Periodicdesign

I’ve made a few moves in the past week or so, one being to my new place in Arlington, VA and the other being a switch from one web hosting provider to another. Keegan, over at The Big Noob, pointed out a nice little yearly savings on web hosting that he stumbled across. I figured for the low price of less than $10 USD, I couldn’t go wrong. Even if I didn’t like the service, it’s only $10 USD and I can always switch to somewhere else. When I say $10 USD, I mean for an entire year, not just for one month or for setup fees. That number was the entire cost! I’ve been happy with the switch so far and the flexibility that Dreamhost provides along with the stellar support and services has been an all around great switch. I’m still making some updates to the site and getting all the bugs out from the move.

As far as the move to Arlington, VA went…well…it went. We all were very tired in the end. The weather was extremely hot and after fighting with U-Haul for several hours the night before (and sending me all over the countryside for a truck) we all just wanted to vegetate. I would like to thank Betsy, Forrest, Shaun (Mule), Lynwood, Krista and Melissa (Liz) for all their help and we will be having you over in the near future for payment. I would also like to thank Helen’s parents for their generous furniture donations to the house. I don’t think we would be as well outfitted if it weren’t for you two. Thanks to all!!

I will post some photos of the house in the coming weeks (once the place is all in order). Keep your eyes peeled. This place is hotter than the oven door, and for what we pay in rent, it is a steal!

Not that I’m actively looking for a new job or anything, but I like to hit the boards on various job sites and just see what’s floating around out there. I’ve come across a rather interesting bit of information that seems to be creeping into the prerequisites of companies seeking designers. Now, when I say designers, I don’t mean your average “Web Producers” that get paid $15 USD/per hour, I mean someone that knows what Information Architecture and Information Design (just to name two) is and how to at least implement these practices from a technical standpoint and has read literature on the facts and nuances behind these young fields. I’m talking about the people who bill more than an administrative assistants wage and know there is more to life than WYSIWYG and Front Page.

I’m talking about those that know what SEO is, the basics of implementing and why this is becoming an ever evolving piece of information to have on your resume and engrained into your skulls. For those smart ones out there that know what I’m talking about and have been looking for gainful employment, you can add another thing to your resume that recruiters will understand. Fortunately, I’ve worked for two organizations that know what I’m talking about.

We had our annual contract specific picnic last Friday and boy was it fun. There was so much food to eat and plenty of events to keep all of us busy. There was a Ballon Toss to get the picnic rolling (which eventually tunred into a free-for-all “Peg Senior Management” Event), then followed by Horseshoes, Golf, Volleyball and I believe Badminton as well.

The event to end all events was the pie eating contest. Jeff and Dan were the only two people brave enough to step up and take the challenge. I had initially thought about stepping up myself, but I had stuffed myself on all the other good eats at the picnic. I still managed to snag some decent pictures on my cell phone before the day was over.

So the other day I was talking to a friend of mine who works in the realm of staffing. She asked me to describe in a few words what I thought my ideal place of employment would be. I reciprocated “Fun,” “Energetic,” “Growth” and “Creative.” Here was her response:

“Why in God’s name are you working in this town then?”
Recruiter - Unknown Staffing Agency

Nuff said!

I’ve been heavily evaluating my career as of late and wonder where I would be without all the knowledge I’ve soaked up over the past two or more years. Well, I don’t think I’d be where I am or enjoying my career as much as I am now. To all of those who have influenced me; Thank You!

Roll call please (in no particular order):

• Thomas Vander Wal
• Bob Hayes
• Cameron Moll
• Doug Bowman
• Jeffrey Zeldman
• WebDesign-L
• CSS Zen Garden
• Dave Shea
• Dunstan Orchard
• Jeff Veen
• Jesse James Garrett
• Adaptive Path
• Andy Budd
• Jon Hicks
• Dave Waltermire
• Eric Meyer
• Molly Holzschlag
• Tantek
• Ryan Sims
• Daniel Burka
• Porter Glendenning

Now, if I forgot any names, I apologize, but I’ll update this list as I gather more names in my head.