Yay for me!

I just turned in my weekly article and I had to tell someone - even though it's nearly 2am. Yay me! I love having my Fridays free to... well, work on other stuff. I really feel like it's important to work on my ultrasound article first every week. I mean, that's my repeating, dependable job. But sometimes it doesn't leave a lot of time for working on anything else. And these other things do have deadlines of their own. Eeegh. Where does all the time go?

My favorite author

I developed a great love for reading reading books by this author. I waited for the next book to be published each and every time. I cried today when I read that he past away. An author can touch our lives as much as family does in so many ways and in some ways much more deeply. This is part of my life that is no longer going to be there for me. I am so sad. I am crying. I will miss you Robert Jordan (pen name). I will miss you James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (October 17, 1948 - September 16, 2007) I am so sad...

post-conference recovery and catch-up

I'm glad I went to the Austin Game Developers Conference last week. I really am. I got to hang out with good friends, got to see the current state of the art in game writing, got to represent the trade organization (IGDA) I do a lot of volunteer work for, and apparently I perfected my "elevator speech" of who I am and what I do. I did some valuable networking, too. One person even said, "Someone should do a bio piece on you for some magazine. You have a really interesting story." That got me to thinking why that hasn't happened. One reason it hasn't happened is that I sometimes work as press. And in the press, it's sort of bad form to go around interviewing each other (after you graduate from journalism school). So that got me thinking more. Maybe I should be the one to write the piece anyway. Hmm. I guess I'll add it to my list of things to do. Somehow that gets longer and longer every day even though I'm working harder and harder at crossing things off.

(Almost) too much of a good thing

As a writer, I'm supposed to avoid cliches. But the whole "It never rains, it pours" thing? It works for me right now. One article down, two to go (all must be completed today) for a movie project. Production monkey work begging me to come in. An interview I did long, long ago really, really needs to be written up, and that's got to happen by Thursday. (And yes, I'm cursing myself for not tackling it sooner, but transcribing is the bane of my existence.) The new TV season is starting up, so all of my TV jobs are going mental. And next week, I've got a medical conference to cover. Plus, all of my windows are being replaced on Saturday, so I don't even get to sleep in. I often say I'd rather have too much work than not enough. And every once in a while, fate decides to test that. Lucky me. It looks like I'll be going pretty much flat our until the 24th. Then, I sleep. A lot. Still beats the hell out of an office job though, right? Right?

How I mourned the Twin Towers

I remember where I was when the towers fell. I was at work. I remember the boring form I was working on to setup a cross reference entry point for customer and railroad access lines. I bought and carried a silver coin with a beautiful enameled representation of the twin towers. I mourned the towers a little each day as I would slip my hand in my pocket and felt it. I said to myself that I will always mourn the towers, but knew that my healing would be complete the day that I lost the coin. I still remember the day I lost the coin and I know where I lost it. I was on my bike riding in the MS150. The water tower was in sight signaling the finish line being near. I stopped along side the road for a quick break with my companion and best Friend, Amanda. I felt the coin in my pocket and felt a little sad. At the finish line we went around and did all the celebratory things that one does after riding all day long and accomplishing so much. I reached my hand in my pocket as was my habit to do frequently during each day. I don't think anyone ever noticed my strange quirk of reaching into my pocket occasionally, but that day, I looked at Amanda and told her that I lost my coin. I wanted to cry a little, but I had always said that when I lost it, I would allow myself to accept the loss and tragedy. I could have gone back. It was only a couple miles. I knew where to look, but sometimes you have to stop holding onto the grief. I still remember where I was when I heard the news about the towers, but also, I remember the beautiful day that I allowed myself to stop mourning. I still have fond memories and love seeing the twin towers in the older Friends episodes, but the coin that I can still feel in my mind may have been found alongside the road by someone else that needed to mourn more than I did.

Vote Steve for President

I don't know how it happened, but I have been elected President of the 501(3) c organization I work with. Maybe it's because I talk too much at the meetings. So for the next year, I will run our monthly meetings and make sure we stick to our goals as an organization. I suppose it's an honor, but considering that I really only wanted a supportive / immaterial role, it amazes me how we tend to work ourselves into positions with responsibilities and costs with little or no monetary compensation. I have seen over the past two years how this organization helps those with Multiple Sclerosis. I also see the vision of where this organization is going to go in the next five, ten, twenty years. It is very unique in how it supports and helps without a heavy or negative or 'woe is me' sentiment. The education provided is given in a format that is so easily digested over a luncheon with wonderful meals. I have seen the evidenciary results in emails and even in one obituary notice by a woman that died from complications to MS--that it was the one time a month that she got out of the house--that she looked forward to it each month. I witnessed the tears in the founders eyes as she read the notice and realized just how much her mission has touched the lives of so many. So, the 'gig' that started out as a technical support roll, "He's my computer guy" has evolved into a long term involvement. The compensation is that I know in my heart how much the monthly luncheons mean to this little community (me included) of people with MS--not only the educational aspects--but more so the social value. I want to see this organization grow from 300 individals to 50,000. We're going national!!!

Two weeks crammed into one

I'm going to a conference in Austin next week. Should be fun, but it's taking a lot more prep than I anticipated. And since I'm going to be busy and out of the office all next week I have to get everything done this week that would usually be done next week. This means I've now got two weeks crammed into one, and I don't feel like I'm on the winning side of this battle right now. I can't believe it's already Thursday. I think I lost a day somewhere between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Pricing myself out of a job

I live! Yes, it's true, I still exist on this site. I just had a somewhat surreal conversation -- a potential client at a company I already do some work for called me about a project. It sounded remarkably similar to what I do for client number one at that firm, so yeah, I could do the job. And then we started talking about price. What he was proposing to pay was less than a third of what I charge client number one. Tragically, I told him my rate, and now I fear he's going to call client number one and say "Are you crazy? You pay that much for this kind of work?" I have a counter-argument: I know your site as well or better than you do, I work quickly, and you never have to worry about my work quality -- but it's still disconcerting. This may mark the first time I've turned down a job. I have a lot of other things going on right now (for once), and it's not work I enjoy. I'll work cheap on things I like -- my TV writing, for example -- but I just don't want to spend my time doing production work unless they make it worth my while. Still, it feels wildly arrogant to have turned down a job. It may take some time to get used to this.

It's hot here today. 99 degrees...

I just thought I would share this poem. My Creed by : Howard Arnold Walter (1883 - 1918) I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are those who care; I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare. It is time to go out and mow the grass. It's already 77 degrees out there and will be 90 by 11:00 O'clock. I don't like the heat, but the grass (weeds) must be cut.

Maybe we're not so dead yet

Well, the retainer I was so excited about didn't work out. That happens sometimes with startups. It's the nature of the business. Here's hoping they weather the stock market storms and come back to me with more work in the future. I continue working on the weekly articles about ultrasound news. I've also got a few local projects going. In some ways that's good - a meeting at the client's office doesn't take a week-long roadtrip - but in some ways it's a little weird to work for people who know your parents. I've had kind of a rough day today. My dog Duchess decided to slip her collar and go for a run this morning, herding cars on the road just out my back door. When she got one to stop she wasn't quite sure what to do with it, though. Some of the drivers were very nice about it. Some of them were annoyed and mean. Why are people like that? I was doing my best, and yes I was obviously failing to get my dog to obey me. The dog was causing other people inconvenience and scaring them. I was aware. I didn't need it yelled out the window at me. Now I guess I need to let it go and get on with work. Some people are just that way, and they're beyond my control.