Work update
It's officially been announced now, so I can write about it:
Just over a week ago, I gave notice at my job.
How did it go so quickly from place-I-most-want-to-be to cannot-tolerate-any-longer?
The short form: It was turning out that the mismatch of expectations and skills (exacerbated by some basic personality conflict, which is all I shall say on the subject) was more severe than I had been aware until about 2 months ago. I loved the project work I've done here, and they basically seem to feel the same about *that* aspect of my performance -- but that was suddenly totally overshadowed by all the managerial stuff they felt I was *not* doing as they wanted (planning out schedules, harassing people for follow-up, etc.). Basically, it was making me a basket case, and I got thoroughly sick of waking up at 4am in a cold sweat.
The rest of it is, I have had more and more inquiries of late from people interested in having me do freelance work (both the book kind and the ketubah kind). I have hardly been able to do any in the past year and a half; I just haven't had the time or energy. I thought for a long time that this was a good thing: "All my creative brain cells are being used up by my day job!" But I am coming around now to the conclusion that, no, I actually am getting Seriously Burnt Out and would like to have some of those brain cells back. Not just for design work, either, but for art and for leisure and for socializing. So for anyone who's been waiting for something from me that I haven't had time to address in months on end -- I apologize, and I should have time and energy again, starting Real Soon Now.
Yesterday, literally, I got yet another project inquiry out of the blue -- from someone for whom I did a terrific self-published book in 2002; she is ready to do a follow-up volume and wonders if I am in the area and still available, because she was so happy with my work last time. I wrote back, "What spectacular timing..." It totally made me feel like the universe is smiling on this decision.
These prospects aside, I have already spent some time updating my online resume and book design portfolio (plus some other of my woefully-out-of-date website pages) -- check out the links. I expect to be doing quite a bit more web work in the coming weeks, including adding my KoL and Harry Potter buttons to http://www.MuffinButtons.com/ and finally enabling PayPal ordering of greeting cards and other Judaica.
And also, next week I will start looking in earnest around the publishing/design job market. But I am actually really, really energized about having a little time off and working from home. I have assembled a multi-page to-do list -- both professional and personal -- which I have already started tackling (see previous paragraph).
Just two weeks ago, I was calling my mom up in panicky tears from the office at 10pm on a Wednesday night. Now, I feel like that was in some other universe... and I've blown that popsicle stand.
***
Looking ahead:
March 10: A cappella fest at Brandeis, 8:30pm; birthday beach party; spring forward
March 11: T@F work day; Menschen recording session, 6-10pm
March 12: Last day of work!
March 13: Get car seen to (check-engine light; rear brake tube safety recall; intermittent fuel-gauge light)
March 15-17 & 22-24: MIT Shakespeare Ensemble's Henry V (featuring justom!) -- I'll be going Thursday 3/22 with magid
March 15-18: http://www.Lunacon.org/
March 18: Menschen alto callbacks 7:15-9:30pm
March 19-23: Creole workbook project SAMPLE due
late March or early April: Dad visiting?
March 22-31: T@F's Arms & The Man (featuring navrins, heliopsis, dpolicar, and many others not to be missed!) I'll be ushering on Saturday 3/24 (accompanied by Tiger Boy) and Thursday 3/29 (accompanied by justom).
March 24, 25, 31, and April 1: North Cambridge Family Opera's Kids Court (I'll be attending at 1pm on Sunday 3/25, featuring moria923 et al.!)
April 1: hammercock & trowa_barton's wedding
April 2-3: Pesach seders
April 5-7: Boston Conservatory is doing L'Elisir D'Amore! (dpolicar, this is where "Una furtiva lagrima" comes from. :-)
April 10: Chametzfest (i.e., end of Passover)
April 11: 7pm screening of Helvetica at MassArt
mid-April: some kind of traveling?
end of April: Camino book project
May 5-6: Somerville Open Studios (registration is already closed for this year, drat! I didn't even think of it until now!)
May 6: Walk for Hunger; Lag B'Omer BBQ at tremontstshul
May 11-20: Lexington Players' Assassins (featuring cycon!)
May 12-June 4: Harold and the Purple Crayon: The Musical! adapted for the stage by Adam From The Menschen, at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, NH. Opening show is 11am on Saturday 5/12. I'll hopefully be driving a Menschen carpool.
May 25-28: http://www.balticon.org/ (no, I'm not yet actually planning to attend, but it could happen...)
June 1-3: Princeton Reunions
June 12-19: We're going to Hawaii [on frequent flier miles] for lyriendel & towk's wedding -- not to mention Tiger Boy's 30th birthday! More details on that when it gets closer.
Just over a week ago, I gave notice at my job.
How did it go so quickly from place-I-most-want-to-be to cannot-tolerate-any-longer?
The short form: It was turning out that the mismatch of expectations and skills (exacerbated by some basic personality conflict, which is all I shall say on the subject) was more severe than I had been aware until about 2 months ago. I loved the project work I've done here, and they basically seem to feel the same about *that* aspect of my performance -- but that was suddenly totally overshadowed by all the managerial stuff they felt I was *not* doing as they wanted (planning out schedules, harassing people for follow-up, etc.). Basically, it was making me a basket case, and I got thoroughly sick of waking up at 4am in a cold sweat.
The rest of it is, I have had more and more inquiries of late from people interested in having me do freelance work (both the book kind and the ketubah kind). I have hardly been able to do any in the past year and a half; I just haven't had the time or energy. I thought for a long time that this was a good thing: "All my creative brain cells are being used up by my day job!" But I am coming around now to the conclusion that, no, I actually am getting Seriously Burnt Out and would like to have some of those brain cells back. Not just for design work, either, but for art and for leisure and for socializing. So for anyone who's been waiting for something from me that I haven't had time to address in months on end -- I apologize, and I should have time and energy again, starting Real Soon Now.
Yesterday, literally, I got yet another project inquiry out of the blue -- from someone for whom I did a terrific self-published book in 2002; she is ready to do a follow-up volume and wonders if I am in the area and still available, because she was so happy with my work last time. I wrote back, "What spectacular timing..." It totally made me feel like the universe is smiling on this decision.
These prospects aside, I have already spent some time updating my online resume and book design portfolio (plus some other of my woefully-out-of-date website pages) -- check out the links. I expect to be doing quite a bit more web work in the coming weeks, including adding my KoL and Harry Potter buttons to http://www.MuffinButtons.com/ and finally enabling PayPal ordering of greeting cards and other Judaica.
And also, next week I will start looking in earnest around the publishing/design job market. But I am actually really, really energized about having a little time off and working from home. I have assembled a multi-page to-do list -- both professional and personal -- which I have already started tackling (see previous paragraph).
Just two weeks ago, I was calling my mom up in panicky tears from the office at 10pm on a Wednesday night. Now, I feel like that was in some other universe... and I've blown that popsicle stand.
***
Looking ahead:
March 10: A cappella fest at Brandeis, 8:30pm; birthday beach party; spring forward
March 11: T@F work day; Menschen recording session, 6-10pm
March 12: Last day of work!
March 13: Get car seen to (check-engine light; rear brake tube safety recall; intermittent fuel-gauge light)
March 15-17 & 22-24: MIT Shakespeare Ensemble's Henry V (featuring justom!) -- I'll be going Thursday 3/22 with magid
March 15-18: http://www.Lunacon.org/
March 18: Menschen alto callbacks 7:15-9:30pm
March 19-23: Creole workbook project SAMPLE due
late March or early April: Dad visiting?
March 22-31: T@F's Arms & The Man (featuring navrins, heliopsis, dpolicar, and many others not to be missed!) I'll be ushering on Saturday 3/24 (accompanied by Tiger Boy) and Thursday 3/29 (accompanied by justom).
March 24, 25, 31, and April 1: North Cambridge Family Opera's Kids Court (I'll be attending at 1pm on Sunday 3/25, featuring moria923 et al.!)
April 1: hammercock & trowa_barton's wedding
April 2-3: Pesach seders
April 5-7: Boston Conservatory is doing L'Elisir D'Amore! (dpolicar, this is where "Una furtiva lagrima" comes from. :-)
April 10: Chametzfest (i.e., end of Passover)
April 11: 7pm screening of Helvetica at MassArt
mid-April: some kind of traveling?
end of April: Camino book project
May 5-6: Somerville Open Studios (registration is already closed for this year, drat! I didn't even think of it until now!)
May 6: Walk for Hunger; Lag B'Omer BBQ at tremontstshul
May 11-20: Lexington Players' Assassins (featuring cycon!)
May 12-June 4: Harold and the Purple Crayon: The Musical! adapted for the stage by Adam From The Menschen, at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, NH. Opening show is 11am on Saturday 5/12. I'll hopefully be driving a Menschen carpool.
May 25-28: http://www.balticon.org/ (no, I'm not yet actually planning to attend, but it could happen...)
June 1-3: Princeton Reunions
June 12-19: We're going to Hawaii [on frequent flier miles] for lyriendel & towk's wedding -- not to mention Tiger Boy's 30th birthday! More details on that when it gets closer.