Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

And so, today is Thanksgiving. A month ago, even a few weeks ago, I was not particularly looking forward to the holiday, as I was obsessed with worrying about my employment situation - Not to mention that family occasions, such as this, always carry a certain amount of baggage with them that I just didn't feel like dealing with.

Let's recap the last month or two. Towards the end of September I learned that my job of two years would shortly run out of funding and that there was little chance of my continued employment. I left the job on a full-time basis at the end of last month (Halloween being my last happy day), although I still have a few part-time hours left through the end of the year.

The last month I've had to suddenly figure out that which I thought had already been settled: What am I going to do when I grow up? I obviously started looking for full-time work, but wasn't getting excited about any of the opportunities I was coming across, so I floated the possibility of my becoming an independent consultant to a few people even though I wasn't sure if I could find enough work to survive.

Since November 1, when I was supposed to be a semi-employed person of leisure, I've actually been remarkably busy; going from worried about losing my job, to being under-employed, to be being self-employed in an incredibly short time. By the end of next week I should have two signed contracts for consulting work, and I have meetings with three other organizations that may result in work as well - So, I guess I'm a consultant (and no longer looking for a "real job").

So, today I do have much to be thankful for after all - - - and I was so hoping for a depressing Thanksgiving! This is a hopeful new start on a new phase in my career, and I'm looking forward to a great year of learning and trying new things. Happy T-Day, everybody. It may not suck after all!