So, I’m unemployed. I haven’t not had some sort of job—part-time or otherwise—since I was 15.
I’m also on the dole, collecting all sorts of mad unemployment cash. The Socialist State of Vermont lets you do everything via the phone and the Intarweb, which is pretty convenient. Of course I’m only getting about 30% of my salary, which means it’ll pay for rent… well, most of my rent, at least.
Here’s the great myth: The cost of living in Vermont is low. That may be true if you want to own a house in the boonies, but for us city folk, we make less money and pay rents that are about the equal of a place like Seattle. Single apartments go for about $900/month in lovely Burlington; I’ll probably have to move if I don’t find some work soon.
Of course I’ll probably have to move, regardless. I was kind of ready for this a year or so ago; today, not so much. Back then, I was being proactive about moving. I didn’t want to be forced into doing it.
Bah.
March 20th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Bet you wish you hadn’t spent all that money on a golden editing pen.
I’m not surprised rents are so high in even smaller urban centers. One big reason we bought when moved to Maryland was because the mortgage was reasonable compared to the insane rental prices that we would have had to pay for two adults in the same place.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Moving is a real bummer, no matter what the circumstances.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Popping in via QT3 to express best wishes for the future. You can always add the ubiquitous Paypal link to celebrate your newly found online editorial freedom!
P.S. The longer I stare at “irrelegular”, the more I’m convinced it should be a word.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I’d tell you to move down here where it’s really cheap to live, but there are no game magazines anywhere nearby and developers are even further away. :/
March 20th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
id be really surprised if you couldnt get freelance work easily, man.
sucks to be unemployed but im sure you will make the best of it :)
March 20th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Irrelegular. Crikey.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Move to San Francisco! You can live in my garage!
Well, technically it’s a “carport”. But, hey, it’s warmer than Vermont.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I noticed the “irrelegular” earlier, but thought it was some ironic joke I wasn’t cool enough to get because I don’t like the Pixies.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Jesus, those are Chicago prices. Possibly more depending on the square footage. What does Burlington have that the Second City doesn’t? Besides the Coat Factory, I mean.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Best wishes Steve. You did a great job at CGM. I will miss the magazine tremendously.
March 21st, 2007 at 1:07 am
Steve, thanks for all the great reads through the years, thanks for the opportunity to do a little writing, and thanks for being the one of the few on the planet who can discuss accurately whether Kevin McReynolds was more overrated than Spiral Stairs.
March 21st, 2007 at 8:34 am
Steve, very sorry to hear the news, both for you and the mag.
As for the unemployment, been there, done that. I hope you don’t have to draw it for very long, as we all know it’s not that much anyway. However, being unemployed has one distinct life lesson. You suddenly have the time to reflect on everything you did and have learned. You get time to analyze what happened that landed you where you are. And finally you get the time to form a plan to keep it from ever happening again. It’s like your life screeches to a halt on the interstate and you sit on the side of the road catching your breath before you merge back into traffic. As for the corporate truck that forced you to the side of the road … screw em.
Here’s to you landing someplace great, you deserve it Steve.
March 22nd, 2007 at 11:22 am
Steve,
Thanks for years of great reading. CGM will be greatly missed. I have no doubt that you will land another editing or freelancing job soon, too much talent was on display through CGM for your work to have gone unnoticed. My condolences on the end of an era, my congrats on the new beginning. Wherever you end up, online or in print, I’ll be a subscriber for sure.
Oh, and dude, it’s a little depressing that Google has populated your ad bar with Unemployment services ads. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds…Ouch.
March 23rd, 2007 at 1:42 am
Steve, I’m shocked and disappointed that the mag has gone away. Best of luck with the next gig, whatever it turns out to be. (BTW, I notice the “contact me” link above doesn’t work). –Bob
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:46 am
As someone who lived in West Dover, VT for a year…i say…run like hell to warmer climates.
and forget about finding Fat Angel anywhere…you can only get No. 9.
Good luck
March 23rd, 2007 at 2:10 pm
The contact form is now working, at least until I break it again.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Sorry, but CGM was the best of the CG magazines, especially at its height as Computer Games Strategy Plus. For example, while PC Games and CGW were raving, RAVING about Black & White, Bill Abner and myself knew better, giving it a mediocre 3 (of 5) star review.
Strategy Plus/CGS+/CGM never paid attention to the hype. Steve Bauman, Bill Abner, Cindy Yans… they were all the best. Here’s to resurrection of CGM sometime soon, I hope.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I’m still in complete shock and disappointment. After just four years of the magazine’s life it came as a major blow to part of my life.
In fact, I still don’t even know what to say.
Best of luck to you, wherever you go next!
March 31st, 2007 at 8:54 pm
So there’s really really no chance that someone else will buy the mag and resurrect it? Of course, without the same people, what would be the point, I guess.
April 27th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Sorry to hear about CGM. I can honestly say that it has been the only magazine (besides Dragon) in general that I looked forward to getting each month. I enjoy many other magazines but if I don’t read them, it wasn’t a big deal. CGM was just so interesting that I always read it front to back. I’m actually at work right now trying to digest all this. Good luck in the future and I plan to keep reading your blog to see what happens.