I am doing some knitting, but it is another of those rectangular things, so there seems little point in photographing it for you, since I do not have the skills to produce lyrical photos of a rectangle of stockinette. Some people can do that, but I am not one of them.
My working at home is settling in. In some ways, this is the perfect job for me: lots of variety, lots of learning, opportunities to use my training and skills, flexibility as to time and place. I am certainly enjoying it, and working hard, and doing my best.
So last night, when I got home from class shortly after 9:00 and returned a call from The Empress, I was pleased to hear that she thought I was doing a good job (as I’ve said before, it is hard for me to tell) and slightly alarmed to hear “It can’t go on forever.”
This sentence was embedded in a discussion of today’s school visits, so it slipped past and it wasn’t until after the conversation ended that I began to wonder what she had meant.
Because actually, I figured I was in this for the long term. Computer, conferences, school visits, workshops, and someone else minding the physical store while I did the virtual store, that was my plan. As long as I succeeded at it. I have been somewhat prepared for an announcement that the whole moving of the store thing had failed and we would all be out of work, but we were talking about strategies for next fall.
I had been starting to relax slightly.
My concern of course is that I will be asked to give up my research and writing and teaching and visiting job and drive to the store every day. I won’t go into all the reasons that I am unwilling to do that; most of you already know most of them. I will be driving up there most days in June (for workshops) and probably all the days in July and August, we’ve already agreed, but I figured I would return in September to what I am doing now. Except that by then, of course, we would have made it through the perilous stretch and I would really know what I was doing .
I was looking forward to that. Having heard The Empress talk about next fall as though we were confident that there would be a next fall for us made it seem more likely, too. And now I am wondering whether she is planning to pull the plug on the virtual store as the physical store is beginning to pick up speed.
Ah, well, if I find myself job hunting in the fall, I will be doing so with the newfound ability to toss around words like “saturation” and “linkage” with reference to computers, and up-to-date teaching experience after a couple of years without any, so if my sojourn into home-working fails either for the store or just for me, it still will have had benefits for me.
And I think it possible that I am partly responsible for the picking up of the physical store. I just can’t prove it.
#2 daughter has a solo in Samuel Barber’s “The Prayers of Kierkegaard” this week, so go and hear her if you are in the Kansas City area.
I’m not quite sure it makes any sense to abandon the virtual store if it is part of the reason the physical store is picking up speed.
But is it? I think it probably is, if only because more people visit the blog and the virtual store than visit the physical store, but the orders are not exactly pouring in.
It takes time to establish a reputation as a virtual store, too. I just hope the “Empress” is patient enough to hold on – to see what happens. Love your attitude: “so if my sojourn into home-working fails either for the store or just for me, it still will have had benefits for me.” We have to try, right?
RYC: Yes, we are on similar paths. It’s disconcerting – but freeing. It’s a weird balance between ‘fear’ and ‘elation’ for me.
RYC: My pleasure. So, as far as teaching – have you ever thought of teaching knitting? There are a few knitting stores in Portland that hold classes. For the longer classes (e.g., knitting a sweater), the instructors make about $50 per student (imagine 8 students in a 3-class course – that would be $400 in three weeks). In your spare time. Giggle.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof……
I hope that it turns out right for you, no matter what happens with the virtual shop. And that you don’t worry too much (it’s not my impression that you do).
RYC: No, I live somewhere else entirely. I love that place, but I’m not sure if I could live there; it’s beautiful and pristine, and that could be the problem.
Why don’t you ask The Empress what her plans are? Or at least ask what the ‘it’ in ‘It can’t last forever.’ refers to?
Well, I have an opinion. Surprised? My opinion is, it would be shortsighted to close down the virtual store. I do most of my shopping online, even though I could drive down to wherever to pick up whatever. Why? Convenience. I love having it done and shipped to my doorstep. I know I’m not the only one.