Resurrection

Yes, I know. I've said it before. I'm back. This time, I'm really going to give this the time and attention it deserves. I'm going to take a real shot at making this a worthwhile blog.

It's all been bullshit. I know that. You know that. Let's just call it water under the bridge and move on from there.

The fact is, I really have wanted to make this a worthwhile blog each and every time I've started (or restarted) posting here, but when you write for a living, the last thing you want to do is come home and write some more. At least, that's the last thing I wanted to do.

Now, however, I am at least temporarily unemployed. My contract is over. I've left my job of the last 40+ months and I'm sitting in a near empty Dublin apartment counting the hours until I fly back home to the states. It's been a good run, this last job, and I've done some work I'm proud of. I've worked with some great people and for a company that I truly like... it will be sad to leave the people and the job behind. Ireland, not so much, however.

It's not like Dublin is a bad city or that the Irish are bad people. Most folks here have been unfailingly nice, and the city is OK if you've never lived anywhere bigger than say, Podunk, Iowa. For someone who's spent any kind of time in places like New York, LA, San Francisco or even Des Moines, Dublin is just too small and dull to be a "livable" city. Sure, there's a pub on every corner and some pretty good music scattered around, but really, how much can you drink once you pass the age of 30 and your name's not Al?

Thankfully, there's a pretty good local poker scene in town, and I spent more than a few hours at the tables. I won some. I lost some and I made a few really good friends. For those times when I just had to get away, braving the foibles of Dublin airport put most of Europe just a few hours away. It's sad though when one of the best things you can say about a city is that it's easy to leave.

And leaving is what I'm doing now. For good this time. Sure, maybe I'll come back to visit, but tomorrow morning's cab ride to the airport is sure to be my last for quite some time, and that doesn't bother me a bit. It's been two years since I left my friends and family in the states, and that's long enough for me. I'm ready to go back and see where the road takes me. I don't have much in the way of plans laid out right now. I'm taking August off to wander up and down the eastern seaboard; Maine, Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Maryland and beyond. After that, it's a move back to the western US. Not California this time, but rather, Las Vegas.

I don't have any full time jobs lined up right now. Freelancing will be the name of the game to start. Oh, and I'll play some cards too. Not big stakes, and certainly not as my primary source of income. Hopefully I can grind some extra spending money that will give me the freedom to figure out what I want to do next and to maybe do some writing for myself. Here and in other formats long forgotten.

It's not much of a plan, but it's enough for me right now.

So, if anyone is still tuning into this little corner of the web, welcome back. I'll try to do better than I did before.