Dear friends,
In the midst of all the recent drama I have been forced to put-off today’s call for help.
I need an administrative assistant.
I would need somebody who is skilled with word processors and who can format a long text into an online book format. I have two books I want to put online for the History of the Orthodox Peoples (HOP) project. Right now they are one big ugly text with just paragraphs. I would like to format them into something pleasing to the eye and easy to read, and ideally offer a choice of 1) a word-processing file in ODT file format 2) one PDF file and one online single HTML page. Thus skills in presentation are important for that.
I also need help with my correspondence and project management. Frankly, I am totally swamped with work and I have a hard time replying to emails and, even more so, juggling several projects at the same time. A lot of what I do is following up with people and making sure that things get done on time. I also often need to write the same communication to different people. Finally, I need to keep track of who is doing what, when, how, if there is any progress and what the future deadlines are. Being a brain-fried scatterbrain this is not easy for me :-)
Languages: I much prefer an effective assistant with only English than a great linguist with 20 languages but poor organizational skills. However, it would be a HUGE plus if my assistant could speak/read/write in Russian.
Hardware and IT skills: I need somebody with a solid Internet connection, with Skype/Whatsapp/Google Hangouts – like capabilities (webcam), a basic knowledge of homeoffice type of computers (for themselves), a cellphone, text messaging, etc. I use GNU/Linux on all my machines, but if you are a Mac or Windows person, I don’t care as long as you don’t ask me to fix your machines for you and as long as you agree to use ‘open’, non-proprietary formats like ODT.
Money: right now I cannot pay but I will refund any and all costs. Also, there is a real possibility that I might get some funding later this year at which point I would offer some compensation, but the main motive to work with me should really to help in the struggle, make a difference, not be a bystander. At this point I don’t want to do what so many immoral and crooked employers do and dangle a carrot of empty-promises in front of your nose and then make you wait forever. So while I mention the possibility of some income, please pretend like I did not mention it at all and consider this as a purely volunteer position. Then, we will see what the future brings.
Schedule: this is going to be one of those “when it rains it pours” kind of situation. Sometimes things are very quiet and nothing much is going on, and then suddenly all hell breaks loose. What I will say is that I always place real life (which I jokingly refer to as “meat space”) over virtual life (which includes the blogopshere). In other words, if you have private/family/personal commitments I will always encourage to deal with them first while I fall back on working alone and you take care of your private matters. But sometimes there will be “bursts” of activity when I will ask for more of your time, mostly depending on what is going on in the world. But, at most, we are talking maybe a couple of hours per day 5 days a week (roughly). This is not a full-time 24/7 kind of commitment (I have a real life too, with a fulltime job, a family, and lots of headaches and private commitments like everybody else).
Commitment: There one thing I would want to avoid: short-term commitments. You know how it goes, first enthusiasm, then it all starts to stagnate and then to slow down. If I had a magic wand or three wishes from a bottle-genie I would ask for a long-term relationship with my assistant, many years hopefully. I am in this struggle for the long term, God willing, and I always try to build a long-term friendship and partnership with all the people I work with (I am proud to say that quite a few members of the Saker community have now become close and even loved friends). So if you are looking for a 3 months gig, look elsewhere. But if you are interested in really getting involved in the resistance to Empire, then this might be the right thing for you.
Gender/race/religion/politics/past life/age: I don’t care. I usually work best with women, but that is not at all an ironclad rule (it’s just that I really don’t like the competitive/aggressive testosterone-overdose-poisoned macho types, that’s all). I am a religious person, but as long as you are not a fire-breathing militant atheist, I don’t care if you are religious or not. I have no interest in your past, (-: no need to send me resumes :-). I don’t care who people are or, even less, who they have been. I care about what they do. In the Saker community I work with Communists and Monarchists and Muslims and Christians and agnostics. As long as there is a revolt against injustice and a quest for the Truth inside you, and as long as you are not indifferent or lukewarm – we can work together.
Geography: anywhere on the planet earth (or beyond) as long as you have a good Internet connection. I am based in Florida, USA, so I typically work in the evenings, but I also do mornings and afternoons (I basically work non-stop when I am not at my ‘regular’ day job). I try to take it easy on week-ends, but if you happen to rest on Fridays or Saturdays (or any other day of the week) that is fine by me. I can adapt.
Personality: I hate lies and deception above all. I do like shy people, which I often find very interesting with a rich inner life. I hate conflicts, scandals and drama-queens (had too many of that in the past). My favorite word in English is “stillness”. I will always prefer a kind person over a smart one. I am very passé – honor means a lot to me. I am a scatterbrain, mostly unpractical in practical issues of life. I am a very informal kind of person. I am also direct. And I like to engage in, and support, crimethink. You can read more about me here and here and more about my values here.
That’s about it, I think.
If you are interested in this position, please write me to vineyardsaker@gmail.com and please put “ADMIN” somewhere in the subject matter. If you know somebody who might be interested, please draw his/her attention to this post. So far, the Saker community has always helped me when I needed it, I hope for that mini-miracle again this time.
Hugs and cheers,
The Saker
I wouldn’t mind, I’ve just started converting to Orthodoxy, but I’m busy finishing my MA. Good luck finding someone
Just a suggestion – perhaps there could be two people who could do this work? It would solve a possible issue of it being too much for one person – a reasonably complex skill set is required, by the sounds of it. Two could still easily coordinate work if required.
My friend, I agree with anonymous. From the sound of it, you need at least two people. One as an administrative assistant, and another who can help you with page layout.
As for the second, my suggestion is to use a combination of Adobe’s InDesign and InCopy. Once somebody sets up the basic page templates and paragraph/character styles, you can keep editing the text in InCopy, while the other can keep working on the pagination/graphic work. Or, if you already have the whole text ready, InDesign help is all you need. Then, when finished, you can export the whole publication in html, epub, pdf, and or print. Sounds like an interesting project, though. How many pages are we talking about?
Dear Saker,
I always wonder about you, how you can be/live in US while being against the establishment/empire, especially as anti Russia movement is increasing, how can you be safe living in Florida/US? Just curious.
I am American and am also against Empire.
As for being safe in the US…. Unless the American people acquire critical thinking skills and realize who the real enemy is, it is only a matter of time before no one will be safe.