Oil slicks

There is a moderately wide line of grease on the windows of most trains, be they subways or commuter rails. It rests at average head-height and is the result of passengers who have fallen asleep against the windows. It runs the entire length on both sides.

Things in my '05 so far have been so transitional that I haven't really even bothered to post. I don't really like the autobiographical nature of most blogs. My initial intent was to comment on the ways that life is affected by commuting. I have stalled mainly because I have commuted irregularly.

Autobiography commences here: In March my girlfriend of three years left me for a friend of hers. She moved out of my house and into his house the very same day. This was just two weeks after being canned at ABC, ending my regular commute and giving me a lot of time to sit in my house and think about what had happened.

I wanted her out of my life on a conscious level for months before she left. She had cheated on me, sponged mercilessly on my thin monetary reserves and lazed on household duties that ultimately cost other people money. It was a good thing to have her gone but I don't deal well with change sometimes. Transition can be difficult for me.

My friends rose up for me and kept me grounded, kept me here and believing that I didn't need to run away from Baltimore.

I got a freelance job working for the DC District of Transportation (DDOT) developing their annual report for 2k5. I had been hired by a company who had been hired by a company who had been hired by the DDOT. I was a sub contractor to a sub contractor. I began the job in March and I finished the job at the end of June. Three weeks initially which paid the rent for April. Another two weeks in April that paid the rent for May. Comfortable but far from really being prosperous.

The company that had initially secured the contract asked me to come on with them full time. I agreed despite being offered numerous jobs other places. It paid the best and seemed to offer the best amenities. Telecommuting most days, eventual benefits and a smaller atmosphere were all enticements. So when I contracted to begin a 4 month contract with the DC Department of Public Works (read: sanitation and recycling) in May "enhancing" their web presence. I hadn't even begun the contract when things went south.

The same company asked me to "enhance" their web presence. I laid out my standard three part contract. A payment on inception, a maintenance payment in the middle of the term and a final payment upon delivery. The company proceeded to offer me no direction and very little criticism. They claimed that I should just do what I do. So I did. I produced concept art and asked them to approve it. They didn't react well to that and told me just to produce a site and not wait for approvals. I produced navigational architecture and a behind-the-scenes organization and again asked for approval before I went further. By this time I hadn't had a check in almost a month and was awaiting my maintenance payment. I never received it.

Simultaneously, they asked me to complete edits on the DDOT report. I asked how I would be paid and they told me just to submit my timesheet like I would in any other agency situation. I worked on this for two weeks while I also worked on the company's web site. In the end I haven't been paid for any of my work and I'm contacting lawyers while I look for a new job.