31 July 2006

Take this job and

I was thinking this morning about applying for a full-time job. I've been thinking lately about getting some kind of regular employment, anyway. The freelance life -- what Paul Dutton refers to as "swinging from $100 vine to $100 vine" -- has very definite stresses, of both an immediate and existential nature.

I haven't had a full-time job since, hmmm, was it 2003 when I left eye Weekly in disgust?

I wonder what effect it would have on my writing. Not that I've been all that productive anyhow. But full-time jobs sure do get in the way of travelling (to festivals, readings, workshops, retreats).

I'll think on it some more. But I do have a few freelance jobs due today!

Over and out.

5 Comments:

At July 31, 2006 1:26 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

ahhhhhhhhhhh, the freedom of a job: you sell your life energy and they reward you with a steady paycheck. a game of capitulation and control. how to find the right balance of right livelihood and right paycheck and find time and energy to decompress and feed the creative spirit and spend time with family and friends and blog and cook yourself a decent curry from time to time not to mention the rotation of the planet speeding up and the economy slowing down and global warming and flooding and hurricanes and droughts and the price of a draft and silent communicable diseases and rent increases and bird flu and west nile and the military industrial complex getting even more complex yet simple-minded and reality tv as if we need more unreal reality and wars for peace sprouting up like crimini mushrooms on a damp cloudy day. (i'm feeling a little overcast myself.) good luck, stuart. it's the juggling act of the century!

 
At July 31, 2006 6:06 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

just think: if rox had a job, he couldn't spend so much time commenting on your blog.

 
At July 31, 2006 9:16 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

just think, if anonymous had a name, we could all see who has the nerve to make such a snide remark. perhaps anonymous has two young boys out of school for the summer while juggling freelance work, kitchen vacuuming shopping laundry duty for 4 not mention the ever-present shuttle service i provide at the drop of a hat. yeah, anonymous must be from the 50s and think to stay at home with the kids isn't really a job, it's a luxury. ha! p.s. i just cooked a beautiful spinach, tomato, carrot, chick pea curry and it'll be dinner soon. perhaps ananymous would like to drop in and see what a real life-affirming job is like.

 
At August 01, 2006 12:36 pm , Blogger Oblique Poet said...

It's not so bad for teachers--well, not for me at least. The year has its own rhythm that suits me; I love knowing I have 2 weeks here and 2 months there to do my own thing. My partner (works for the provincial govt.) is counting the days (okay, years) until he can retire and focus on making music full-time. Chacun à son goût, I guess.

 
At August 02, 2006 10:00 am , Blogger j-love said...

Stu - I've been thinking about this same debate. I find ultimately that when I'm busier I get more done, writing included. I'm hunting for something either parttime or a FT contract. What about doing something contract, temporary, that way if you find it's not working out, there is an end in sight?

 

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