Hey All,
I guess you guys may be wondering what I've been up to these past few weeks and months. Well, it's been quite an adventure, and the adventure has just started.
From the beginning of the year until the end of last month, the vast majority of my free time has been spent getting ready to be married. Though I did not believe it before, it really does take a minimum of 6 months to get ready for it. There is soooo much to do for it. Sooooo many decisions to make. On top of that, Mary and I secretly decided to put on a big dance show for our first dance, instead of the usual twiddling around the dance floor like normal folks do. So, on August 24, everything went wonderfully. The first dance was a big surprise and a big hit with everyone.
At the same time as all this preparation, the company I worked for was slowly deteriorating to the point that it was clearly apparent that it was no longer going to be a viable company. The decision was made that I should look for new employment. To make it a little more difficult, we were going to move out of the Washington, DC area and move more to the south, closer to our families. After some mild looking with little success, the lease to my apartment was up. We packed up all our stuff and put it in my folks garage in Charlotte, NC. Technically, we are now homeless and unemployed. ([joke] Now we're looking to live in a van down by the river.)
As you can probably guess, all of this has put a real damper on the Golden Donut. I knew that if I had proceeded as originally planned, the launch time when I would be needed the most would coincide with the time that I would be available the least. So, to be fair to everyone and the operation itself, I have had to really slow down the progress until I could devote my full attention to it. If I do not, then the plan will surely fail.
When I returned from my honeymoon at the beginning of September, I saw that there was some great unrest at the forums. Most of the disturbance centered around people being stupid in the Off Topic sections. To help calm the unrest, I have doubled the number of agents. I have more clearly defined to everyone the meaning of "Off Topic" and "Way Off Topic"? I have also added a new off topic forum for general self promotion.
I had applied for an IT position at Clemson University in South Carolina. Moving there, I could easily recruit some students to assist in site updates and maintenance. With this extra direct help, new site features and corrections would greatly increase in their completion (especially since I won't have to worry about a job any more)? I have successfully gone through their interview process, but unfortunately, I have not heard back from them on when they will hire me.
So, right now, I am spending a few days with my folks then a few days with Mary's folks and back and forth, waiting for the phone to ring with some good news. As soon as there is some good news, I can finally move and settle down, fix up some more site features, and get the Golden Donut going again (Mmmm.?? donut.??)?
Well, that's all for right now. I've got to get back to job search engines and sending out resumes. (I had really hoped to be at AWA this month, but without a job, I really can't justify the cost.) I'll still be hanging around the site when I can trying to maintain what I can.
Just letting you know. Wish me luck!
Phade.
