Nice. Latest real estate assignment?
Not sure where we left off. I had to give up the job. My back is so bad right now I can barely walk. Having surgery Oct. 9 if I get over the nasty cold I’ve just come down with. You probably figured out that was the reason for the new email address. They said they’d hire me back after I recover but that doesn’t sound very appealing right now.
So the question remains… What to do with the rest of my life? Thinking I might put together some kind of picture book but haven’t come up with a concept. Do you have any ideas? You could do one about houses of the Pacific Northwest and try to make some bucks from your real estate gigs.
Obviously there’s nothing going on here or I wouldn’t be rambling like this.
RE
Sent from my iPhone
Robert,
Yes, that was my latest real estate gig. A big house with a view. I worked with a new Sotheby’s agent too. Swore I wouldn’t do this, but I suppose I need to keep my options open. I guess I have a love/hate thing with doing real estate work. I mean I like the people I work with, I enjoy seeing homes and chatting with the home owners. But for some reason the photo part is harder than I would like it to be and invariably, I am not totally happy with my work. I want it to be better, I don’t to fight technically issues, I want to be better at the software part. I want it to be effortless like my personal work. But most of this I am putting on myself. My personal work is effortless because I am pleasing no one but myself. I have always struggled with client work as somehow not being quite good enough…that the work is flawed. Sounds like I need therapy. But I did do a good job, such a good job they want to put me on a preferred referral list for “architecturally significant properties”, so I can get the trophy listings. Maybe it is that doubt that pushes us forward.
I didn’t make the connection with the change of email address, I just assumed you wanted a more private address. Sorry to hear about your back, that’s gotta suck. I am contemplating knee surgery myself, though I promised I never would. My knee is not too painful really, just kind of aches, is slightly swollen and doesn’t function like it should. It doesn’t keep from doing anything really, but since it has at times buckled, I tend to be rather careful going down stairs. I am only now considering surgery because I spoke with a friend at a university function last night who recently had knee surgery and he had every single symptom as me, only more painful. He says he is fine now. Of course your back is another issue. That’s a much bigger deal. And only being able to barely walk is a huge deal. I hope you get back to normal. Is this all aging stuff? If so, it gets worse, right?
What to do with the rest of one’s life… Now there’s the million dollar question. I guess it depends on what one needs, what one wants and what one has to work with to achieve those needs and wants. I have never really had a to do list or bucket list as it were for my life. I have always been a go with the flow kind of guy. Most of the time I have followed whatever opportunities that presented themselves that interested me. And sometimes, when those opportunities waned or I reached a dead end, I said ok, and did something else. The one constant has been photography. The camera has opened many doors for me, and taken me to many places, introduced me to a lot of nice people. It may sound a bit simplistic, but I guess what I want to do for the rest of my life is more of the same.
Hard to say what you might do, though the book idea sounds good. I mean, if you can afford to, why not pour yourself into photography? It makes you happy, doesn’t it? It has worked out pretty well for me. Maybe something from Paris, from old film images. You must have quite a collection by now. I would help you make some scans, you could learn Photoshop once and for all. It could be fun, no? Or… You could go be a greeter at Walmart.
By the way, you obviously have a lot going on, and you aren’t the only one who rambles…
Your pal,
Mel
