The job market is downright horrible. I've been looking all over for a job for a while, and I haven't gotten any response. Nada. Ok, I can cope with that, not easily, but it can be done. So unless something miraculous happens, I'm resorting to 'Freelance Sam' work. I can write, design websites, build computers, fix computers, and do consulting work in the area of mobile technology and some other technology related niches. It'll work out, and with hope I'll have enough income to do the essentials like, pay for insurance, countless scones, teas, and bagels, not to mention living expense' whilst I'm away next year.
Earlier this week I ordered this iBook, which hopefully will ship today or tomorrow (but probably more realistically next Monday). Right now it's essential. During the school year, this iMac (yes, the eight year old one) served me well. Between web browsing, Instant Messaging (AIM), word processing, and email, I really did not need to do anything else. Sure I would have loved to been able to update the back end of TealArt, do other web design, listen to MP3's or watch my favorite cable TV programs, but I honestly didn't need to do that.
Now things have changed. The thing is I haven't been able to find an OS 8.1 compatible FTP client. And an appropriate syntax editor would be nice too. So I can't do design as it stands now, but that's only one of the many things that will be good about the new computer (I haven't decided what to name it yet, as David said I had to.) First of all, this little beauty will have an AirPort Extreme card, which means wireless hot-spots here I come, OS X goodness, useable battery technology, and so forth. I can hardly wait.
Because, my schedule is pretty free, I'll also have some time to entertain a couple of odd freelance writing notions. Articles and such that I've had floating around in my head for a while, but didn't actually write because I was too busy concentrating on the social implications of the Mexican Revolution or some such. One such project would be going back to some biggish mobile tech site, and writing a "catching up article" detailing the perspective I've gained from being away from mobile tech for almost two years. Sure it'd be a bit cynical, but in some ways, I've conducted the perfect experiment for the mobile technology community, and I'd hope that some publisher would be willing to pay me a few bucks for the story.
Whereas I feel like I have some level of expertise or qualifications to talk about technology as an 18 year-veteran of dorkyness, I don't feel the same way about writing, but it might be interesting to look at what I've learned as a writer in the past few years. I'm not sure that'll be as easy to sell. That one will take a lot more thought and it's quite likely that it'll end up as a TealArt post. Maybe.
I've also had, for a while, the dream of setting up a gender theories discussion list. Almost four years ago I set up a list for Spec-Fiction writers, and I think it's a really successful community. We have good discussions, stable membership in the neighborhood of 170, a team of great-dedicated moderators, and I really couldn't ask for more. The thing is I'm not a terribly dedicated Science Fiction writer any more, and while I'm almost done with the first part of my second SF novel, I'm not interested in the culture any more. So I'm going to create a group for the discussion of Gender issues: Construction/Deconstruction, Cross-Cultural Interpretations and Perspectives, implications, with a queer studies and literary bent probably. In the next few weeks I suspect.
So that's where I stand. Hope you enjoyed this update!