It is another sunny afternoon in Los Angeles and I am out with the boys again. We’re all playing hooky from work…sort of. Truth is that at the moment we either work remotely and or own our own businesses so it is not hooky in the sense that we are punching time cards.
There is no plant or quarry for us to return to. No cubicle filled office with micro-managing supervisors sending us emails because we showed up five minutes late…again. Ok, I am the only one who ever had that happen. It is a number of years ago but we still laugh about it.
These emails would show up in my inbox and chastise me for being five minutes late to work. They never included the times that I would work through lunch or stayed late to finish projects. Nope, they would just be these little notes in which they would calculate the minutes and tell me how much I cost the company. Of course they were so busy suing former partners it made sense that they would pick on tiny details that had no relevance to actual production or revenue generated.
It is funny how fast time passes because what was once yesterday is now years ago and in many ways feels like it happened during a different life. And in many ways it was.
Once Upon a Time
We’re sitting around a table talking about nothing important and laughing about college memories. We’re closer to 50 than we are to twenty and I make a crack about how we used to sing “hope I die before I get old.” Don’t know how it started or when, but there were more than a few moments back then when we would start singing Baba O’Riley or some other song by The Who.
Of course there were others and since none of us were singers we always took advantage of the support of the other guys singing with us. Don’t know why it is, but you can take a group of 10 men and ask them to sing and if they do it together they can make it sound ok.
Someone brings up OccupyLA and we are all in agreement that we think it is a waste of time. Doesn’t matter if we agree with any of the things they say they are fighting for none of us can see how that situation would have led to the kind of change they hoped for.
It reminds us of the LA Riots and how many of the looters waved to the camera as they stole things from burning stores. Can’t tell you how many of those people found themselves in serious trouble not just because of the legal issues but because they threw away old furniture and then when the stolen goods were recovered ended up with nothing.
It was a crazy time and we all agree that we have been very lucky. We have had our share of hard times and trouble, but overall life has been good to us. Still, we all work hard and there is not a one of us who takes what we have for granted because we have seen how fast things turn around…in both directions.
One of the guys asks me if I am still blogging and I nod my head. They don’t ask too many questions about the blog and that is ok with me. I think they are more interested in finding out if I am still doing it.
And then I hear a male voice behind me say something about bloggers being people who don’t like to work, are narcissistic and a host of other disparaging remarks. I don’t react or respond to him because I don’t care. He is not the first person to say it nor will he be the last.
But I see no point in engaging with him. What am I going to do ask him how he can afford to be out in the middle of the day doing nothing. It is a stupid remark to make in this town especially because we live in a city where the coffee shops and restaurants are filled at odd hours every day. Some of it is because of the entertainment industry and some of it is just because.
I look at the fellas and I ask them where they think we’ll be in five years. Various answers are thrown out but I am not willing to make definitive predictions. Life is very different from what I had thought it would be five years ago and I am confident that five years from now it will probably be different than I expect.
They push for a real answer and all I am willing to say is that my plan is to be doing the things that bring me joy and make me feel fulfilled. That is part of why I blog, because writing brings me joy and words make me smile.
Got to run play dad again, but before I do here are a few pieces of music to share with you.
Jogi– Panjabi MC
The Power Of Bhangra-Snap! vs Motivo
Kashmir– Led Zeppelin
Hah, that last “woof” was great. Yeah, I hear you about dogs and bosses. I remember having very similar thoughts.
Age and life experience certainly impacts that now doesn’t it.
When I was a little younger I believed that only dogs have bosses. The – later – I realized that things are not that simple. Working at a job makes the money I need to pay the bills. Simple as that.
Don’t get me wrong, I like my job. I’m good at what I am doing and that is rewarding. The buckeroono’s are not bad either.
Blogging is something I do as a hobby. Besides having a busy job and the time I *need* to function there is little room for that hobby. Two hours a day. That should be enough you might think. But noooo… it’s not.
Here comes that boss again. Does he see me sneaking in a little blog – research time at work? I don’t know. “Woof!”.
// Jan
I like to have fun; if works happens to get in the way and be part of it, then that just makes it better.
5 years from now…………..hmmmmm…………hopefully we are still standing.
Hi Bill,
We’re all too young not to be standing five years from now, or so I hope. 😉 Hope you are having a great weekend.
Absolutely right Jack!
I agree with your last few lines I meant, that bloggers are mainly people who love to write and blog and would do so or should do so for the joy of writing.
I was just about thinking what the post was about when I saw the title 🙂 But now after reading I learnt that it was what a few people were talkign about. I think we find such people all over, all the time – don’t we? They either don’t really follow what blogging is all about or won’t really take it as a serious profession or don’t respect it at all. Similarly, I have often seen people look down upon any kind of online work that you would do.
I guess at the end of the day what matters most is how and what makes you happy and content – isn’t it? If you love being out with your boys and spending time with them, and manage your blog so well and love to write because of the sheer joy it gives you – that’s it – period. No one should really have problems or issues about it. 🙂
I loved the sunset scene – beautiful indeed. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hello Harleena,
I think a lot of people misunderstand what it is we do and why we do it. They don’t know about the friendships that develop or recognize the pleasure that comes from doing these things.
I absolutely agree with you about the importance in doing the things that bring us joy. It is not just a little detail in life, but something critical.
I’m with you Harleena and Jack.
Bloggers have to love what they do. How else can it be sustainable. I hate the fact that bloggers have this negative connotation attached to them. I don’t call myself a blogger to my family. Especially my aunt who is 81. She thinks i’m a writer despite the fact that i barely know how to use a comma and use my spell checker way too much.
I try not to let that stigma effect me and it really helps to drown out all of them by connecting with other bloggers online.
Hi Jack,
LA sounds like an awesome city, and especially because there are so many different kinds of people. In the small town where I’m living, the coffee shops are not packed during the day. They’re never packed.
I like your goals in life, they’re close to identical to mine if you add pizza.
I remember all too well how it was to work for someone else. I hope I’ll forget sometime soon. I like to be independent and work when I want and where I want, without thinking about every little detail.
Hi Jens,
I truly do love LA, but it is not always the easiest place to be. The city has changed a lot and we’re going through a rougher patch of time overall.
If I wasn’t from here I would have left a long time ago. That is not to say that there isn’t opportunity because it exists but you have to work twice as hard to get a bit less than you might find elsewhere.
But still it is a fabulous place to be.
Anyway, I am with you on pizza- one of my favorite foods. Here is to independence for all of us.
Bosses are the same everywhere, right? You’ll always hear about that five min. you “stole” from the company, but you’d never see them escort you out because you were there a half hour later than scheduled. Or ALWAYS eating lunch at your desk…
“You get to work late and the boss man’s giving you hell”… (a little Bruce makes it all better) 🙂
Hi Joe,
A little Bruce always helps.
Bosses are funny people, sometimes in the ha ha way and sometimes in that shake your head, WTF kind of way.