So I got the job.

Without going into excessive detail, I start as a “team lead” for an IT service desk in a week and a half. The pay’s decent and the role is 100% work-from-home. After nearly two years of unemployment, this comes as an enormous relief. Now I can continue to enjoy decadent indulgences such as shelter, food, clothing, and the ability to pay debt.

This is, however, still a “day job” situation. My “night job” of writing and creating audiobooks will continue. The pace may slower, but time is another indulgence I’ll enjoy. A good craftsman doesn’t rush his work out the door.

Prior to securing regular employment, I felt the scalding breath of bankruptcy on my neck. That motivated me to push, push, push every day with income as a goal. In an ideal world, quality and creativity should come first. Now they can.

Don’t worry about me remaining motivated, though. My time on the bricks reminded me of an important truth: the American job market is broken, and our society has no safety nets. I want to build something for myself that can endure these uncertain times. Telling stories seems a grand way to do it.

Now, about Bearly Coping…

I’ve decided to hold off on the podcast for a bit. Why? Because my previous idea involved talking about all the crappy companies I worked for during the Dot-Com Bust as a way to promote Dot-God-Damn. However, now that I have an actual employer, it has occurred to me that this could potentially create an HR situation at a time when it’s unwise to rock the boat.

“But you won’t be talking about your current employer!”

Very true. And they might decide to keep it that way by getting rid of the griping bear on their payroll. Unemployed tech workers would line up around the block three deep to get my job. No matter how remote that possibility remains, I must prioritize stability while everything else in the world melts to slag.

“So you’re giving up on the podcast?”

Nope! I’ll devise a new approach. Maybe I can use it as a springboard for the book I’d like to write about my time in Dhahran. Or maybe I could read short fiction I’ve written in lieu of nonfiction. When I’ve settled into my new day job, I’ll sit down and consider which options sound best.

It’s been so long since I had good news like this. Spring started weeks ago in the Pacific Northwest, but the blooming trees didn’t match my mood. Now, when I see nature renewing itself, I feel like part of that process.

At last I can reclaim my own place in the sun, and use that light to grow something beautiful.