Identity Crisis

What do I want to be when I grow up? And when do I have to give an answer to that question? I'm 38 years old and just last week I decided to become an stronaut or a fairy princess. This week I changed my mind and am considering mountain climbing and travel marketing promotions. Next week it's another story, and I'm already investigating the idea of becoming a tropy wife to a VERY rich, VERY old man.

The thing is I have no idea what I want to be. A writer? Maybe, sometimes. A webstress, extraordinaire? More times than not. Pretty much what I want to be is a rich, superhero. I know, it's not much of a definition, nor very realistic, but at least it gives me a framework.

The superhero part indicates some kind of charity work, but the rich part kind of precludes most 501C3 work. So then what?

I do know that I think the following things SUCK:

Stuffing envelopes
Washing windows
Any type of housework
Being ordered around by a ridiculous boss
Fetching coffee (unless it is a Starbuck's run and someone else is paying.)

Anyway, most of you know that a year ago I declared work independence. I gave six week's notice at my job and basically walked away from the 9-5 world without a second glance. I had some money (not enough) saved, and I had many, many, many professional contacts. No actual projects or clients had been lined up.

Now I've kind of spent the past year dinking around "finding myself" or whatever the p/c term is these days.

So after some brainstorming and talking with friends I made one big realization. I'm spending so much time being good at EVERYTHING, I haven't left myself enough time to be GREAT at anything. Now, how am I going to be a super hero without having at least one Super Power?

So I did the career planning thing this week, catalogued my strengths, weaknesses, what do I like, what am I good at, blah, blah, blah. I made the decision. I'm going to focus on my marketing agency. I'm going to specialize in promotion in Latin America. All stuff I do well, and with a little bit of work these things could be Super Power.

Then, pow, I secure a new tourism client, and the focus for them is online marketing, so now I'm changing my focus (if you can even call it that) again. Spent some time the past few days stressing over my lack of commitment to my own future.

But then I hit the pay off. I realized

I DON'T CARE.

I'm having the time of my life. I'm poorer than I've ever been. I'm mismanaging credit. My wardrobe has degenerated from cool business suits to ripped jeans and raggedy sweats.

But I'm having a blast. If it's a rainy day, I take a nap at lunch time. If I'm infused with creativity, I will stay up all night long to get my work done.

I'm incredibly busy, maybe even more busy than when I was gainfully employed. Time seems to be hurtling along at not-yet-defined scientific term that makes light speed look like a turtle's crawl.

The thing is that maybe when I grow up I want to be exactly who I am today.

The Google Print Controversy -- Why the Fuss?

Just a quick catch up, Google Print has a controversial new program where they plan to scan nearly every book ever written. The point, according to Google, is so that when people do a Google search, if published books contain the searched words, relevant pages will also show up in the search results.

Two groups have filed suits against Google for Copyright infringement. Now I certainly can see how the major publishers are a bit worried about their bottom line. Certainly a clever enough person could use Google Print in a way that would allow them to find each and every page in their favorite James Patterson novel.

But my God that would take a lot of work. Maybe publishers will lose a few dollars to the most enterprising of the copyright stealers, but let's face it these people have other methods (photocopying books at the library, for instance. Or perhaps buying a book at a major retailer, then copying it, and then returning it) for violating copyright laws.

And searching a book page by page on Google is going to take a hell of a lot more work than it would take even to photo copy a book page by page. (And who in their right mind would even want to do that??)

Absolutely there will always be the person trying to beat the system, just because they can.

However...

Here's the key issue I think the major publishers have completely overlooked. We bookies won't use Google to steal books, because we're addicted to BOOKS themselves. Sure the words inside are great, but it just isn't the same unless we are reading an actual book. A 500-page photo copy just doesn't have the same effect for us.

We're going to buy books because we like the way they feel, the way they smell. We like having them next to us, in piles, while we curl up in bed. Searching the internet for a page-by-page copy of the book is going to be about as popular as the pretty much failed downloadable book movement of the past few years.

What Google Print will do is help sell books. Hey, if I'm doing a search for "outlaw pirate with a heart of gold", (oopsie, I mean "great philosophical texts of the 1800s") and I come across a book that has that text inside, a book I've never heard of. Am I going to spend DAYS reading that book online? Heck no, I'm too busy playing video games, doing chat rooms, and keeping my fantasy football league in the playoffs. However, I might just be so excited to dig up a new find in a field I like, that I'm gonna buy me that book to see if I like it.

Love to hear everyone else's thoughts.

I'm a Travel Writer

I can now officially call myself a travel writer. My first story is posted at TravelAge West, a magazine for Travel Agents in the Western United States. I attended a trade show, known as La Cumbre, in Houston Texas. Here's the result of that show:

Trading Spaces at La Cumbre

Hope you all enjoy it.