CowboyRobot

I played with this idea when I was doing an algorithmic composition project. I started with a Markov chain analysis of a simple Chopin etude, which gave me parameters, such as: - The distance between the lowest and highest note is 2 octaves - The key won't change, so there are only 8 notes per octave and given the first parameter, I only had 17 notes to choose from. - The shortest note was an 1/8th and the longest was a half. Most were quarters and there were a few dotted quarters (if I recall) so there were 4 note lengths to choose from. - The main melody in the original was 4 measures (again, if I recall) so my generated melodies were set to be that length, and always end on the root

Given all of these parameters, there were still many thousands of combinations. Applying the Markov chain limited that a lot, but that was only to make it sound like Chopin (which it did, a little). However, most of the thousands of combinations sound like crap, which is not an insignificant point. If you're willing to call some random sequence of notes a melody, then there are an infinite number

If I were to start asking for explicit time off, I would have to start explaining all the time off I take now without telling anyone.

Focus on standing up. Alarm clock is set to the news and I'll listen for anything interesting. Use toilet, drink glass of water. Go to kitchen and get breakfast going for family. Only then do I check email/messages for anything urgent. I used to be more vigilant about checking email first thing in the AM but not now.

My most reliable clients have been through contacts I made when I had crap cubicle jobs. I don't know your situation but it may be worth snagging a cube job long enough to meet people. And it may be totally counter-intuitive and potentially mind-crushing, but the people in sales meet all the clients who have money to spend on development. If you could find your way into the social events that sales people go to you'll be halfway there. It's cynical, but getting gigs depends on people seeing you as "a good guy" more than whatever skills you have.

That said, one trick I learned was to always scan the local news looking for local businesses who recently got grants or some other windfall of funding. I assumed (usually correctly) that they would spend some of that windfall on building or revamping their website. I got some good long-term work that way. It was a cold call, but one with research behind it

This parallels my own experience. I too had a "can-do" attitude 10 years ago but now just can't be bothered with many things that I used to spend time on. This, however, is not laziness, it's maturity. You have now reached the level of maturation in your understanding of technology to know that things you learn for a one-off project will be forgotten within 6 months. And you are nearly at the level of maturity in relationships to know that if your girlfriend is truly passionate about selling her jewelry that she can learn to maintain her own eStorefront