At an Alarming Rate

23 Jan 2006

My friends are leaving where I work at an alarming rate right now. Friday was the last day for my best friend Jamie. Today my friend Gary, who was our creative director, got flat out fired. No warnings or anything. Just a meeting and BAM!

To add to this, another friend mysteriously took the afternoon off.

So here we are, 7 weeks away from Alpha, and we are bringing in a new creative director with a new creative vision for the game. I feel like a deer caught in the headlights. All I can see right now is the insane and inescapable overtime bearing down on me. I can see this easily turning into exactly what I came here to get away from.

I got tired of working a 12 hour day and thinking, “Wow. That was a nice short day.” 60+ hour weeks are for people who don't have lives or friends. If you have either or both of those, 60+ hour weeks will take them away.

I came to work here for two reasons. One, to see my best friend again and hang out for the first time in years. Two, to get away from the 60+ hour weeks and weekends. Now with my best friend gone, and the 60+ hour weeks on the horizon, I don't know if this is right for me anymore.

I've been thinking about going back to EA for a long time. I really love Montreal though. It's hard to say if I could get in to the one here. I know a few of the other studios are just a phone call away, but, ugggh… I really do love Montreal!

What also sucks is that if I were to go to the west coast, I wouldn't be able to keep raiding in WoW with my current group. However, if I stay where I am, and the impending overtime doom comes, I won't be able to keep raiding with them either.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why does this shit happen in my life?

Why can't anything ever be easy and feel right, right from the beginning?

I need a banana cupcake :P