When I was working on my master’s degree I needed to create a final video project for a video production class that tied in many of the principles we had been learning. Working with two other students, this is what we came up with. I just realized I never posted it, so here it is.

As the world experiences a “be your own boss” frenzy, I may be one of only a few people who want to leave their successful business endeavors in search of a boss. Sounds strange, I know, but there are a few very good reasons.

So, again, the question is, why do I want a job? I often re-ask myself that as I look at everything I have accomplished and created flying solo. But in the end, there are a few key elements missing from my current gig that I want in my professional life:

#1 Something Bigger
Solo is great, but I long to be on a team where I work with other talented to people to move toward a goal that is much bigger than any one of us could do individually.

#2 People
I love working with people, interacting, talking, brainstorming, problem solving, worrying: it’s an element of my life I honestly miss since going solo and working from home.

#3 Steady Paycheck
In the end, I’d be more than willing to make less money if that money came at regular intervals. The last office job I had I made much less than I was making the months prior, but the knowledge of a paycheck was a comfortable feeling that I enjoyed much more than I expected.

#4 Moving Up
I’ve known for a while that I probably wouldn’t want to work for myself forever. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to get started on any sort of ladder. I’m not gunning for the top, but there is a lot of value in just getting into a position somewhere and getting started.

#5 Connections
I also would love the opportunities that come from meeting with clients, vendors, whoever it is that company works with on a daily basis. It is not only fun to be involved with more and more people, but those relationships often open up other opportunities.

So there you have it, five reasons I’m moving toward the goal of saying good-bye to being my own boss and saying hello once again to the wonderful world of not-self-employement.

Now the question is, who will my new boss be? You?

(I recently wrote up this post as a guest blogger for Fezzari bikes. They seem to not be updating their blog at the moment so I figured I’d post it here in the meantime.)

Being a frugal cyclist is tricky. At times, it’s near impossible. So when I started training for LOTOJA last spring I instinctively shielded my wallet when the realization struck me of how much I would be eating, let alone pedaling, on my long training rides. Armed with the sum of human wisdom (Google) and a tough set of intestines, my homemade Clif Bar recipe experiment ended with this tasty number. At less than $.20 per 200 calorie bar, it satisfied my hunger and budget.

Ingredients List
1 1/4 cups store brand Rice Krispies
1 cup uncooked quick oats
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Step One
Stick your oats, flaxseed meal, raisins, cinnamon, and Rice Krispies in a semi-large mixing bowl. Stir them together a bit so when you add the peanut butter mixture you don’t inhale balls of cinnamon that throw you into a coughing fit at mile 65 this weekend.

Step Two
On the stove, warm up the peanut butter and syrup. Heat and stir until they form a nice, smooth mixture. After you take it off the heat, add the vanilla. Why you do this, I have no idea, but one cooking blog insisted. Who am I to argue.

Step Three
Pour your peanut butter goop into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix until everything is coated in peanut-buttery, syrupy goodness.

Step Four
Spray a small cooking sheet with PAM or whatever non-stick cooking spray you fancy. Dump your mixture onto the sheet, cover it with wax paper, and use a rolling pin to mash it down hard into the pan. Stick the whole thing into the fridge to chillax for a bit.

Step Five
Take it out of the fridge (unless you have a special talent for wielding a pizza cutter among milk and eggs) and slice your concoction into 8 bars.

Step Six
Wrap each one in wax paper (you can do plastic wrap, but wax paper is much easier to unwrap when riding), tape it up, and throw a few in your jersey pocket for your next ride.

Nutrition Facts
So, here’s how it goes, for the recipe above you’ve got a total 1670 calories, 214g of carbs, and 48g of protein. If you cut it into 8 bars, you’ve got bars that have 209 calories, 27g of carbs, and 6g of protein a piece for about $0.19 a bar. Not too shabby.

Ugrades
If you like nuts. You can add those. I’m not a big fan of nuts in bars so, obviously, my version is nut-free.

Maple syrup isn’t the healthiest option. If you’re picky about that stuff, some of the recipes I looked at recommended brown rice syrup. I had no idea what that was, so Kroger brand flavored corn syrup was my fuel of choice.

I’ve tried other dried fruit like craisins, dried pineapple, etc., but you can’t really taste a difference so stick with trusty, cheap raisins.

If you like protein powders or whatever GNC had on sale this week, can’t hurt to give ‘em a try.