Murphy illustrations, the feel of a freshly picked new edition right off the vine, the scent of lilacs and oleander the deadwood pages give off, the ability of it to ward off Hoodoo curses, and mostly simply the enjoyment of seeing folks around town reading it huddled like they were listening to an FDR fireside chat. Now we can do that on our mobile devices—we’ll always our mobile devices, kid.

Fally: It made some damn good toilet paper.