Avoiding Bed

Not sure why: I enjoy sleeping. I also have a bit of a headache right now and could probably use some sleep. However, I've decided to blog a little first.

I sit here, ON MY COUCH, with my brand new (refurbished) macbook pro that came in the mail today. It's so nice to have a tiny computer to sit on your lap somewhere comfy instead of a gigantoid iMac that has to stay on the desk. I can sit here on the couch under a blanket now and still get work done, surf the web, blog, cuddle with kittens, waste time on Facebook, etc. Not to mention the fact that I can travel just about anywhere and still be able to make some money with a freelance job or two. I don't have to remain geographically trapped.

I love that.

The interview today went well. I think I have a few things to figure out if offered the position. Namely: does the regular paycheck and rumored "amazing" benefits package offset the terrible commute? It would be about an hour each way during rush hour. I guess it all depends on how good the paycheck is and how amazing the benefits are. My gut inclination is to say that I should pass this one by but I won't make any decisions until I hear from them again. They may choose to award someone else the position and save this debate altogether! Who knows?

In the meantime, I'll continue chipping away at my freelance jobs and putting some serious effort into expanding my client base. My old boss was nice enough to bring me on to do most of his design work again in a freelance capacity while I plan my next steps. He is my one huge client at the moment and it'll sustain me for now, but eventually he will be looking for someone full time again so I should be expanding very soon. Hopefully something comes through with this creative staffing agency as well. I would love to try out some weird contract job for like a month or so... Especially knowing that it has an end date. Because at least if I hate it, I'll know it will end soon—but in the meantime, I'll have made a decent amount of money!

"Fun"employment

I have been officially "unemployed" since Sunday of last week. I use the quotations because I am technically employed as a freelance designer/illustrator exclusively now. So I'm still definitely making money—just not going to a place where I am forced to remain for at least 9 hours doing something that doesn't interest me. It feels like unemployment but actually, it's just smart employment.

In fact, in this past week and some change, I have made almost more money than I would have at the dojo in about 1/3 of the time. My old boss has taken me on as a freelancer again and so I'm doing the work I was doing for him before but with the freedom of staying home and devoting only as much time as it takes me to finish. It's a wonderful feeling. I really love it so far. I don't want to go back to a full time job haha.

That said, I do have an interview today at a full time job in Virginia—far away in Virginia. Apparently I don't know the area as well as I thought and assumed this job was much closer when I applied...so we'll see what happens. I'll interview, hear what they have to say, give it my best, and then take a good hard look at the commute. If it sucks, it may not actually be worth it...

I went up to visit my family for the first time since Christmas—that's a long time for me. It was nice to be there for four days with no strings attached. Really nice to just take everything in stride, work on some freelance stuff as needed, and spend time with people I love.

Life is good right now. In total flux...but GOOD. I feel so much less stressed than when I was working at the dojo. I have to do one last thing for them on Saturday night but then I can write it off as the worst working experience of my life thus-far and can talk about it in the past tense. That is so effing exciting.