Still kicking ass

My boss and I had a meeting with my client today to talk about where to go from here. There's still some things to iron out under the existing contract, but they're eager to continue developing the application.

One of the things they want to do is migrate one of their departments away from a Lotus Notes solution that never really got off the ground. Another is tying the application that I have developed with their mainframe system.

Our recommendations included some reporting functionality, which they seemed very eager for, along with some other suggestions that don't seem to be high on their priorities right now.

Because I can't get my import tool to work on Windows (it works fine on OS X), we're going to be importing their data for them. Rather, I will be importing it. While I'm at it, I'll be going through and cleaning up what I can. The export file they gave me to test on had lots of problems with it. The good news is that we can charge for that time.

The boss estimates that I've got several weeks worth of work ahead of me, which will keep my paychecks coming.

We've also got a lead on a nice fat contract. If it comes through, the boss wants to start paying me as a senior developer, which would be between $45-55K. My job in Baltimore was paying almost $49K when I quit, so it will be nice to be in that ball park again. Right now, I'd be making about $24K, if I were working full time.

I've learned quite a bit about my feelings about money and financial security over the past few months. My boss has been very grateful for my frankness and my trust. I'm thankful that I had just finished cutting a lot out of my recurring expenses just before I was laid off. I had cut at least $500 per month.

In addition, I've avoided what I consider to be the biggest drain on the American paycheck -- the private automobile. If had owned a car -- something my previous employer tried to cajole me into so they could send me to client sites -- I wouldn't have the luxury of trusting so much that the money would come.

The boss was very happy with the meeting and with my performance therein. He also continues to be impressed with my personal skills, like how I keep track of the names of all of the players. He doesn't socialize as well as I do, a skill that I developed almost entirely at square dances! He tells me that I'm already a great programmer.

He shared today that he was talking with Mike, the guy who bought out my previous company and laid me off, about how great my project has turned out, how happy the client is and how well I'm learning things. My boss said that Mike indicated that he had no idea of my capabilities. My boss thinks it's because Steve, the previous owner, always had me researching this and that, and I didn't get a chance to focus on a project from start to finish.

FactCheck.org

One of the sources I rely upon is FactCheck.org.

Their mission statement says, "We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."

For instance, they have an article, Republican-funded Group Attack's Kerry's War Record that analyzes the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" television advertisement "Any Questions?" It includes links at the bottom to source material and downloadable pdfs of the affidavits of them quoted in the advertisement.

FactCheck.org takes Kerry's campaign down a peg or two when it is warranted as well. One recent article is Kerry's Dubious Economics: "He says new jobs are paying $9,000 less than the old ones. That's not a fact."

I always run to this site when a new campaign advertisement scuffle hits the newspapers, and I check in regularly to see their analyses. Since I don't watch a lot of television these days, this is how I see what the campaigns are saying.

Homework from Free Will Astrology

The Baltimore City Paper, "Baltimore's Free Alternative Weekly," runs an astrology column, "Free Will Astrology," written by Rob Brezsny.

I don't pay the predictions too much mind. I read them to satisfy my curiosity, more than anything else. If I were serious about astrology, I'd pay an astrologer to prepare a chart for me. After all, what good is a prediction if it's for everybody in the world that shares your sign? Whatever.

However, I noticed this line at the bottom of this week's column: "What's the single thing you could do right now that would change your life for the better?"

After thinking about it for a day or so, I think my answer would be, "overcoming procrastination." I realize that we all have our own "habits of thought," mine include optimism, patience, and I'm working on frugality. These thought patterns have helped me weather the time since I was laid off, because even though I have a job, the money is still much tighter than I had become used to.

One glaring bad habit is procrastination. I've known this for a while, but I haven't made much headway against it. I think I'm ready to tackle it now, starting with little things.

Today I started picking up the clutter in my apartment. I cleared all the boxes that I was tripping over in the kitchen, moving them into the main room, where I can stack them out of the way. I've cleaned up after my past three meals. I presented myself at Kirk's apartment to help him with moving stuff in a timely fashion.

"Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny." -- George Dana Boardman (1828 – 1903), American Clergy

Patience

Ann, a friend of mine, is playing in the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience. "A loving adaptation where Homeland Security meets the Grateful Dead" -- whatever that means!

I'm looking at the dates next week: August 12, 13 or 14. I'm wondering if anybody else would like to join me?