When The World Crumbles, Rebuild

What can I say, some moments are good and some are bad. It’s a big part of life. Right now I seem to be somewhere in the middle.

Like any normal human, some moments are bad. I get stressed out much too easily, my eyes hurt from straining too much and can’t forget that neck kink that won’t go away.

Then the upside comes around and the world is good again. Looking at bringing in new potential clients interested in a press release, applying for a potential blogging position, and I finally accomplished my goal of writing my first article to submit to AmChron.

The problem is, no matter how positive things get it only takes one little negative to reduce it all to ashes.

I noticed I’ve been focusing a lot on the negative lately. A little too tired, feeling a little over worked, and all around grumpy. Yet I haven’t felt much like talking about the good things going on, so I will do that today. I will rebuild my crumbling world, one positive at a time.

Lets start with that article. I was working on something completely different when the idea hit me. No, I will not be sharing my inspiration yet, but when it hit I decided it would be a good time to drop everything and start writing it out. I did so, and almost 700 words later I am happy to say I just need to do one more review before I submit it for consideration. Hopefully it goes over well, won’t need much editing, and gets posted as quickly as possible. I look forward to showing the world what I can do.

Then something amazing happened, Write To Press went up in page rank for Google. It was a 0, now it is sitting happily at a 2. That is a pretty big surprise. I didn’t imagine I’d go up in PR since I don’t really promote myself. I just network and gain clients that way.

I am relearning how much I enjoy my craft again as I break way from stressing about the time to work ratio. Especially as things get better at Ask Angel. I’ve gained new readers as I’ve switched up how I post on there. I’ve been receiving comments and messages from people who like the new style, and it’s the best thing to have ever happened to my website.

So things are much better than I can make them seem at times. It just means looking past the stuff that stresses me out and thinking positive.

Posted in Personal Posts, Random Thoughts

The Tortoise And The HAIR

An interview I still need to put together recently reminded me of a hairy experience I had some time back. Thought I’d share the thought.

I had walked into some hair styling franchise whose name I will not repeat and asked about getting a cut and dye. I think I just wanted streaks in my hair at the time. They told me that it’d be impossible and to make an appointment, so I made the appointment and went on my way. It was when I came back for my appointment that I found out how stupid they really are.

I let them know I was there, and the lady informs me, “Oh, but we can’t dye your hair! Our person who does that is not in.” Oh great, so the appointment I made was for nothing because that is the main reason why I made it and why they told me I had to make an appointment. I told her as much and she explained there was nothing she could do about it; would I like to make an appointment for another day?

Heck no!

I told the woman where to shove her frickin’ appointment book and walked out. One of those temper flair-ups because I am sick and tired of being jerked around by an airheaded brunette. I am a brunette with much more going for me than that woman had.

That same day I walked into another business, this time a mom-and-pop style business and they not only got me in at that moment but did everything as I needed.

The best part of this adventure is this: The small beauty shop is still alive and well. That big ol’ franchise which couldn’t organize their stuff? They’re gone like the wind.

Much like the title of this post, and like the story of the tortoise and a hare, the little guy keeps going because they are nice and they serve their customers with care. That darn hare of a franchise crashed because they couldn’t be bothered with how their potential customers felt.

Of course not all franchises are bad, it is how they are handled. This big box was not handled well.

Posted in Personal Posts, Random Thoughts

Don’t Blink, It’s Stationery

You can consider this a review if you like, but there is nothing paid about it. I am a fanatic when it comes to fancy note cards and stationery.

As most people have gathered by now, I write some of the interviews for the Business Opportunities Weblog. Every so often someone offers me a freebie of their product in return for interviewing them. As much as it is my work to do interviews, I love trying out different products. I am very stingy, so this is generally how I find a new product that I am willing to purchase in the future, much like when I received free coffee a while back.

If someone offers me something before I post their interview, I usually ask if they’d be interested in giving it away to one of our readers instead. That usually leads to, “Yes, I’d be interested.” From there I get to set up a giveaway with that particular interview and it is all fun. When Heather offered me free stationery of my choice, I had to rewrite my email response to her at least 5 times. I tried to tell her that it was okay, I appreciate her offer, but maybe she’d be interested in giving it to one of our readers instead.

I ended up taking her up on the offer.

I write some people regularly as a penpal, so I am always looking for new things of stationery I can use to help spice up my letters. There was no way I could turn down a great offer like that.

When I received the stationery today, I was shocked at the quality. Not shocked because I thought it’d be less than good, I was shocked because the quality of the note cards was beyond impressive. Some card sets I’ve seen have lines going through the image, almost like the ink in the printer was starting to fade. I’ve seen it as a common problem among printers (going as far as to note VistaPrint has their issues too). This is not a problem with any of the cards she sent.

The second point I enjoyed about these cards is the paper. It seems to be a quality stock, and I like the fact they do not have ‘gloss’ on them. As pretty as gloss may make a card, it’s impossible to write a quick note with my fountain pens without needing a week to dry. Everyone has their own preference, but I am very fond of the paper she printed these on.

Although I did not pay for these, as they were a gift, don’t be surprised to find me purchasing from her again in the future. The large note cards (the ones with the flowers) go for $24 and you get 20 large flat cards. The smaller fold-over cards go for $26 and they also come in a pack of 20.

Mine were customized with the color of my choice. If you order from her, she will do the same for you at no extra charge. She also offers a variety, there is so much to look at and choose from.

If you enjoy writing letters, or even mailing off quick notes, I recommend Swanky Paper as the place to one-stop-shop for your stationery needs.

Posted in Personal Posts, Product Review, Work

Stress Kills, Take A Break Already!

That unfortunate thing that happens to everyone: stress. How long does it take to work day after day before you finally feel the effects of stress?

There is, “Oh I’m stressed out and need a break.” Then there is total break down where you worked in overdrive for far too long and you go through complete burn out.

Thankfully I’m just the first one. I’ve been feeling the effects of stress and recognize that I could use a break. Unfortunately breaks aren’t so easy to come by. I have work that needs my attention, my websites need my attention, I have things I need to write and most of all; there is just not enough time in my day for all of that plus free time and time with my daughter.

Unfortunately there is no vacation in my future, but I did get to enjoy a slight break yesterday and although the person who had the loud music and louder bass drove me up the wall last night - I am feeling much better.

When I am feeling stressed out I like to sit and watch a good movie. Especially one I hadn’t seen in a while. I did that yesterday, and although I can’t relax today because I have too much to do, hopefully my little break will pull me through until next weekend.

I posted this question at the Mom’s United in Business community, but I’d like to ask it here:

What do you do when you feel like stress has grabbed a hold of you?

Posted in Personal Posts, Topic-Specific, Work, Writing

Michigans Economy In A Nutshell

I try to avoid stopping work just to post, but when I came across an article based on the economy of Michigan, I stopped and decided it was time to speak up for myself.

I am not political. If you know me, then you know that I don’t really delve into politics beyond word-of-mouth discussion from the radio or chatter on Twitter. That was until it became apparent to me how bad things really are for the citizens of Michigan.

We can watch the government run to the rescue of large companies that made bad decisions, yet we see nothing for the poor folk who only want to work to make a decent living.

What about us?!

No matter how hard I tried to find a job after I graduated, nothing was available. What was hiring was very low pay and very high when it came to employee turn-over. They were also those jobs that scared me. Those fast food jobs that meant I would have to catch on and work fast, then try not to strangle evil customers when they came through. They weren’t me. I’m terrible at sales and, to be honest, working with the public freaks me out a little.

I did manage to find my own niche in the working world and it’s from home. It’s much easier to get along with me online than in the real world, just take my word for it.

I also found out that I can write for a living, that was a dream come true. So what about the thousands of men and women in this state still in need of some form of employment?

Lack of employment for the every day men and women within this state has it’s own effect on the rest of the world, as Political Affairs Magazine states:

“Literally dozens of schools in Detroit have closed, while program cut backs across the state have seen Michigan children go without art, music, and some foreign language classes as well as other special programs. Teachers in the Grand Rapids Public Schools system are in their second year without a contract, while the system was forced to cut $2 million from its budget last year alone.”*

Unemployment, less taxes coming in, less money to put back into our communities - we’re slowly eating away at ourselves and our future!

If we need taxes and we need jobs to help keep things running around here, then so be it. I pay taxes, my daughter attends public school, and I would like to see things get better for everyone!

It’s time to close tax loopholes and keep our jobs in this country.

Source:

* Political Affairs Magazine - Battleground Michigan: “It’s Time for a Change” - Full Article can be found here

Posted in Personal Posts, Topic-Specific

Would You Like To Win A Free Handbag?

Boy, the instant this one passed through Twitter, I grabbed it up and entered. You have no idea. I am a purse fanatic. I could collect those things like it’s nothing, strange considering I am not that girlie.

I would like to see some other people enter for a chance too. If you’d like a chance to win a purse (as of right now there is 20 days left on the clock), check out handbagplanet.

I must admit, giving away one purse an hour is definitely the way to catch my attention! Well done.

Posted in Personal Posts, Topic-Specific

Stinkin’ Eyegraine

It’s not a migraine but it’s worse than a headache, it’s an eyegraine. The loving pain you have to deal with if you strain your eyes. In my case, I need my eyes rechecked so I can buy new glasses. I also suspect that my prescription has gotten worse. The glasses shown above are the ones I would like to purchase. Although they don’t have a (straight) black option, I am pretty fond of purple. If I can afford it, I might buy 2 pairs. The other would be blue. The black shown is actually supposed to be black outside, blue inside.

I do not enjoy going through the eye exam crud. I hate waiting for new glasses even more. Unfortunately the frames of the pair I am wearing right now has been glued together for almost a year, since Monkey broke them right before Christmas of last year.

I have absolutely no experience in purchasing glasses from the internet. Before now I always paid the arm and leg for a pair of cheapos. This will be the first time I go through it without insurance. Buying online seems to be the best price option, especially considering the basic lens is included in the price of the frame! Then I only have to pay additional costs for extra strong lenses ($9) and anti-reflection coating (just under $5). Putting that all together, I would pay $22 for a pair of glasses, approximately? Not too shabby. Then add whatever they charge for shipping. Going by the other prices, doesn’t seem like it’d be too crazy.

The part that really sucks is that an eye exam costs way too much to get done. I think it’s $60 or $65 at Walmart? In the end it still winds up costing more than I’d like it to. Over $100 at the least. Yeah, cheaper than a local eye doctor. Yeah, more than I can reasonably afford. No, I do not have an option on whether it needs to be done or not.

Posted in Personal Posts, Topic-Specific

Organizing My Life

You have no idea how busy I’ve been these last 2 days. Yesterday it was 60% work and 40% life tasks.

Actually, yesterday I had to run to town, get money, pay more against what I owe for my truck, then came home to finish working.

Granted, today is much busier than it was yesterday. I don’t think I’ve really sat here and not been working in some way or another.

There is one trend I seem to notice when I clock how long I’ve worked in one day. I work approximately 6 to 6 1/2 hours a day. That isn’t an 8 hour job, but it is a lot of time spent sitting. Then if you enter in the fact that I only go distraction-free for 6 or so of those hours (4 while Monkey is at school, 2 after she’s asleep), then maybe you’ll see why I feel like I work full days.

Nothing will ever compare to working with Aubree home. A 6 hour job suddenly takes me 8 or more. Monkey is only on her 3rd week in school, yet I am starting to wonder what I’m going to do when she’s out for vacations and such.

I recently guest posted for Amy Derby with tips on how to keep a child occupied while writing. The tips are completely true, and very useful but anyone can tell you nothing works as you want it to all of the time.

Yes, I love fooling Monkey into behaving with crayons and a coloring book. No, it doesn’t always work. Some days she is a bit more, “Hay mommy…” than others. That’s life with a child.

Oh, and if you think someone is less passionate about freelance writing because they have children - NEVER. They may freelance to be home with their kids, but how much do you want to bet they love what they do?

I do.

Working regularly, day after day, on the same tasks does get tiring but I’ll be darned - I love every minute of it.

If I was given the option to quit and still be set for life, I would say yes and work anyway. :-p What? I love what I do, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have enough money to live on forever, either.

Posted in Personal Posts, Pictures, Random Thoughts, Work, Writing

Niggle

No one really knows how busy I was over the last week. Well, it’s between busy and just outright sick. Today is the first day I’ve felt 98% back to normal. Even the sore throat has faded to almost nothing.

The excitement started at the beginning of this week when I got my American Chronicle author account. I spent that evening telling everyone I could think of about it. Then I set up my profile information.

On Tuesday I wrote up my bio for my AmChron account. I’m very picky, and I wanted it to be perfect. No one knows how many times I switched it up before I settled on what I did end up saving. Remind me to pay someone to write a bio about me in the future. It’s nearly impossible to do it on my own! I’m too darn picky!

Then Wednesday came and got a terrible migraine. The first part of the work day I was able to survive, but when I woke up from my nap it was like a ton of bricks. Sitting at the computer I couldn’t stop crying because everything made it worse.

Thursday and Friday were only minor improvements on that problem. Thankfully I have finally kicked the sore throat down a few notches, my headache is gone and I can enjoy Saturday. Although R and R is not on my list this weekend, I have a new client and I need to get some work done for them. Should be fun!

Of course, when you throw in tons of interview questions, a parent meetting and other need-more-than-usual-concentration tasks, life seems to move much slower than the clock.

One bonus out of this week is this: I now have a public phone number. If you find yourself needing a contact number where people can leave a voice mail, I recommend checking out RingCentral. It works, and free is always cool when you’re just starting out and need a service asap! In my case, I decided it’s time that I went that route. Some people do prefer work through a phone conversation, and I don’t want to lose work because I hate phones.

It shouldn’t take another week before I post again, but if it does please feel free to draft a petition against life and tell it to give me more hours in a day or else it will have to teach me how to live without sleeping.

Posted in Personal Posts, Random Thoughts, Work

A Quick Note

I just wanted to let my readers know that I am still alive. First I got my Author account through American Chronicle and I was pretty busy setting it up with my information, and such. Then I got sick. Yesterday was painful, and today I am barely feeling better. The headache pain has faded some, and it’s much more tolerable. My throat, not so much.

As soon as I feel a little better, things will go back to normal. Sorry for the posting delays. No time is a good time to get sick!

Posted in Blog Updates