Big changes ahead? |
This week I was offered a generous opportunity to go work with another very popular and most excellent website as their photographer.
I had met with the VP last week while he was here attending the PerfectDay/Splash parties.
Next thing I know I am canceling a shoot (I've never missed a shoot before!) and packing my bags. Very exciting!
I flew out to San Diego on Friday and was picked up by a driver who took me to the Park Manor Suites located right in Hillcrest next to Balboa Park.
I tossed my stuff in my room, and the VP came by to pick me up for lunch with the site owner. Neither of us really knew what we wanted and we discussed pie in the sky options. We swung by their offices and I got a tour of their operation, new set locations, and met a handful of really cool energetic employees.
I got a tour of the neighborhoods and a quick jaunt over to the beach and a Starbucks so I could check mail. After that, I headed back to my hotel to try and get some web updates done. (This all happened when I needed to get Kevin online..you have seen Kevin?!)
The hotel is pretty old and isn't wired for Internet. There is even a fee for local calls. But after a little investigation, we found they did have a wireless router, but I had to sit in the lobby or the back patio to get one. It was a little flaky, but I got a lot of work done.
Before dinner the VP and I went up to the rooftop to enjoy the view and cocktails. I guess they have a happy hour on Fridays, because it wasn't crowded on the other nights I was there. This crowd was older, but the view of San Diego was quite nice.
I got back to the hotel and tried to put all the options we had discussed on paper. I wasn't real clear as to what they wanted from me so I tried to work out the options. I once again found myself sitting by the outdoor fountain.
We hung around until it was time to meet the site owner for dinner where we discussed more options. I was very comfortable being around them, and I think they were too. The site owner agreed to look further into my site to see if we could cross promote, integrate, or just leave it how it is.
The other guests saw me sitting there a LOT and I kept getting comments from them about me needing to get up and go somewhere and do SOMETHING. Really annoying.
I would get up and go to lunch and dinner but every couple hours I would come back and sit for an hour or two to work, and then they would be back, thinking I hadn't even moved.
The next morning the VP came by to take me hiking. He loves the outdoors and knew that I liked to spend time biking and being active outdoors as well. So I got a better lay of the land as we headed towards the mountains. It's just gorgeous there! It's like a cross between Colorado and Austin.
We stopped at Cuyamaca Rancho and got some trail maps from a volunteer manning a trailer just below some of the trails.
Neither of us thought to bring sunscreen. I had it in my toiletry bag and packed it specifically for hiking, but I completely forgot it. I kept my long sleeve shirt on as long as I could, but we were both shirtless in no time at all.
The weather apparently has been unseasonably warm, making my un-air-conditioned hotel room a little stuffy, and this hike hotter than normal.
We hiked up to the top and the temperatures were a nice dry 87 degrees. I loved it of course. We didn't talk business but ended up talking about personal things. Which is a totally good idea since with the small staff they have, everyone works closely together and it is twice as important to make sure everyone gets a long.
The trail meanders back and forth as we made our way to the top. There was a railing and a cool overlook. A cool breeze picked up and cooled us down. I kept leaning over the rail cuz the heights made my insides all tingly.
I took a few shots to show the perspective of how high we had climbed, but I'm not sure you all can see the effect. It's not Mt. Olympus, but it was a nice steady burn and I really enjoyed getting in a little physical activity after all the fine dining we had been doing.
The trip back down went quick. The VP kept saying there was an apple pie waiting for us at that bottom. Punch and Pie!
Near this park is the small town of Julian that is a dead ringer for Fredricksburg, Texas. Instead of peaches, their main product is apples and they are well known for their amazing apple pies. The town's other main business seems to be craft type shops and antique stores.
The town is usually a mix of suburban tourists, Harley bikers, and gay guys hunting up said antiques. Pretty funny cross-section when you see it all poured out on the streets like that.
We ate lunch at a genuine soda fountain shop. We went across the street to a pie shop called Mom's. They even had strawberry rhubarb pie! But I had my heart set on Apple after all the talk about apple pie.
We were disappointed when they didn't have any more sugar free whole pies, so we ordered a sugared one, and split the last remaining piece of sugar free apple pie. It was pretty good, but I bet the sugared pie was gonna be awesome. I never did get a taste.
After Julian, we drove around, scouting out locations for photoshoots and just generally getting a feel for the area. This company really wants to do some different stuff than what they are currently doing.
The VP dropped me back to the hotel where I sat once again on the back patio emailing my friends and seeing what they thought of this move. I called my parents, who of course are always so crazy supportive I wonder how I got so lucky to have them as parents.
We met with the site owner again for dinner and he talked about some problems with my site and how it should stay on its own and some changes I needed to make to ensure I don't have problems in the future. Some rock solid but scary advice.
We talked salary and also living arrangements. Thats gonna be my biggest problem. I am used to a lot of space, at least enough to also have a studio. I would keep my house in Austin as a fall back plan, and with Bill there, he can stay and keep that going.
I 'm considering giving this a 6 month trial period. I would need a largish apartment, and it would need to be close to the studios so I can be there at a moments notice. Real estate in San Diego is outrageous. It may be a stumbling block. If you know anyone with some good space in the Hillcrest area, let me know!
So everything is up in the air. We will just have to wait and see where I will land.
CYAIN7
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