I’ve been dithering back and forth on this decision, but I think it’s time to pick one, stick with it, and make it official: for the first time since 2006, I’ll be bowing out of NaNoWriMo this year. It’s a tough decision, because I always look forward to ‘WriMo. It’s Read more…
Firstly: I redid my main website, and my blog is now my homepage–you can go right to it at jeanmariebauhaus.com and BAM! Blog. If you’re on Livejournal, hopefully you’re actually able to read this and I set all of that up correctly. Secondly: I started that podcast. The first episode Read more…
So, what I said last week about developing a whole new slate of freelance self-publishing services… introducing The Book Wrangler, which launched today. And if you sign up to my mailing list (either here or there), you’ll not only be served up with free self-publishing and writing advice and self-pubbing Read more…
No, I don’t mean the glee club. My new day job and I parted ways on Friday. Suffice to say that it just wasn’t a good fit. What it comes down to is that I should have known better than to accept a job at a salary that was far Read more…
Welp, I got the job. I start Tuesday, and there’s a lot to do between now and then, and I’m a little overwhelmed and paralyzed with indecision right now, honestly. I didn’t really expect to get an offer, and I was already making plans for my business and my writing Read more…
Well, yesterday I had my job interview at the web & marketing agency. It seemed to go well — they liked my quirky personality and my writing and editing background, but they were less than enthused about my lack of solid programming experience. They said I still have a shot, Read more…
I haven’t done quite as well as I hoped at sticking to my 30-minutes-a-day editing routine. It’s more like 20 to 30 minutes every couple of days or so. But at least I’ve got some forward momentum again, however sluggish the pace.
Part of the problem here is that, when I turned down that full-time data entry job in favor of the contract web developer job, what I failed to take into consideration is that with a contract freelance job, you don’t get paid just for showing up to work like you do with an office job. You instead only get paid for the actual billable work that you do, and when you’re as prone to distraction as I am, and working at home where your husband is also home all day and he and the pets and the house all need attention throughout the day, it’s really, really difficult (I just typed “fiddicult” and had to redo it) to rack up eight solid hours of billable work each day. The best I’ve been able to do so far is five or six (and really, averaging more like four or five), which leaves me having to work weekends to make up my hours. Also, when projects get stuck waiting for client feedback or for the programmer to do whatever he needs to do before I can continue, I don’t get paid for that, either. So the contract job is keeping me full-time busy but only amounting to part-time pay, which just isn’t cutting it in the “paying the bills and stopping the hemorrhage of money and getting us back on top of our finances” department. And projects from my other freelance clients have all dried up. Basically, it’s a stressful situation all the way around, and not having time to edit is really the least of my worries right now. Le sigh.
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PrepperGirl.com’s unexpectedly enforced hiatus must continue as the day job and other responsibilities continue to put me through the ringer, but don’t miss these great budget survival tips provided by commenter Grimm. Here’s a sample: A cheap protein source is TVP (textured vegetable protein). It is dehydrated so it has Read more…
This gave me chills. It’s too important a message not to pass on. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-4gnNz0vc&w=560&h=315] Via Michelle Malkin.
Tornado season is here, and if you live in Tornado Alley like I do, that means it’s time to make sure your storm preps are ready.
We haven’t had any majorly severe storms in our area yet this year, thank goodness, but I haven’t let that keep me from getting our storm closet ready. Unfortunately, our house lacks a basement or cellar, and as much as I’d love to, we can’t afford to install a tornado shelter or safe room, so we have to make do with our bedroom closet and a lot of prayer. (more…)