Gigs

Just a quick note about this week’s Digital Savant column, which was about an Austin startup called vivogig, which pools photos that people take at concerts. Pretty neat idea; I hope it catches on.

I’ve also been working on some video game reviews. I did a write-up of Super Mario 3D Land and one today for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Both good games, but neither one is close to perfect.  I have a big story about the new Star Wars MMO running in Saturday’s paper that I’ll link to when it’s available.

Also have some recently posted reviews on Kirkus for more kids apps including Hiding Hannah and The Blue Jackal.

Since we’re close to midway through December, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how this year went and what changes have happened.  Some new things have started up, writing-wise, and a few other things have kind of gone away and other things, like the videos we do for TWOP and my Kirkus app reviews are ongoing and steady and good because they’re each still challenging in their own ways and they pay well for not a whole lot of time commitment.

Mostly, I think the problem I’m having right now is that I found something to work on that I really enjoy and that’s making all the other writing I do seem to pale in comparison in terms of my interest and excitement.  That’s hard and I’m trying to work through it by just keeping my energy high, but it’s tough to do that with all the weather changes and allergies and the kids getting up at randomly at night and a drag of a commute that’s been made worse lately by worsening traffic and the incredibly shrinking morale issues we have at work these days.

But then I think those are all just excuses to stay frustrated and scared instead of embracing change and fully committing to what I want to be doing right now (I think I know what that is, but I’m afraid to even type it).   Mostly it’s that I’ve let the gigs I’ve lucked into or worked my way up toward define who I am professionally and, though I try to be very loyal when that happens, I’ve not pushed very hard to define or push out my own work, the stuff I really own, not for a long while.  Because it’s a lot easier to have bosses and editors and people in charge than to try to do it for yourself.  That’s really, really tough for me.  But I know I need to try.

So that’s what’s been on my mind.  I’m not sure I even knew it consciously until I just wrote it, so good thing for this blog, eh?

Is that enough pre-holiday whining? I think it is. Merry two weeks before Christmas, folks!