It’s that time again. My girlfriend has moved back to the big city, my room mate is about to move to Syracuse, and my house is a bloody wreck. Truly a nightmare of disorganization. Two years ago, around this time, I completely overhauled my life, and at the same time discovered the supreme pleasures of how an organized living space and life really did entitle you to sit and drink sake and watch hours and hours of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I’m excited about a new overhaul, but it’s a daunting project. I’m calling upon all the tools I have at my disposal: I’m sure that it isn’t a surprise to many that geek out hard core on the internet that I’ve succumed to the near-religion that is “GTD”, or “Getting Things Done”, a productivity philosophy captured in a book by David Allen. Allen’s guide to effortless workflow is loosely based on his love of the martial arts. The basic idea is that there is no way to truly relax as a human being if your brain is jam-packed with thoughts of what you need to do, and the best way to feel more on top of things is to organize these random thoughts in a more effiicent way, dividing your “to-dos” into their proper projects and contexts. It’s a real reaction to today’s over-stimulated, always-on type of living, that pertains not only to the fast-paced businessman living in Tokyo and New York, but also schlubs like me that dabbles in freelance computer work… and has to keep his creative projects organized, too. I’ve found that now, more than ever, I have to govern my own time to the minute, because no one is telling me any more what time to be “in the van”, “at the club”, and when “show time” and “load-out” is.

We just got back from a ten-day “paid vacation” in Asheville, performing for Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance. It was a magical time, from start to finish… Cary Ann and I shared a small apartment donated by a board member of the group, right in the middle of town, and had the freedom to walk anywhere we wanted to. Once again I was reminded how nice and simple life could be when you 1. are in the process of doing something that is utterly fulfilling and productive and 2. you have all the time you need to focus on this lifestyle. And the end of a day was a completion of a hard day’s work, and not just another time to start a to-do list for the next day.
It’s not until I have to squeeze all sorts of different, conflicting lifestyles into one day or week that I become stressed. After a week in Asheville I am reminded again how ridiculously expensive it is to live here in Charleston; how much one has to work to make ends meet. But… all the reason more to find a way to stay on top of things and try to regain equillibrium via organization. It’s highly possible that I’ll either move to a new home come August, or even a new city. Nothing definite, nothing drastic, but a little time to get some things straightened out would be nice, no matter what happens. I welcome any tips!

Despite what I just wrote about working with computers, I confess to be as giddy as any fan-boy about the new tech coming down the various pipelines. Last week I got to configure Apple’s new Macbook for a client. She wanted an attractive laptop, very stylish, but due to having a Windows Exchange server at work, needed Windows. I suggested the Macbook on the day that it came out.

I have to say that this Mac is the best Windows machine I have ever used.  When I first ran Boot Camp (the Apple-sanctioned utility that allows you to partition your hard drive to make room for a Windows installation) I admit that it was a strange and somewhat disconcerting sight to see an Apple product boot into Windows. I felt a little funny about it. But I went about my business, and found that this was one of the fastest machines I’ve ever gotten to work with; very responsive and well-put together. It’s due to the dual-core Intel chip in all the new Macs, and I’m sure that a similar, PC-branded, computer would run just as fast or faster. But since I doubt I’ll ever actually buy a Windows machine for myself or anyone else, I think that this is a fantastic workaround in situations such as this client’s.

It’s not a perfect solution, though, for someone that just needs a Windows PC. First and foremost, the keyboard mapping, at least on the notebooks, is a real problem. I found a way to hack the keyboard to get me “CTRL-ALT-DEL” on the Windows side, but it was a not-that-much-fun task in the installation process.  And it’s sad that the iSight doesn’t work in Windows (yet?). I’m thinking that Apple will fix these little quirks, but until then if I were a full-time Windows person I wouldn’t make the switch.
My more Mac-Nazi friends don’t agree, but there are plenty of reasons why it’d be nice for to have a computer that ran Windows and Mac OS X at the same time. Personally, I could use it to check web-browser compatibility in design, to use audio programs still only for Windows. And in the two years I’ve been dabbling in networking and repair of computers, I have never once gotten a call from a Mac user here in Charleston. I still take my laptop to test networks and the like, and can network pretty much anything (albeit with some heavy swearing and gnashing of teeth), but I admit it’s just easier to get Windows to talk to Windows.

I’m excited about this opportunity Apple has given it’s followers, and love the results. I now spend about 80% of my computing time with Windows, and yet still prefer using my Mac, which speaks volumes, I think. I’d say that if you’re thinking of buying a better computer, and would consider switching, this Macbook is such a nice piece of work.

I am probably going to get some flak for this post.
I realized the other day that I really don’t like working. That is, Working, with a capital “W”. Working to live. Rather than living to work. There is a difference, you know. I have never took for granted how lucky I was to be in a rock and roll band full time, for almost a decade. Sure, I might have moaned and groaned about how difficult a job that was, but I could always see that it was a gift.

On the other hand, it’s also a gift to be able to pay bills on time, which I am enjoying, immensely. For the first time in my life. It’s a real treat. And currently the only way to do so is to work a little bit–not too much, but some– at a “day job”, which I’m also pretty lucky to have found a knack for. I can work with computers. So I do. Trying to turn a hobby into a living.
Here’s the thing. I work very hard at every thing I do. Some would say, too much. That’s fine. So I’m more on the “workaholic” side of the fence. I’m sure I’ll learn to either live with that or get some professional help. But the part that I have not come to terms with yet is… I don’t like Working. I’d rather have the hobby.
I spent more hours on the initial launch of the Cabaret than I did doing any other job I can remember. And yes, it wore me out. But at the end of each long Cabaret rehearsal, the exhaustion felt right. On the contrary, the same time spent in front of a computer, either doing repairs, or even the more creative option of some sort of graphic or web design… feels almost ‘dirty’ in comparison.
I’m not knocking spending time in front of computers. I really like them, and like the ‘instant gratification’ you can get when you fix broken things. But I miss the single-mindedness that comes from working on your craft, for a living. Even if it’s a multi-faceted craft. Just working towards something, all the time. As I’ve said, I’ve always seen computers as a hobby, not my craft. I’m sure that many of you can weigh in on this. And will.

I have been reading Steve Pavlina’s blog. He’s a little kooky, I think, but is inspiring in the sense that he’s a dude that quit all day jobs in order to sort of research… himself. He’s making money at it, too, attempting all kinds of human experiments, and then writing about them. It’s not that he’s an entertaining, or even good, writer. He doesn’t try to be. He’s very matter-of-fact about what he’s doing, and gets it done. And the result is a collection of interesting stuff from a true ‘web entrepeneur’.
I think that my current life is an experiment, of sorts. I was wondering if I could in fact work a day job for the rest of my life. In some ways I could… there are some nice benefits. But the verdict is still out. It doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t really feel like me. I’m thinking that it might soon be time for me to figure out a way to survive by working closer to my dreams. It worked pretty well the first time. Or at least to find a more even balance between being somewhere and Having to be somewhere.

Along those lines, I’ve taken some baby steps towards an idea I had last year. I thought it’d be neat if I could start a website for people in bands that were making recordings and needed a “guest musician”. For example, if you were making an album for yourself and didn’t know any accordion/harmonica/mandolin players, you could just go to the website and pick from a selection of multi-instrumentalists. You would send an mp3 of your tracks, the musician would plug this into ProTools or the like, put down a few takes of the instrument you wanted, send the raw .wav files back to you… and bang! You’ve got a guest artist. This isn’t a new idea, but it’s one that seems to be working. The “band” Postal Service made an entire album on this concept of emailing sound files back and forth. The technology works for you, so why not?

I’ve actually played on a couple of albums this way, so far. It’s great fun for me, and another way I can stay closer to my art and get paid doing so. I don’t know if I’ll have the time to actually build the website anytime soon, but let this post be an open offer to any of you readers currently in the studio! Let me know if I may be of assistance.

I’m fighting a cold, so I’ll sleep now. Thanks for reading. I look forward to reading what you think of my “working experiments”.