She’s employed!
Daughter has finally found a good starting point for her new career. She’s working in a familiar industry – insurance – and she’s getting in at a great starting rate. Amen, alleluia! Good for her!
Ironically, it’s a company I met with briefly at the conference a few months back. Since then I’ve been trying to get a response – any response – from the marketing manager. I met her for a minute as she was dashing off, and I haven’t managed even a “Nice meeting you, too” response. Three attempts and I back away and try another method. This time, snail mail.
She found it via a temp agency, so I’m glad to report that not all temp agencies are requiring years of experience from their applicants. She had run across one I tend to favor, but they specialize in creatives, so it wasn’t too much of a shock for them to expect at least two years of work history.
So, how was the weekend? Who would have thought a rainy weekend would be a blessing? We’ve been so dry, I welcome the “ruined” weekend. In fact, it gave me time to repot some herbs and get some reading in. The grass is turning green again, but there are spots that have to be re-seeded – large spots. Much of the backyard, in fact. We had a tree service in early in the summer to get a large tree out, and because there was no rain for a month and a half after the trucks drove over the yard, the grass died.
Friday I managed to finish the second of my three articles due in two weeks. It’s proof positive that if you need to get something done immediately, you can if you put your mind to it. I amazed myself. I didn’t think I had it in me, but there you go. Pre-planning helped immensely, as did conducting interviews before vacation. I wouldn’t want to work like that all the time, but it’s oddly comforting to know I can if I have to.
That leaves plenty of time today to start the second phase of the large project. Because it’s so well organized this year, I expect to breeze through it in half the time required. Good thing – I accepted about $1K less for the work in order to keep the client. That meant I had to find a way to work smarter, which helps. It will still be less money for me in the long run, but I made it clear it was a one-time discount. See Friday’s post for why.
Today I hope to get some work done on a third article not due until September, but I want to get it framed in and make sure I have enough info from the interview. It’s a company profile, so there’s one interview. They were great to supply me with pre-written answers to my questions, but I prefer to get a feel for their personalities and beliefs from hearing them.
Husband and I are starting our own private book club. We’re taking turns reading aloud Dickens’s Little Dorrit. He’s using the Nook and I’m happy reading from the print version. It’s a great way to learn something new about the author. He gives me his opinion on the time period and language, and I give him my opinion on how Dickens used repetition to create mood. It’s been fun so far.
On top of that, I’m reading three other books (yes, four at a time – I’m clearly ADD). I make them different enough in plot and structure that I can keep the plots straight. Upstairs, I’m reading The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu, downstairs I’m reading Light in August by Faulkner, and on the Nook I’m reading Assumption of Right by our own Annabelle Aiden (aka Devon). I wanted to read them all, so I decided to give it a shot. So far, all three are great reads, with Annabelle’s being the most fun.
So I’m about to dig in to another article, then maybe get some blog posts done for a client before the larger project comes back into my hands. And I hope to get some work done on a personal project and a collaboration. Fingers crossed I have enough hours.
How was the weekend? What are you up to this week?
I have two articles to write, work on the Mermaid Ball, work on two books, an art opening, organizational meeting for the Mermaid Ball, and then I start the (last) assignment for the Client from Hell.
I'm so glad you're enjoying my book!
It's raining my side of the world today and I'm not thrilled because it is the tail end of winter and between the snow ( which is unusual for our climate) and the rain, the cold bites. But the weekend was warm and I planted seeds for Spring vegetable garden, helped paint a friend's TV room for a makeover, entertained a friend visiting. This week I'm completing two book plans, reviewing a manuscript and drafting a book chapter.
Devon, it's a great read. Congrats on yet another terrific book.
I bet you'll be glad to see the backside of that client.
Damaria, I sympathize. Early spring rains are so muddy and cold here. The bite indeed. 🙂 But it's great to hear you're planting seeds – makes me long for a summer that's fading here.
My Blackberry crashed for about the 4th time during a call. Let's see in the last few weeks, that's a digital camera, my computer & my Blackberry. As I tweeted today, I'm staying away from nuclear power plants – for the good of all mankind.
But, as a result, I now own an iPhone 4 and am going nuts trying to type emails with fat finger syndrome.
I picked up another ghostwriting article late Friday, have another this week and am starting a white paper if the technology gods all behave.
Cathy! That's awful. And yet another reason I'm glad that I don't have a lot of electronic gadgets. Too many things can go wrong for the slightest reasons.
My dog, Lily, is playing hostess to her two furry cousins, Finnegan & Stella for a long weekend. So naturally we had 3 or 4 rounds of severe thunderstorms. Much of Friday and Saturday were spent sitting on the floor surrounded by nervous dogs. Sunday was the first dry, temperate day we've had since June that I wasn't already busy with work or other plans. So I spent two hours just weeding. I have one large trash can (marked with an X for yard waste recycling) that is now overflowing with pulled weeds…but if you look at my yard you can't tell I've done a darn thing.
All that work and I didn't even get to the overgrown privet hedges. (I dread those, but have a family gathering planned here for Sept 10, so I have to get it done. Somehow.)
Today I need to write the second half of a 2,000 word article. You know, the one that I'm still waiting for at least three sources to get back to me about. The good thing is I can send in what I have and the editor will let me add any additional comments after the fact.
Barring any new assignments, once I wrap that article the rest of my week will be spent on marketing, doing yard work, cleaning and wondering how anyone can hold down a full time job and manage to stay on top of all the household chores at the same time.
Cathy, I hope you get over the "fat finger" thing. It's how I feel with those devices, too. Let me know how the iPhone 4 is. Daughter has it, but I want to hear from someone in my age bracket. 🙂
Paula, I truly hate waiting for sources to get back to me. Most of them are great about it, but you get those few who think your deadline is three days after what you say it is. I combat that by giving them a deadline a week before anything is due. And I tell them "Last chance before the article is filed." Moves some of them.
I hope Lily enjoys her company. 🙂
The most crucial of my sources replied just as I finished my first draft. I added their (really good) comments, read it through again, did a spell check and sent that sucker in. 2,247 words.
I'm FREE! (Free to do some more marketing, but can I have permission to start that tomorrow? It's almost 5 here.)
Yes, Lily loves her canine company. She's even spent a little more time with me because Finn & Stella like to be within 3 feet of me.