April 10, 2017
Because it never rains when it can pour, my new life is looking like it might need scuba gear. I stay in the same job for 24 years, granted I spent time in a bunch of countries over that time, but still – same job. Now I’m starting a new consultancy, I might have someone to make this whimsy forge 3D printing thing an actual business, and I’m looking for a publisher.
It’s like the change thing was building up pressure, and once I made a move it all happens all at once! I mean, I had to get hit by cars to get a break from the sameness in the old life. Now the new life starts with piles of ‘new’ all at once! It’s still about possibles right now, so it’s all fantastic – but if unpleasant reality hits the same way on all channels simultaneously, it would be…bad. So I guess I better make sure that everything works splendidly!
My plan at the moment is to run a diary here, of sorts, of how stupid it is to start 3 new careers at the same time – especially when your health keeps you from doing too much. I’m absolutely going into it with eyes wide open, as to how – if it all works – I will have much to owe to the people around me. There is no possible way I can achieve a fraction of what I’m hoping to achieve without lots of other people helping.
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Luckily I live a very cheap lifestyle, as I’m often in bed by 8:00pm, and am pretty stationary for a few hours before that. So I figure I only need a teeny fraction of a salary from each stream and I’m all good.
I’ve been making money hand over fist on that rigged silliness of a stock market thing, so I’m clearly a brilliant investor and everything I touch is going to turn into gold! Incidentally, I’m 99% cash at the moment, cus even rigged, it can’t take too much more of the OOWSNN without a panicky, overdone meltdown where I can reinvest at a bottom. For the record, I did that in 2005 in preparation for the 2008 meltdown, so timing is not by forte.
But that whole stock market thing…after two failed attempts at breaking (and holding) 1500 this millennium, the S&P500 is just shy of 2500. I have wisely stepped away from the market and when it hits 3500 in December, I’m going to be happy I’m investing in my very own companies and not trying to figure that madness as an income stream anymore.
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With these books I’ve been writing, I’m actively soliciting beta readers, so if you want a free copy of a nearly done book that’s going to be the next big thing, let me know on the contact thingy at the top right. I suspect that there are actually only 3 people that read this, and the rest of the views are spam bots, but spam bots need stuff to read too!
The brilliant and energetic (B&E) Lisa (yes, it’s a riff stolen from TBogg, but I’ve been stealing it off and on for ages – since when he had as many readers as I do!) is going to actually make me get out of bed and do stuff, like every day! And she isn’t a person to let me let her down.
I’m thinking of banners over the doors with witty quips like “The clients best interest, is your best interest” (with some fine print about staying legal) and “Your job is to make your client’s job easier.” and “Pay! you want to be paid?” and “but your bonus will be huge if we ever make any money”. But luckily nobody else will let me, and I can’t do anything on my own, so that all works out.
I will be a part owner in two companies where I won’t give myself any spending authority. I mean I know me…I need a sanity check on just about anything. I think one of the first things we should invest in it have a small closet as an office and just hand people 3D goggles as they come in the door to our YUGE gold-plated virtual office! See? No spending authority. I have to figure out a way I can author books without authority.
I mean, just look at what authority does. People are always bitching about people in authority positions. Prime ministers, Premiers, CEO’s, Presidents, who wants to share the loads of bitching they have to deal with – because my Dad was all successful and stuff, I actually know a few rich and powerful, and they usually get a pretty hard time from the public/staff.
They can’t do anything right, according to their staff and the press, and are somehow still rich and powerful. I think that’s somewhat a statement about our questionable social arrangement, but they seem to think it’s because they actually did right things, and that most people didn’t seem to notice. Everybody just beats them up about the trivial little unimportant things they could have done better, and that clearly didn’t matter that much. Quibbles aside – the key-est thing, clearly, is about picking the right parents. If you get that one right, the rest is much easier…
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I’m a member in a private club in town that I joined to play bridge with my father, while he’s still around. One of the members stated quite firmly at dinner, the other night, that he didn’t know anyone who voted for the NDP in the provincial election. I held up my hand and said, “yes you do! And I’m proud of it, as well.” There was a long pause, before someone changed the subject…you’re not aloud to talk politics or religion at the club, don’t you know.
I’ve become the kind of person who has views that don’t always correspond to the status quo, which has quo’d most of the club members some serious status – and they join private clubs to avoid people like that – like me.
I’ve become their pet socialist. Someone will say something I find outrageous, I’ll make a witty cutting comment, the person would said the aforementioned ‘something’ will stop in shock that everyone (in the club, anyway) doesn’t think the way they do. Someone else will break the uncomfortable silence with, “but he’s a socialist.” and we’ll all laugh. I’m not laughing at the same thing they are, but we all honestly find it amusing, so it’s all good.
That I’m a socialist while starting 2 companies and selling a book, says something about the rigor with which such definitions are used. That I’d be willing to pay taxes on my earnings is enough for the socialist title in some groups. That I approve of the NDP government is almost beyond the Pale.
On the politics thing, quite a few of those that feel I’m a socialist were heartily supporting OOWSNN over “that woman” and are starting to show signs of second thoughts. I say things like, “He is a psychopathic narcissist, whose self image thing (SIT) is all about strength, and whose showing signs of budding paranoia…What could go wrong?”.
They’ll look at me and say something like, “There’s no reason to stoop to ad hominem attacks.” and I’ll say, “What? I was talking clinically. Enough Americans have elected a guy to lead them, who has a number of serious, untreated mental health problems, that are a very poor match for that role…You agreed with them.”, they say, dismissively, “Well it’s better than ‘that woman’ would be.”, and I’ll pause for long moment, staring at them, as they sort of think it through a little, and shrink in their seat. Then I’ll say, “We’re not supposed to talk politics in the club”, with a sardonic smile.
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I find it truly fascinating contrast, in a very frightening way, to have a moment where everything is going so well on so many channels in my personal life, while the world seems to be heading to Armageddon. We just need to hold on for a few more decades, and I’ll miss the fireworks. Hopefully, after they learn writing again, the survivors will read about, and learn from our mistakes – and come up with something better way better! And at least it’s not boring!
I keep myself getting out of bed, because my life is going so well, and the OOWSNN and his crew seem to be too incompetent to cause too much actual damage – I mean existential damage – lots of actual people are going to be right messed up, but elections matter and stuff, and that’s already baked in the cake. We’re going down the path that leads to the Republican Party disowning the poor soul, and impeaching him (or 14 amendment, crazy man removing him) after a catastrophic midterms (from the Republican point of view).
I mean, the present outpouring of foreign or climate scientists from the states, just means Canada gets a bunch of free scientists. What’s not to like? The EPA, NASA, and really anything that has to do with science, is on track to collapse in the States, and it’ll only take a generation or so to fix…the rest of the world better get on the pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere, cus the States are going to be out of the game for a generation. On that note, check this out. That’s the kind of thing that gives you hope, and moves the bar forward.
As reality more and more closely resembles the “worst case” estimations of climate change, we need some hope. The countries that hold it together will invent a way to fix it – eventually. We ‘people’ things often come through in the crux. Here’s to being in a country on track to survive to see the crux! The world has survived mass extinctions before, they’ll get over this one.
And maybe man will actually be around long enough to evolve some more – in the direction of thought, and away from testosterone – before we wipe ourselves out! (and yes, man was used deliberately there, as women are already more evolved – not enough mind you, but they’re ahead of men).
I’m clinging to my near infinite fallibility, as hope. Just because I can’t see how we get somewhere good, as a species, from here – is just my failing of imagination. The fates are way more imaginative than me, as they’ve proved many times, so probably have something big planned…really imaginative and really big…can’t wait to find out what it is!