[It’s going to take me a long time to get back in the swing of things. I feel as if I’ve forgotten how to write well. So, I’m going to start blogging again pretty regularly, which should help. However, I’m not doing anything above and beyond that to improve my writing. I have a couple other things to work on (drawing and code) that are more important. There are many topics I want to write about, but I’m starting with a post on what I’m doing now. I just want to get this out there to provide some context to some vague posts from the past.]

I have made a few major changes in my life. For the past couple of years, I have been living in my own apartment in Union City. I lived across the street from the BART station and was about a 5 minute drive from my parents. I had no roommates, which was really strange at first. I never thought I’d get used to the quiet… but I did. I had a pretty stable job at a good company. They weathered the recession really well, and my team had recently added two new people. I had good relationships with my boss and coworkers. I got to do some interesting projects, including creating a data center sign-in program designed for the iPad. Cards on the table: I was bored at times because I found the support work less interesting than coding. I learned a lot, so I don’t regret anything at this point. I was also dealing with some pain, but that’s another post for another day. For now, it’s enough to say that I’m bad at taking breaks and exercising, so sitting at a computer all day caused some problems. One of my coworkers was my dad. Well, he worked in a different group, but his boss was my boss’s boss, and he sat near me. We commuted together every day, which was nice. I also came home and ate dinner almost everyday. It was almost like being home again, but I had my own bed and my own place to host parties. And I didn’t have to deal with my parents on the weekend.

Based on the comfort level, I didn’t really need to upend things. But I have. I told everyone at work that I was joining a start-up, doing iOS development. I’m not sure why I didn’t say what I was actually doing; maybe it was just too crazy. So, readers, I’ll put it here and let you judge. I left my job to start a business with a friend. I’ll be doing iOS development and he will handle more of the business and marketing. I suppose I didn’t need to quit my job to do this (my friend hasn’t), but I figured I wouldn’t give it my all unless I quit my job. Plus, I really needed a break anyway. (A break I haven’t been able to fully enjoy because of an injury. Or, I guess because of the injury I really did need the break.) I saved up enough money to give me a year to work on the business, and then another year’s worth of money to find a new job, depending on what progress has been made. Worst case scenario: A year later, the business hasn’t panned out, but now have a few apps under my belt and can add that to my resume.

I also moved from Union City. I’m now living with Stevie in Berkeley. We live within walking distance of so much of what we need, we live near a BART station, and we can both walk to work. Well, I only have to walk from the bedroom to the office. Overall, car usage between the two of us should go down. Not only do I not have to deal with a stupid commute and all the stupid traffic, I can help the planet by not driving so much. Eventually, I’d love to get to a nearly car-less existence. Stevie has been very supportive of my career change.

She’s also making a career change, of sorts. She’s going back to school to work on a PhD, while still working part-time at ATDP. What this means is that both of us will have to spend less money than we’re used to. So, not only have I changed my job and my home, I also belong to a different economic class.

I’m going from working for someone else to working for myself. I’ll be responsible for my own income, with all the upside but also all the downside. So many changes. It’s a complete shift in lifestyle.

I have no idea where I’ll be a year from now. All I hope is that I have enough to keep going and I don’t have to find another job.