From 2005 to 2008 in South Florida I created and ran a permit expediting company. It came from my mom managing a construction company, them having too many contracts, and not enough contractors to run their own permits. I saw a need and got together with a couple of friends to incorporate.

We pitched it to the owner of the company my mom managed and got a contract from them. We eventually picked up other companies as well.

So the job went like this: one of us be assigned to a specific geographic area or company for the day, we would stop by the office, pick up the paperwork for whatever permits had to be filed, retrieved, delivered.

We would visit the city building department and depending on the city (each ran things in drastically different ways with no consistency) we would be there for 15 minutes or all day. Some permits would be a quick, single day turnaround or could be in bureaucratic hell for a month or two. We'd charge based on the complexity and time involved in getting permits approved. Then we would either deliver the permits to the contractor or the job site. On occasion we would deliver liens to customers who didn't pay their bills which could sometimes get dangerous.

The only people I've ever met that did this exact type of work were people I met within city building departments. It's a relatively boring, but uncommon profession.

The job came with all kinds of weird knowledge that I've never had to use again, like how many palm trees on the property equal a shade tree for the purpose of landscaping requirements. Than answer back then was 3.

The company was born out of a construction boom after Hurricane Katrina and died during the housing market crash of 2008.

Edited for spelling and sentence structure.

Also edit: sometimes getting permits approved would involve meeting with city engineers, making corrections on engineering documents, and just having a good rapport with the city.

Also, currently I am a change control analyst for a telecom company. My job description literally says "protect the network". Essentially network engineers submit projects to me, I check the projects for accuracy, impact risk, importance, etc. A lot of the time, I reject work because of errors, cutting corners, not enough preparation, etc.

My job is to balance the projects being done VS how many customers I want to piss off because their services get taken down. My engineers either absolutely love me, or would like to have the opportunity to stab me in a dark alley, there really is no in between. Generally the ones I reject often for crap work are the ones that also want to stab me.

I submitted a song and also submitted a form to be a dj. I'm a musician and did a radio station on twitch for a while (I really should start that up again when I have time).

Mostly I'd be spinning synthwave, industrial, electro, future pop, etc if accepted. Stuff like that.

All good points. I make time with friends when I can, getting laid off from my job really messed me up. I had been there for 11 years a lot of my closer friends are tied to that job and people I worked with. I still go out to lunch or for coffee with them when possible, but I don't see them every day like I used to. I am going to double my efforts to spend time with them.

Honestly, that's really beautiful. I can tell you have a lot of passion for your hobby. I am going to look into this and subscribe to the youtube channels you listed. Thank you!

That's really cool. I've considered welding, seems really neat. Good luck, build something awesome!

A little bit of self promotion, since you asked. My bandmate and I started a tiny record label named Paraluna as a project and decided our first release was going to be a charity compilation of 80s covers named Retronomicon for Charles Levi to help with his recovery. It came out yesterday and is doing okay in sales. 100% of proceeds go to Charles Levi's medical bills. If anyone is interested, it's easy to find with a quick Google search. So this weekend is promote, promote, promote.

Hope you have a great weekend!

I know that feeling. You and I are on a mission to find what gives us purpose and happiness. I hope you find it, friend.

That sounds really cool. I am going to look into this some more.

Definitely something I've considered. From my decades of working in front of computers, I would love to do something with my hands. I've looked at trade schools in my area and weighed some options.

I have one of these sinks in my house. At least it's in a corner, but it's still terrible.

Will do, thanks for the suggestion. I'll start a thread.

My favorite track is probably Missing in Stars covering Hold Me Now. It's soooo good.

Also, going to be available on streaming services after Feb 14, wanted to give it a couple of weeks to stew on Bandcamp first.

And if anyone is like, I NEED this, or you are a DJ who wants to spin it, or whatever, just message me for a download code.

What other side projects do people have? Like the type of thing you do, just to do.

All great suggestions. I was gifted a secondhand resin printer a while ago. I don't have any post processing stuff or anything so haven't really delved into it.

Currently I am sitting on the board of directors for a new non-profit. Been trying to get it off the ground and have done some good in the form of utility relief for families in need. Its a lot though and while I am keeping at it, its not really scratching my itch to find new purpose.

WOW! That's really neat, I've never considered something like that. Sounds really cool.

If it becomes a problem, I will gladly delete it.

Definitely a good idea. I've never been talented in drawing or painting, but that doesn't mean I can't develop it.

A little bit of show and tell.

Yeah, I was definitely worried about it being a promotion. I've been doing music for a long time, but I gave up the idea that it would pay my bills a decade ago. That's just not a reality anymore and got more abysmal during and after covid.

Its 100% a creative outlet and side projects for me. By day I am an under employed project manager. By night I am an idealistic and also under employed musician. Oh what a fate! :)

That sounds really cool and challenging. I am going to look into it. Thanks!

I've never been particularly talented at visual arts like drawing and painting, my artistic talents mostly come in music. Which I've been doing for a long time and burnt out on. I do know you can develop a talent like drawing with enough time and effort, so its not totally out of the question.

Very true. I'll do a bit of digging and see where a thread for it may belong. Thanks again!

I appreciate what you are doing and am glad you found something that you enjoy. I've tried to contribute music to game development before, and each time the project ended up falling apart and the game never finished. I even wrote a score for an independent film once... then covid hit, funding fell through, and the movie was left in post production hell. I've released a ton of stuff on my own, but as a big ol video game nerd, I would love to breach that medium.

Yeah, I've got a ton of music published, its all on Spotify/iTunes/etc. The name of my band is Giant Monsters on the Horizon. Been doing music for a long while. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HmglWNfF7jAYQxbEjv9Xt?si=wKM8b_rATrSgx5WV7ITDdw

Thank you so much! I didn't want to assume too much and hijack your thread. Much appreciated!

Heh, unfortunately no. I was born and raised in Ft Lauderdale, but now reside in Missouri... so no where near water, lol.

I'm already on the board of directors for a non-profit on a volunteer only basis. I have a passion for charity, but its pretty slow going sometimes. Its kind of lost its luster like everything else.

Yah! It is. I cook often, but its not really a hobby for me. I just like good food and I don't like spending money eating out.

Thats super cool. I didn't think it would really be a thing around here. I will look into it. Thanks!

Thank you for the kind words. I will look into the SDS test.

I definitely have wood working on my radar. I have some basic hand and electric tools for home improvement stuff. Unfortunately I'm really burnt out on programming and computer stuff. I spend my work day in front of a computer doing mind numbing repetition. I know I should have clarified that further in the original post, sorry about that.

Phantom Brave, when Marona finally makes a real friend. I lose it every time.

Yeah, when I was younger, I could always see myself as a teacher. The truth is, its not enough money and being more of a "jack of all trades" type, I don't have any expertise in anything to be able to teach someone else effectively. At least that's how it feels to me.

You are my favorite person, I appreciate you! :D

Seriously, thank you for supporting. I've worked with softsynths all my adult life, mainly Reason for production and arranging, Ableton for live shows. One of my bandmates is a gearhead, we've tried all kinds of his hardware including modular stuff, and it was just a learning curve that I was not really interested in. My music production time is really limited (One of my bandmates and his wife just adopted 2 kids out of foster care, and my other bandmate is a full time teacher), I only get about 4 hours a week to actually collaborate with them. Every time we've tried writing and creating with hardware, it just left us with getting nothing done during our once a week session. We stick with the softsynths we know and keep the train moving forward. So the balance struggle there is, do we take several sessions off to try something new? Or do we keep creating and being productive. Its tough.

Thanks much! I do use Splice sometimes when I need a loop quickly, or a fill, or even a decent riser. I've been doing music production for a long time and its been really good (released some stuff I really love, worked with some of the people in the industry I look up to, and shared the stage with some really phenomenal talents). Its something that I am continuing to do, but just burnt out on it is all.

Working on cars sounds awesome, but also intimidating. I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, I just don't think I have the space or materials to start that. I have a new car (so I'm not taking that apart any time soon), and I don't have a decent workspace like a garage. Its a good suggestion though and one I would want to attempt in the future.

I'm trying to move away from coding/programming type stuff. I already spend way to much time in front of my computer.

Both kind of. I mean, that's the dream right? Finding something you find interesting and gives you purpose and then being able to make a living wage doing it. Its interesting you mentioned being an electrician. I have a tour scheduled next week at a local trade school to explore being an electrician. Do you have any suggestion on questions I should ask during my tour?

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried doing a terrarium last year and was just entirely unsuccessful. Had a fungus issue, cleaned it all out, tried again, had a fungus problem. I put it on the back burner and figured I would try again in the future. Shrug.

Thanks! I have a tour scheduled next week for a trade school for their electrician program. I'm not 100% sure if I have an interest in it, but it has the traits I am looking for. Being useful, having a purpose, working with my hands, etc. I will see how I feel after the tour.