I spend a lot of time at work. As a consequence most of my friends are people I work with every day. It’s going to be hard to not be a part of that world. It will take some serious adjusting. Today I told them that after I quit I’ll be hanging outside the building with my boombox playing “In your eyes” just like Lloyd Dobler.
Personal
07
May 05
Family Reunion
I drove up to Moody, Texas for the annual Scott family reunion. It was held at Mother Neff State Park, where many of the charming park facilities were built during the Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. We’ve had the reunion at several different places over the years, but it always seems to be somewhere in the rural Texas interior. It was nice to see family on such a nice day. Eventually, however, I was overwhelmed by the worst allergy attack I’ve ever had. It just so happens that the park is covered in massive pecan trees and I’m allergic to both pecan pollen and grass pollen. I also forgot my allergy medicine at home, which was dumb. I checked the allergy forecast later and pecan and grass were high. I hope this doesn’t last too much longer.
28
Apr 05
Massage versus back popping
Since everyone on our production team is in crunch right now, the management arranged for some complimentary chair massages yesterday. It was my first such experience, but I doubt it’s something I would ever arrange for myself. The sensory experience for me was completely momentary, which lessens my opinion of its value. Do they have people who specialize in popping backs, or is that what chiropractors do? That’s what I could go for more than a chair massage, a good back popping.
25
Apr 05
Doing new things: Involvement
When you have opportunities to do things you might not normally do, it might help to consider why you feel uninterested or uncomfortable doing them. Would you benefit from pushing your personal envelope by doing things you might not normally do?
18
Apr 05
A Taste of New Orleans
It was my dad’s birthday last week, so he suggested that I come down to the Taste of New Orleans event in San Antonio at the Sunken Gardens theatre where his company was providing security. The event itself is put on by the San Antonio Zulu Association, and this is their 20th year as a part of Fiesta. It was my dad’s second year working the event, and he beat out sizable competition in the bidding process. I learned a lot about how he runs his business by asking a lot of questions, and I had a great time riding around with him in his golf cart and meeting all kinds of people. I forgot how good he was at jawboning with people and making jokes. I also forgot how cool San Antonio could really be. It’s not a youthful and pretentious hipster enclave like Austin and it has a real feel of community to it for such a large city. When I first moved to Austin, I was stunned at how white it was. This is in part due to its de facto segregation into East and West Austin. You could say the same thing about San Antonio, but it is certainly more obviously diverse.
18
Apr 05
Final decision
Absent last minute alterations, I’ve decided to leave NCSoft at the end of May after we finish everything we need to do for E3. It’s the best decision since I won’t have to leave the team hanging and I’ll have ample opportunities to earn overtime. Between now and then I will need to curtail any extra spending in order to be in the absolute best financial position to launch the business on a full-time basis.
13
Apr 05
Odds and Ends
- Jody took this adorable photo at her apartment complex of an inexplicable stuffed bear with a sign that read “Take me home”. A boy there explained that it was broken in a few places so they were throwing it out. I had to reign in the kitsch impulse to keep from taking it home.
- Sarah got to go to a cable television trade show and made a hilarious Weather Channel video. Check it out on her site.
12
Apr 05
Lessons Learned
Freelance web design is something I fell into courtesy of a friend named Phil. It is not something I ever planned on doing. When he referred my first client to me over three years ago he unwittingly changed my path in life. That one chance circumstance taught me three things: that it was possible to work for myself, that the client / provider relationship is more satisfying and egalitarian than the employee / employer relationship, and that if I could work hard and provide something people needed I could live without depending on a “boss” or anyone else for that matter. For that I will always be indebted to him.
11
Apr 05
Sore as hell and 5 lbs lighter
Jody and I spent the weekend moving. It was hard work. All I can say is that I’m glad it’s over. I think I’ll pay for movers next time. It’s just too much work, especially since my plan to get rid of anything non-essential was a colossal failure.
I’m excited about the new location, but I’ll miss a lot of things about the old neighborhood like the greenery, the quietness, and the proximity to Barton Springs Pool where I love to swim.