We all have dreams. I just lost my job, but I can't help but think I've at least had a chance to live one of my "dreams"... But what next?

A DREAM JOB
by John-Paul, ATF Staff Writer

(First, thanks to everyone who has signed the guestbook lately. Knowing you are out there helps makes doing this so much more worthwhile. -- JP)

My apologies for taking a detour from our normal rennie ramblings in this newsletter. I just want to share a few things with you this week. As some of you know (from the announcement on the front page), I was laid off this week and now find myself without employment for the first time in years. As it worked out, I was only thirteen days short of my six year anniversary... But that's not important now.

Six years ago I was working at a Disc Jockey Music store in Lufkin, Texas. I was there with my best friend from high school and I'd managed to work my way up to assistant manager. The only companies I really figured I'd move to work for were the Walt Disney Company and a small software house called Microware in Des Moines, Iowa. As fate had it, I received an opportunity to move to Iowa and get paid to work with an operating system (OS-9) which I'd spent many previous years using as a hobby. Things worked out really well but I still miss my friends (and the great food and total lack of snow) in Texas.

Looking back at the past six years I see that most of my time here was spent simply existing. I went to movies, played laser tag, had various girlfriends and traveled all across America and Canada for work. I taught people how to use our operating system and how to properly write programs for it. I suppose the travel kept me away often enough that I didn't really have time to realize I didn't have much else going on in my life. That is, of course, until I rediscovered renaissance festivals.

In the past four years I've gone to so many different festivals in the Midwest and met many new people. I've learned to use words I'd never heard. I picked up various bits of history (even though history was always my worst and least liked subject in school). I figured out how to go from a social outcast to the center of attention simply by dressing up and talking funny. A whole new life was born. Alas, with the passing of my "real life" job, I find myself wondering: what next?

Have you ever wanted to do something for the rest of your life? For many of the rennies I know, festivals are it. Imagine the fun of having a shop and traveling around the country selling you wares. Imagine having some kind of talent and an act that people would pay to see. A dream job? Perhaps, but the reality seems to be that most "full time" rennies are hardly into it for the fun anymore. Years of a "professional hobby" can turn it into a task that we do because we feel we have to. I, myself, used to spend hours working on OS-9 programs from games to utilities, but after my first few years at Microware I pretty much stopped doing anything outside of work. At local festivals, a highly respected music group performs at the big stage then, when their show is over, they disappear not to be heard from until their next scheduled performance. No longer is hanging out and walking around in the sun "fun", or so it seems. Other acts or merchants do their thing during festival hours, then drop the accent and say "shows over, go home" as soon as the event winds down.

I often wonder: How much would I enjoy and still use OS-9 if I'd never gotten my "dream job" with Microware? With festivals it seems the more involved I get the more fun I have and the more I actually want to be part of it but at what point does an entertainment related job become a "job"? Perhaps someone out there who's done the full time festival circuit can let me know because, lately, I've been looking at my floppy hat and thinking "hey, maybe I could do this for a living..." Ah, if only I didn't owe so much money to the King's credit department.

The future is uncertain, so who knows. Maybe I'll be packing everything up and moving off to join a festival circus. No matter where I end up, I hope this web site can continue. It's not quite a dream job (since it costs money rather than makes money), but it sure is alot of fun.

-- John-Paul

P.S. My resume is available for those interested ;-)

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Permanent festivals in our area: Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Bristol Renaissance Faire, Des Moines Renaissance Faire and Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
Other ATF sites: DisneyFans.com DMHauntedHouses.com