Well, I finally got around to updating my own website (funny how everyone else’s sites always come first…), and I decided to compile some of the nice things people have said about me. It’s a good thing I don’t podcast these blog entries with a web cam, because then you’d be able to see how much this page makes me blush:http://www.sarahdopp.com/testimonials.htmWhile I was at it, I also pulled together a more interesting writing portfolio. You can take a look at it here:http://www.sarahdopp.com/portfolio-writing.htmBut now, of course, I step back and a take look at the whole site. And of course I think, It’s really time to buckle down, become a Flash expert, and build a full-on multimedia interactive art experience out of this website. And then I laugh at myself, and add it to the “someday when I have lots of extra free time and want to put tons of energy into something that’s not all that important” list. And I get back to work.
I know you’re all on the edge of your seats, checking this website every day (or maybe staring at its node on your super-fancy RSS aggregator), wondering what the heck I’m up to these days. ‘Cuz it’s a pretty good bet that if I’m going a few weeks at a time between entries, my “real world” life is packed full and bursting at the seams with some pretty neat stuff.
First of all, yes, I did go to New Hampshire for a month. It was wonderful and relaxing — I saw many friends, and spent plenty of time with family. I sat in a rocking chair on the porch of an old farmhouse and watched the trees. I swam in lakes. I screamed at the ocean. I told stories around campfires. I stood on the top of a mountain. I bought candy at a store that still sells things for a penny. I surprised the heck out of my mother by showing up several days early, in a wig, on Mother’s Day. I heard poetry.
Second of all, yes, I’m back in San Francisco now, and I love it here. Some people were apparently under the impression that I was moving back to New Hampshire. Let me set you straight right now: that’s not going to happen.
Third, yes, I’m working again (am I ever!) — and while I’d love to hear about your awesome new project, chances are I can’t help you with it for a couple of months if you’re not already on my backlog list. And for those of you who are already on my backlog list, rest assured, I will get it all done. I just did a headcount, and I’m working on eight websites right now. EIGHT! Some are bigger and more urgent than others, but they’re all on my desk.
It’s been another period of chaos recently as I’ve tried to grapple with both the Big Picture and the Daily Details… but I’m feeling in control now, and going merrily with the flow. And can I tell you a secret?Â
I know what I’m working for now. I’ve nailed down The Dream into tangible terms: I’m amassing skills and resources to become a Producer of Projects. Our lives are made up of projects. The urgent ones get done, and the important ones often die from lack of support. I can’t tell you how many times people have come to me and described things they’d really love to do or create, but don’t believe that it’s possible. I’m becoming the one who makes it possible. I knew this excessive optimism would come in handy someday…
(And you’re probably wondering about the picture on this entry. This is you watching me evolve. Click it for a bigger version.)
Following up on my laptop-for-travel saga, I feel it is my civic duty to let ya’ll know that my beautiful refurbished laptop from Apple is now dead. Dead as a doornail, as Dickens might put it. Less than a month after purchase.The problem? Ya plug the AC adapter in, and it gives you the pretty glowing orange LED light that tells you electricity is running to it… and then the power source indicator continues to tell you about your battery… and how it is running out… 50%… 30%… 10%… 5%… uh-oh. Computer down. After much poking, prodding, and trying new power adapters, the Apple-authorized mac specialists in town (and I) deemed the machine dead. As a doornail. Fortunately, I have the famed Apple Care plan, and their customer service appears to be top-notch. At the very least, they’ve given me confidence in their abilities to resolve the problem. The machine’s been mailed out to them, and I fully expect to see it again.In the meantime, I embark on the last legs of my East Coast journey laptop-free (*horrible scream*), with my dear Treo in my back pocket (*sigh of relief*). I’ll be back in the Bay Area next Thursday. Until then, I wander the hills…
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