While the New Year celebrations were indeed fun, I suddenly found myself in a familiar situation. I was out of a job. Again. And when I look back on how exactly this situation crept up on me, I want to laugh, because it is so ridiculous.
Up until the end of 2007, I had three jobs. The first, with Anagram, the second, with Culinaria, and the third, with T-Mobile in the States. I knew when the New Year was rung in, that the first of these, Anagram and Culinaria, would disappear. I was not so sad about this, though I had developed an attachment to Anagram. The third, and ultimately the cash cow of the three, was the one to keep if all else failed. I seem to have failed somewhere along the way.
The reasons for this are simple. The guy stopped speaking to me. After the last payment he sent to me regarding my work with him (all was done at home, basically creating new customer requests and new drafts and updating excel sheets, etc), silence. Not a word. Which is strange because I talked to this guy, Robert, almost every day on Google Chat, and he was always on when he said he would be and never went back on his word (i.e. paying me). It's a mystery to me because there is nothing to suggest that he was unhappy with my work. The only solution I can really think of is he's dead.
Let me go back. Some time in the middle of December, he started to be on less frequently, until I did not see him on for days. Finally, after biting my nails wondering what the hell had happened to the man, he sends me an email stating he's been really sick and that he was on his way to the bank to honor our agreement.
And then, nothing.
I find it hard to believe that Robert could have met his end. What with all the modern medicine and technology, his being sick should not have been a huge deal. Unless he had bird flu or west nile or something. But even then, you go to a hospital and the doctors should be cognizant of these types of things.
Or, he might have realized that he really didnt want me to work for him anymore, and did the unprofessional (and childish) route and just stopped the conversation. If he thinks I'm going to track him down in Seattle from all the way in Prague, he's right. It would be pretty hard, and I don't have the resources.
As the Emperor in Gladiator said, 'It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed.' Eloquent words. I know how he feels. (Note: I think those are the two most ridiculous lines in the film, and they don't even make sense. But in my context I agree completely.) So, I find myself caught with my pants around my ankles wondering where the hell it all went wrong.
I did manage to find an old email from him that had one of his colleagues in Seattle in the forwarded message, so I sent that guy an email asking about Robert. Who knows if I will ever get a reply, but I am intrigued to find out what really did happen. I wouldnt even care if he wanted to fire me, I just want to know what happened.
So there it is. Again. A mad dash to the finish line, but there's no line. No track. No race. The illusion of stability that I held fleetingly, is just that. Fleeting.
One good thing that is happening these days is I've been working with this guy thats starting up his own website. He travels the world with his buddy (the director and cameraman) and hits the sites, restaurants, night clubs, cultural scenes, films it, and brings it all to the interwebs. The guy's site is: davidsbeenhere.com. Its still under construction, and wont open until April 20 (those familiar with this date should be smirking right about now). When it finally does open up, you can click on Prague, and find me in a couple of the clips. They leave for Dublin in a couple days, and like the last crew to come through Prague, it will be sad to see them go.
So, I'm back to where I started.
Up until the end of 2007, I had three jobs. The first, with Anagram, the second, with Culinaria, and the third, with T-Mobile in the States. I knew when the New Year was rung in, that the first of these, Anagram and Culinaria, would disappear. I was not so sad about this, though I had developed an attachment to Anagram. The third, and ultimately the cash cow of the three, was the one to keep if all else failed. I seem to have failed somewhere along the way.
The reasons for this are simple. The guy stopped speaking to me. After the last payment he sent to me regarding my work with him (all was done at home, basically creating new customer requests and new drafts and updating excel sheets, etc), silence. Not a word. Which is strange because I talked to this guy, Robert, almost every day on Google Chat, and he was always on when he said he would be and never went back on his word (i.e. paying me). It's a mystery to me because there is nothing to suggest that he was unhappy with my work. The only solution I can really think of is he's dead.
Let me go back. Some time in the middle of December, he started to be on less frequently, until I did not see him on for days. Finally, after biting my nails wondering what the hell had happened to the man, he sends me an email stating he's been really sick and that he was on his way to the bank to honor our agreement.
And then, nothing.
I find it hard to believe that Robert could have met his end. What with all the modern medicine and technology, his being sick should not have been a huge deal. Unless he had bird flu or west nile or something. But even then, you go to a hospital and the doctors should be cognizant of these types of things.
Or, he might have realized that he really didnt want me to work for him anymore, and did the unprofessional (and childish) route and just stopped the conversation. If he thinks I'm going to track him down in Seattle from all the way in Prague, he's right. It would be pretty hard, and I don't have the resources.
As the Emperor in Gladiator said, 'It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed.' Eloquent words. I know how he feels. (Note: I think those are the two most ridiculous lines in the film, and they don't even make sense. But in my context I agree completely.) So, I find myself caught with my pants around my ankles wondering where the hell it all went wrong.
I did manage to find an old email from him that had one of his colleagues in Seattle in the forwarded message, so I sent that guy an email asking about Robert. Who knows if I will ever get a reply, but I am intrigued to find out what really did happen. I wouldnt even care if he wanted to fire me, I just want to know what happened.
So there it is. Again. A mad dash to the finish line, but there's no line. No track. No race. The illusion of stability that I held fleetingly, is just that. Fleeting.
One good thing that is happening these days is I've been working with this guy thats starting up his own website. He travels the world with his buddy (the director and cameraman) and hits the sites, restaurants, night clubs, cultural scenes, films it, and brings it all to the interwebs. The guy's site is: davidsbeenhere.com. Its still under construction, and wont open until April 20 (those familiar with this date should be smirking right about now). When it finally does open up, you can click on Prague, and find me in a couple of the clips. They leave for Dublin in a couple days, and like the last crew to come through Prague, it will be sad to see them go.
So, I'm back to where I started.
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