Marfa, Texas

October 2019 List of Stuff

An Ongoing List of Things I’ve Looked Into for the Month

Patrick McDonnell
Nov 1 · 3 min read

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Apps

  • TikTok

Companies

  • ELGL

Events

  • Downtown Anchorage Community Council
  • Pacific Plaza Park Launch
  • Dia de Los Muertos

Gear

  • Car Jack
  • Jumper Cables

Movies

  • Joker
  • Zombieland 2: Double Tap
  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Quotes

  • “The illusion of choice gives people the feeling of control.”

Restaurants

  • Chipotle
  • Campisi’s
  • Joe’s
  • Wing Stop

Shows

  • Undone

Skills

  • Traveling
  • Visual Design

Thinkers

  • Nikki Glazer
  • Nate Diaz
  • Jorge Masvidal

Travels

  • Tok, AK
  • Whitehorse, Yukon
  • Grand Prairie, BC
  • Edmonton, Alberta
  • Calgary, Alberta
  • Helena, MT
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Albuquerque, NM
  • Marfa, TX
  • Dallas, TX

YouTube

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Reflection

I traveled 4700 miles in 12 days from Alaska to Texas. It was the most epic trip I’ve ever taken, it was a deeply profound experience, and the beginning of a new life.

To leave a place and go through an almost 2 weeks gauntlet of driving, observation, and a mental recess is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I’m glad nothing bad happened, that I got through it with only a few minor scares, and a whole host of new memories. It was my break-up tour home.

This month caps a stay in Anchorage Alaska for 2 years and 3 months. I loved the people and government lifestyle, but the work environment was rough and I didn’t see myself evolving professionally anymore. So rather than stay in a job environment that wouldn’t change much over the next six month, and have to endure Alaska for the darkest and coldest part of the year, I decided the best thing for me was to leave.

Other than Dallas, every city that I went to on my trip was brand new. From small 1,700 person towns to 1.3 million, I gained so much perspective on cities that I thought I’d want to live in in the future, and cities that I knew nothing about. Calgary was by far my favorite! It’s just so nice, and very developed as an urban area with a mature Downtown and lots of diversity.

I returned to Dallas about half way through October, and have spent the rest of my time reconnecting with the city, resting, lots of resting, starting a few new projects, and slowly getting back into job search mode.

While I love Design, I’m tired of having to do it for people who don’t understand it. I would love to continue it, but only if I can join a team with multiple Designers. What’s making sense to me for my career evolution are Digital Services or Product Management. I think this part of gov tech will continue to grow, and I want to be right in the middle of all of it creating products that work in the actual year we’re living in.

The thing about leaving that has hit me the hardest was how small Anchorage was - 300,000 people. Returning to Dallas, 1.3 million, and being in a metroplex with 7.3 million people has reminded me of where I come from, and the scale with which I’m used to dealing with urban problems. The scale of cities matters in terms the capacity to do bigger things, and so going forward I’m also going to focus on larger cities where things aren’t so insular, there’s a diverse population, and there’s a lot more support for gov tech work that I wasn’t finding in Alaska.

This month has really shocked me back into dreaming again. I’m enjoying my time off, and see the next couple month bringing about a big change again. I’m hoping to get extremely bored in November and December so that I’m hungry to go to work for a company again in the new year.

Patrick McDonnell

Written by

Designer living in Dallas, TX | www.patrickm02L.com

List Of Stuff

Monthly report of things I’m looking into and studying

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