Things are winding up here in Hamburg. I fly Monday back to Paris for two days and then back to New York. I am pretty happy with the site I have just finished, I think it looks good and works well. There are as always more things that could be done, but overall it is pretty spiffy. I look forward to feedback on it when it launches in a few weeks. Tonight we are going out to a celebratory dinner of sorts in one of the fancier restaurants of Hamburg. Stay tuned for the details, it should be fun.
So, I am headed to San Francisco next Wednesday, and will be there for a week. I was debating whether or not to go out just to set up some computer stuff for my friend Marites, because it just didn’t seem like enough work to justify it. But then Marites sent out a lovely mass email talking up my skills and pointing people to my cv, and voila — I now have 3 solid gigs while I am there and another possible 2. It is always the way that word of mouth works so much better than just about anything else. People are much more likely to hire someone if they are recommended by someone they trust. So, thanks again Marites!
So, what are the rest of you waiting for? Send an email out to all of your friends. You know I would do the same for you…
This is it!
While not perfect (is anything ever?), I have decided it is time to release my new site into the wild, so as of right now I am unofficially launching it at cv.satoristephen.com. I will leave it for the weekend to see if there are any major bugs, and then on Monday send out an official announcement via email. If you notice any bugs or have any comments, please do let me know. And if anyone can think of a better subdomain name than “cv”, I am happy to accept suggestions. For the record, other options were “portfolio”, “folio”, “box” and “arbeit-macht-frei“. Ok, I am kidding about that last one.
At the moment, I am having a little difficulty determining what to do. I am staying in my friend Sivan’s home, and although she has been very gracious and welcoming, I feel like it is not my space. Call me Virginia (if you must), but I feel I need a room of my own. I need a quiet space to be and work with few distractions. Nothing fancy or large, but simple and ordered. The awkwardness of living in someone else’s space is getting to me a little. That said, I feel that I should probably secure at least a modicum of work before committing to a lease or long term renting. It is a big advantage not to be paying rent right now and I am very grateful to my friends for offering me a bed in their homes. Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and get a little defensible space of my own. My job search and writing are both feeling a little scattered. It is funny that in (most) of the time of my traveling, I didn’t feel so much in need of this, as I always knew I would be moving on sooner or later, and never felt too attached to any place or space. Now having decided to make a go of it here in one place, for an open ended length of time, I feel a desire to have a small mooring. Nothing major, but something to tether to as I thrust myself into New York and its life, in the city I hope to call home.
Today was all about the business, what with finishing a site and meeting with clients. And I am pretty happy with how the sites are turning out. Check out this one for example.
Through an odd set of coincidences, I have had quite a bit of work fall in my lap while here in NYC. I have spent the better part of the last week building and setting up two websites, and configuring a home office network and new computer. I wasn’t looking for work at all , but I can sure use the cash. It has been interesting, especially with the website programming, to be cast back into that headspace. It is quite a different place to be than where I have been over the past 2 years. Not completely unpleasant either, there is a small satisfaction in figuring out these types of things and synthesizing a solution. The trick is not to get flustered when stuck, and not to let these things stress you out. More and more, it seems to me that when I do return to the land of the working, I should aim for these types of finite contracts. They will allow me to remain more present and outside of the long term stresses that large office politics can produce. Then again, contracting has its own set of hassles, not the least of which is the administration and money chasing. In any event, if I can make it as breezy and fun as the last couple of weeks, it will definitely be worth it. And it will leave me time to write and blog and work on other projects. And not have to wear a suit or have a fixed schedule or location.
Although ideally, I would still want this job…
The last couple of days have been spent working furiously (well, somewhat) on my book, and rediscovering how much I love this city (and my friends within it). I also suddenly and to my surprise have three small tech contracts to fulfill. Not bad, perhaps I will be able to survive in greater style while in South America, or even have a little bit left over to get me started when I decide to settle somewhere.
And in case anyone should ask, it is no contest. Morandi is a far more comfortable place to work than Doma, which I find to be highly overrated, cramped, and attitudy.
Satori, work — Stephen on November 2, 2007 @ 9:47 am — 0 comments
I accepted a small gig (30 hours or so) to write a website design spec for a local magazine. I had the first meeting with them last night. It brought back a lot of memories as I used to do this sort of thing full time. I have to say this project seems perfect for me (or at least the old me). I can work independently, anywhere and anytime I want. In the longer term I see myself moving away from full time tech and towards writing more, but it pays not to be too rigid with regard to the type of work one is willing to do, n’est-ce pas?
