Wow, I haven't posted here much. It's not that I haven't wanted to - I've just been incredibly busy with life.

It's been ... three weeks since I left MindTouch. The best way I can describe my feelings towards it are the same ways I feel towards Carolina: I'm so happy for the experience, and I miss the people and stories... but I'm so glad it's over.

The hardest part of being unemployed is missing the people and being alone all the time. I'm not having as much trouble with structure as I thought I would have - having workout sessions every morning at 8am helps anchor my days. I find myself finding reasons to go out more - errands and bank runs and such.

I will say this: paychecks are the crack of the middle class. I am still having a hard time not having one - I'm not sure when I'll ever adjust to not having a regular paycheck again. Fortunately, I have other sources of income that are helping me extend my personal runway.

So what have I been doing? The first two weeks, I was pretty useless. I brushed off my resume and half-heartedly applied for a few jobs. I spent some time with friends in Vegas (not gambling, don't worry) and basically forgetting about San Diego. It served its purpose - I came back with a passion and a longing to be "at home" once again. I love being here right now, and that positivity has been great.

I then refocused on what I did at MindTouch, and what I would do next. For years, I've wanted to start my own company... well, it seems the world has conspired to bring this to me! I have a solid client list (regular $ per month!), the skillsets, the time, and the cash/perfect location to do so. You really couldn't dream up a more fortuitous scenario for starting a company.

There's a mental barrier you need to bust through: the notion that starting a business is hard. I had this misguided notion for a bit, and it was holding me back. But it was when I was talking to my new tax guy when it dawned on me: what I'm doing is not unique, and it's not anything special. Tons of people have done this, and tons of people will do this. I just need to suck it up and power through it. The rewards at the end of the day are far worth the risks.

So what's next?

Well, I've been slowly getting my stuff in order for the company. The LLC paperwork went through in October (although I may be on the verge of shutting it down and refiling as an S Corp), I set up a bank account, and I'm learning Quickbooks to keep my finances clean. I'm putting together a business plan and setting up a website, while I support my two awesome clients with work. They both re-upped on large contracts for February, so I'm up to my neck in work.

And I've got a passion project that I'm doing some work on. So those four projects take up a bulk of my time. (Oh, and I'm still applying for jobs - hey, who knows - maybe I'll find the PERFECT job somewhere!)

The company website should launch next week... I'll be writing about it lots, I'm sure!