A Lazy Wednesday Afternoon

The other day, a friend and I were talking about how life can drastically be changed by things that can happen on a lazy Tuesday afternoon. We were talking about things with global implications such as a hurricane hitting Florida, two countries going to war, those newsworthy stories that can affect a large population. They usually happen on a lazy Tuesday afternoon when nobody expects them, when we're busy enjoying the sunshine, out shopping, or sleeping in. Those things can happen to us at a personal level as well. Those events that can change the direction of our life forever.
Mine came, not on a Tuesday, but a lazy Wednesday afternoon. Just after lunch in fact. My boss had called while I was at lunch. I was home, so I did hear the phone ring, but I was having lunch with my family, so I let it ring to voice mail. I called back and that was when he informed me that the company was not getting in enough work to support me and that they had to let me go.


Done. Door closed. Life changed. As simple and quick as that.


I can't say that it wasn't unexpected. My projects have dwindled over the past few months. Communications with the home office were sparse. And I just had that feeling. Back in June, I had this thought of what would I do if I lost my job. So I created a plan. And I started to act on that plan.


It became apparent that there were things I wanted to do and I could only do them if I left my, then, current employer. Unfortunately, I didn't act fast enough and didn't have my full plan in place before I was unceremoniously dumped. My wife and I have been working on a few projects of our own. Not all of them are complete, so stay tuned for updates. Here is what we have ready:


My Wife has been working on hand-made crafts for the past year. Starting with all-season wreaths and home decor items and now designing and creating unique jewelry. You can find her creations at Golden Flower Creations. She currently uses Etsy to sell her crafts but, we will soon be changing that so we can target a more precise audience. She will be adding new products to her site daily, so check back often. She's also becoming a blog-maven with her Zenventures blog and she's also a featured blogger for Working Mother. She also has more surprises in store, so stay tuned.


As for me, I've been creating and writing software applications for almost 20 years! I love the challenge and the satisfaction of a completed project. I also love the flexibility of working at home on my own schedule so I can watch our daughter grow up and be accessible to my family when needed. I currently enjoy developing applications for the web, using all the latest languages, tools and gadgets that make the internet a fun and interesting place. I also realize that not everyone needs a full time developer on their staff and only need such talents for certain projects. It is with all of that in mind that I created Seven Stars Technology. A place where I can showcase my freelance development work and a place to create industry-specific and general use websites, tools and applications.


I'll be honest with you. We are not in a great financial situation. Times will be tough for us for the foreseeable future. But I know we'll be OK. We have incredible and generous friends, a supporting family and there is fantastic opportunities for all of us. If you happen to know someone (or know someone who knows someone ... maybe even Kevin Bacon himself :-)) who could use some help with their website or a custom web or desktop application or anyone who is looking for unique home decor or jewelry items, let us know.