It's surprising, the things that come to light after someone has passed. Especially someone as indispensable as Steve Jobs. This is an excerpt from the New York Time's article, The Power of Taking the Big Chance, about the last minute changes made just prior to the 2007 launch of the iPhone. The world has truly lost a genius.

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO DELIGHT CUSTOMERS Six weeks before the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, Mr. Jobs ordered a crucial design change. Until then, the planning for supplies, manufacturing and engineering had been based on the assumption that the smartphone’s face would be plastic, recalls Tony Fadell, a former Apple executive who led iPod and iPhone development from 2001 to 2009. Plastic is less fragile than glass, and easier to make.

But the plastic touch screen had a drawback. It was prone to developing scratches. Those scratches, Mr. Jobs insisted, would irritate users and be seen as a design flaw. “All the logical facts told us to go with plastic, and Steve’s instinct went the other way,” Mr. Fadell says. “It was Steve’s call — his gut.”

The glass choice was a challenge that seemed “nearly impossible” at the time, he says — a last-minute scramble to get supplies of specialized glass and tweak the design of the phone’s casing to reduce the chances the glass would crack when an iPhone was dropped. But with extra investment and a frenetic work regimen, the switch proved doable, despite the tight deadline.

The episode, Mr. Fadell says, points to a principle he took away from his years working with Mr. Jobs. “You do not cut corners and you make sure the customer gets an experience that is an absolute delight,” observes Mr. Fadell, who heads a Silicon Valley start-up company whose product has not yet been disclosed and will not compete with Apple.

The road less traveled...maybe?

Now that I've returned home, I have this dilemma.

Up until now I had been pretty set on making my own way here; doing the freelance thing since this would be the best time of any, to do it. I don't have a job that I go into everyday (I'm sitting in a robe and fuzzy snowflake slippers right now as I type. It's cold - don't judge). But as the days go on, I don't have a definitive of what I can be or what to do. Murals are wonderful but I have a lot more to offer. I just haven't found the people to offer those services to yet. Need a painting installed? I have a hammer and a keen eye. Need an appraisal? I can probably do it in a day or two. Want to go to an estate sale or auction? I have a quick paddle hand.

Until the day comes that I feel genuinely secure in my freelance career, the tugging of benefits and salary seem mighty fine.

There's a position doing what I pretty much did before, handling a fine art collection. I will apply and then I'll see if they call back. And then I'll weigh my options. But the road less traveled that I thought I was going to venture down, is pretty damn scary. I have hope, though, that I'll stick with it and see what's at the end of that one because I think the payoff will be more exciting.

It feels good to be back in Ann Arbor. The tinges of red and fiery orange tell me that I got back into town just in the nick of time. Otherwise I would've missed picking apples and going trick-or-treating with my niece for Halloween. The long freelance stint in Chicago was great but now it's time to hunker down for some serious business. I'll be getting a new business card soon and gearing up to do some sketches for holiday cards and a nursery. I can't wait!