So it's that time again...

[letterblade]

Thursday afternoon, I was abruptly informed that I'm laid off.

It came as a surprise. I'd been working there for more than a year and a half. I thought I'd made myself indispensable. My health being what it was, I wasn't at peak performance, but still...

At any rate.

I have no delusions about getting a job any time soon. Even when the economy was supposedly booming, it took me months to find a job. I'll get unemployment, I've got savings, and now I have time.

Time to see what else I can offer the world.

First and foremost, what was a side business is now becoming my primary job: Firefly Spark Jewelry. And the holidays are coming up, people. Go see if you want anything, and remember, I do custom work.

And beyond that? Well. I've been writing, with the distant intent of becoming published, for, I'd guess, about twenty-two years. I think it's about time to start moving again.

And perhaps it's time to teach myself a few new skills. I'd like to think I have some talent at basic programming, and I've wanted to start experimenting with web development. And hey, who knows what else I'll find out there?

Watch this space.

Comments

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Well, fuck. I'm so very sorry to hear this. It probably doesn't have anything to do with you, but more along the lines of last in, first out. If you want help tuning your resume, let me know; I'd be glad to help.

If you'd like something to experiment with in web development, I've got something that I want to move forward but lack the technical skills or time to build. While I lack fundage, perhaps it could be a portfolio piece?

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

I will, about the resume. And concerning web development - I suspect we're both looking for a nice-looking platform/archive for online original fiction? If I head in that direction for my own work, I'll make sure that I can easily make a port/skin for you. :)

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thank you!

[lykomancer.livejournal.com]

Wow. I really like your jewelry!

This is actually kind of surprising; most people's handmade jewelry well... It's not the greatest-looking. It's got a lot of heart, but not usually a lot of style, you know?

But the Moon in the Forest piece is gorgeous. And I really like the stuff with the tassels, too.


Unfortunately, I'm a little broke right now-- my last two paychecks were both only $80-- but I will keep you in mind when I do have money, and I wish you good luck whole-heartedly.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! This is really good to know. :)

Both my business partner and I have been making jewelry for years, and like visual flair in general, so yeah. We're aiming for style. :D

[stackcats.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the job :(
That's one healthy attitude, you've got there, though!

About your jewellery - it's gorgeous, and I was wondering if you ship overseas? Sorry if the info is on that page, I can't find anything about it.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot!

And yes, I certainly do--in fact, I just got an order from the UK. Not that I'm not nervous about filling out customs forms for the first time, but that's not going to stop me!

[paper-crystals.livejournal.com]

Good luck. I am really proud of how you are handling everything so far and the jewelry company. You have grown a lot and seem to be in a much better place than last time you were unemployed.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much. *long-distance hugs* I'm certainly a lot more financially stable--and, as far as I know, not going to get kicked out of my home--so I'm taking it pretty well. Mostly I'll miss my co-workers and the health insurance.

[paper-crystals.livejournal.com]

*long distance hugs*

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the unemployment tango. *hugs*

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

*hugs* It's like the masochism tango, only hungrier!

[usernamenumber.livejournal.com]

Damn, really sorry to hear this, but glad you've got things to fall back on. I'm always up for some purdy hairsticks, and will keep you in mind for other stuff!

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *internet hugs* And with all the LARPing and work overload recently (at least until they laid me off!), I completely forgot about hairsticks. :D

*charges off to the workbench*

[rivenwanderer.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I'm glad you have some thoughts on where to go next. Let me know if you want to get together and learn about web dev stuff sometime--I'm currently just starting to learn about jQuery and am super excited about it--or if you ever want to split a table at a craft fair or something. In fact, I should email you about the "jewelry dialog" idea I've been kicking around :)

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

The official response to all of the above is "awesome." In fact, I should email you too about the splitting a table thing. :D

[nevacaruso.livejournal.com]

As I said over the weekend: I'm sorry that things turned out the way they did with your office job, since I know that you loved it, but glad that you're being so zen about your situation. *wishes luck with the getting-published pursuits, as that would be EXCITING!*

Love you. Hope you have as good a Thanksgiving as possible.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Love and thanks. *huuuugs* I hope you have a good Bird Day too!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that. But you are taking this with aplomb.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot!

[sixthbrightest.livejournal.com]

Good luck! I hope you are successful at learning what you wish to learn, and that things go well for you in the future.

Regarding your jewelry, I hope that things there go excellently for you. I keep eying the "antiquated copper and coral choker". It's absolutely beautiful, and it strongly feels like a Myst-inspired piece to me for some reason. But I have no money until Christmas time, and I'm also not 100% sure I could stand wearing a choker. I am, however, looking for more jewelry in my future, and I do see that you do customs, so perhaps after Christmas when I get my loot money in, I will commission something!

If I am not mistaken you are of the neo-pagany variety, yes? So perhaps if I wanted something god/dess inspired/related/symbolic, you'd be willing to take a crack at it?

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Concerning the copper and coral piece: it's not a choker that rides like a collar, if that helps. I designed it to ride loosely at the base of the neck, and IIRC, you're far thinner than I am, so it would be even looser on you. Not to tempt you or anything. ;)

And yup, I do customs. I price them the same as my usual work, since I'm always making new designs anyway, and custom work just makes the new design process even more fun. I've got plenty of the antiqued copper and blue coral lying about, as well as a lot of interesting wood and stone beads that feel Mysty to me. :) And, yes, I am a religiously divergent entity, and am very willing to work with that range of inspiration. :D I've got a lovely Isis charm right on hand at the moment, actually, if you're fond of her...

[sixthbrightest.livejournal.com]

So, uhm, before you worry someone else snagged it while I was waffling, the order for it from etsy user epda is mine :)

I had been considering all day requesting it as a bracelet instead. I have an Ishtar-inspired necklace right now, and I was thinking "I don't own any bracelets". But I work in food service 5 days a week and I'd never get to wear a bracelet, but a necklace would be okay. And it kept haunting me all day. And then I went over my friend's, and she had a tape measure, so I measured out about how it'd fit, so yes, it would fit loosely like a necklace, and a necklace would be much more wearable than a bracelet...

and then I gave in.

So I probably won't be needing any custom designs for awhile, but I will absolutely keep you in mind next time I do!

Also, you know what it reminds me of? In Riven, when you're walking through Jungle Island, and there's the cave, with the blue lamp- the one where you can look out into the ocean through the small window, and then you turn around and there's the blue lamp, with the pictograms. For some reason that's what it reminds me of. And even if it didn't specifically remind me of the lighting there, the copper work totally looks like a design you'd see in a Myst game. Looking at it on the (plate? bowl?) you posed it on to look at, it feels like... well, you know when you're exploring a room in a Myst game, and if you stop and really _look_, you'll see small details that remind you that people inhabited this place? I could almost imagine the two closeup photos of it as an in-game closeup in perhaps a Rivenese hut somewhere, something someone left behind as they ran from the stranger...

I realize this is quite a lot of rambling about the piece, sorry. But it really does just _feel_ like Riven-y to me, and I've been wanting to somehow celebrate that fandom anyway, and it just. makes. sense.

So I caved :)

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

::hugsmuch:: I'm sorry. But good luck with the jewelry! I will definitely think of you first if I am craving shinies.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Thank you! And I'd be happy to do custom requests for you, especially as I know a lot of my work is a bit flamboyant for your tastes. I could also adjust the length on that tiny steampunk necklace... ;)

[lucky-otter.livejournal.com]

Bleh, unemployedness.

Hurray, time for other projects.

Sounds like you've got a good plan to handle your unexpected increase in free time, decrease in income, and so forth.

For the programming, I'd highly recommend learning Python (http://python.org/). I'd start with reading Dive Into Python (http://www.diveintopython.org/), which is available for free online. It's a great high-level language and more of the code examples out there aren't terrifyingly bad, like the ones for Perl and PHP.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Well, when you've already started a small craft business on the side, what else do you do? ;)

I actually took a college course in Python once, although I've probably forgotten most of it by now, but yeah, I remember it being a dream to work with. And even though the GUI didn't work on my computer of the time, I remember doing some nifty things in a pure text interface. <3 Python.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Well, shit.

I'm sorry, hon.

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much. *hugs*

Mind if I come over at some point to talk about writing and bother the cats?

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Don't mind a bit.

Want to come for Thanksgiving, too?

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

Yay!

I want to, really want to, but I can't. Family will be kidnapping me. :(

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

Well, fuck them. Next job will be bigger and better!

[wired-lizard.livejournal.com]

I do hope! At at least for the moment, next job is making shinies. Better than just about anything. :D