Real work getting in the way of community work
But this contract gig I'm on... it kind of gets in the way of sharing. By the time I get home I just want to watch TV or read something from dead trees. The work isn't hard... I've yet to write any code or even requirements after billing north of 80 hours. It's just that leaving the house and being around software all day makes me less interested in my little pet projects. I hate that, because my personal projects allow me to both share expertise and serve as the foundation for bigger picture things (like a long-overdue CoasterBuzz rewrite).
Alas, this is still the first gig I've been on in five years that I feel is interesting and has good people to work with. While I could afford it financially to just up and split, it's not professional and I don't want to leave these people high and dry. They've been dealing with bad software for years, and I want to save them.
A month ago I was planning out how to waste time this summer, and somehow I got sucked into working for a client I like. What a strange world. This fall, one way or another, will still be all mine.