A New Hope

Friends,

A Canadian in Paris may have fallen short of many of your blog needs and expectations these days and I'm here to give you a couple of reasons for that.

1. I have been very busy.
2. I haven't been in Paris.
3. I haven't been in Paris (worth mentioning twice).

Let me tell you something about the finances of living abroad.  Many of you perhaps assumed that I had unlimited wealth or perhaps did under-the-table jobs in Paris.  This wasn't the case.  I'm a computer consultant with my own company and I have been doing freelance work.  When I moved to Paris, I was contracting for a company in North America.

My relationship with that company was a great one.  We took particular advantage of the time zone difference with my being in Paris.  At the end of the day, the company and/or their clients would discuss what they needed done and would inform me in an email.  The next day, I'd complete most of the work long before they were awake and... as they say in France, Voila!

They could review my work the rest of their business day and prepare me a new list for the following morning.  My clients and I would have a couple of hours where we could chat/skype/hangout before I would knock off for the evening and embark on the outrageous adventures I've been blogging about these past years.

Why did it end?

A storm of events plagued my principal contracting company.  They had a failed product launch (engineering project, not software and not mine), a resulting lawsuit, a death (major partner) and myriad other streaks of ill fate.  The company seemed cursed and eventually closed up shop.

I was left without a client.  I was in a country where I was not legally allowed to look for work and as such, had done no prospecting.  All of my contacts were on the other side of the world.

What did I do?

As many of you know, I looked at this work stoppage as an opportunity.  I started to work full time on my opus, my Oi! - Operational Intelligence application.  To support myself, I took some small contract work in Canada, at least what I could find, and resumed work on Oi! during the breaks.

A sample Oi! screenshot

I never did find another company that would enable me to work remotely, however, thus my former Parisian lifestyle has eluded my recapture.  I have been offered various contracting positions, but all requiring my presence at their offices.  Such a position would obviously preclude returning to Paris and might likely all but prevent me from finishing my near finished opus application.

Can the awesomeness be restored?

Yes.  I just need a couple of new clients.

Versailles this summer?

We'll see, my friends.  I won't keep it a secret.  We'll see.

A dashing Chevalier and his Princesses at Versailles, June 2015

Your friend and humble narrator,
Chevalier Robyn