This weblog is no longer being maintained. All information here has been ported to EclecticEchoes.com. This site (heupel.com/eclectic) remains only for archival purposes.
It’s been quite a while since I posted anything here… I’ve been keeping quite busy the past 2 months.
I finally have a full time job - with Salsa Express. They are a small company in Fredericksburg Texas (essentially my “home” town) that sells all sorts of salsa, hot sauce, spices, snacks and other spicy fare. I spent two weeks out there in September with my folks working for Salsa and a couple days working there of our family vacation last week. The task at hand is not a small one – redesign and vastly improve their online presence. Everything from the store’s website through Google Adwords and Overture to email marketing and search engine placement. I will also be helping with mid to long term IT planning.
Luckily all things I can do working from home in Mystic. I will miss the almost unlimited spicy and gourmet snacks and salsa on the desk all day. I must have tried 20 different salsas, spiced potato chips, pretzels etc. My favorite snacks were Dave’s Painful Pretzels and Kick Ass Jelly Beans. Maybe it is best for my waistline that I am out here!
One of the things we are launching is a blog at peppertalk.salsaexpress.com for the small team that runs Salsa Express to be able to talk about life in the Fiery Foods industry and what it’s like working out at the ranch. Yes, it’s located outside town on a ranch in the central Hill Country with horses, deer, armadillos and black buck antelope just outside the fences of the company’s area. Beautiful. The staff will also share recipes and their own favorite spicy foods.
Of course on top of all the settling in to a new job, especially long distance, at the busiest time of the year for that industry no less, my wife and I have to prepare for a high-profile local craft show this weekend! I have 30 or so scarves and she has a number of handbags, and such ready, but we should be taking more, so every minute we have is being spent getting more done. Then we still need to print business cards, a portfolio and item labels! Argggggh! Not enough hours in each day. Especially when the laptop starts showing the strains of constant use and abuse of the past two+ years.
Sounds like a bit of griping?
No way! I love having these “stresses” compared to the mounting stresses of 2+ years of unemployment. Tammy and I are closer now than ever before, in spite of, even because of, the extremely rough time we’ve had of it since 2001. Working from home with my son running around the room is a blessing (I do have to work harder at scheduling breaks and play time though) I wouldn’t trade for double the salary. In other words life is busy, hectic even – but absolutely wonderful!
God is good.