Well.
Apparently, it's been over a year since you last heard from me. What's that all about, you ask? I can explain. First of all, I have no idea where the time has gone. I really don't. It has been a bit of a blur.
What I do know is that I quit my job.
Yup, it's gone. And to answer the question you're probably asking: yes, I am kind of poor. But no, I don't really mind. Why? Because I am enjoying my life again.
Allow me to elaborate:
I was working as a project manager/office manager/interior designer for a small office/large company here on the Island. It wasn't as stressful as, say, a full-time designer position in a fancy firm in Toronto, but it wasn't all fun and games, either. I had a lot of responsibility and pressure and not a lot of authority, which is a very tricky place to be. And it was lucrative, but not excessively so.
I was also commuting in to work 7-1/2 hours per week. So, basically, for every 5 days of work, I was spending an extra one driving. Forty-five hours spent sitting on my arse every week. My back was killing me, my digestive system was killing me (I have a health condition), I was having trouble sleeping and I was miserable.
So, I walked into the boss's office last spring and told them that I wanted to shift down to part-time for the summer so that I could work part-time somewhere else (Belfast Mini-Mills, which is probably my favourite place on Planet Earth, dontcha know) and spend more time moving around outside. They said yes (though I didn't really give them a chance to refuse) and then, at the end of the summer, I decided that I wasn't going to come back. My job at the Mills is seasonal so when that ended, I simply stayed home and started up my new business:
Tall Pines
It's been a long transition and I did a lot of soul-searching/worrying/kvetching/bemoaning/researching/freaking out/networking/working/rejoicing/developing and otherwise scrambling to figure out what the hell I'm doing. It's still a work in progress, but I think I'm finally getting somewhere. My new website just went live this morning, so I'm here to tell you that this blog is officially closed and I'm moving over to the blog on that site. If you're still here, I'm really hoping you'll make the move with me. Pretty please?
I'm so so so thankful for all of you, your presence here, and your kind words over the past few years. You've all become like "real" friends to me and I really hope you'll join me on this new adventure. I would never have had the courage to do this if you guys hadn't given me the confidence to be myself on these here interwebs. So thank you from the bottom of my happy little heart!!
Kisses and hugs! (Live Long And Prosper.)
dw
