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It’s Okay to Breathe
I just finished The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed yesterday, although the book was eye opening and (fer skerious) life changing throughout–I’m leaving it under Greg’s pillow, on his keyboard, and in his underpants drawer–one paragraph near the end caught my eye: Return calls promptly. How many times has someone explained away a long delay in response with that lame excuse “I’ve been swamped”? Expunge this phrase from your lexicon. It’s horse hockey. Newsflash: it’s the twenty-first century, and we’re all swamped. If someone leaves a voice mail message for you, log it in and get back to them within twenty-four hours. E-mail etiquette is slightly different,…
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Excuses for Not Learning My Car
There are times when I’m secretly tempted to argue that computer users should get off their asses and learn about computers, so as to spare specialists the need to explain the intricacies of first-tier Outlook 2007 settings and to be willing to break things to learn themselves. …And then I need work done on my car.
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A Letter to 2011
Hello, 2011, I’ve taken to writing to you in my personal journal, and in three days it’s already stopped being cutesy and creepy and started being fer skerious. We have words to exchange, 2011. More than words. 2010–bless her heart–was a year of fractured interests: I set a date for my wedding. I changed jobs. I branched out in role-playing. I attacked the hell out of my debt. I wrote in public. 2011, you’re the year of finishing: I’m going to finish my last sliver of debt. I’m going to finish not having a long-term financial plan. I’m going to get married. I’m going to finish my novel. I’m going…
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Enviable Family Ties
My mother always wanted a tight-knit family. Instead, she got me and my father.
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Wedding Video vs. Photos
A thousand dollars for photos, or a thousand dollars for video? Surely, this is a normal modern bride’s dilemma. If I pick only one to be done professionally, which is better? Or should I pick neither to be done professionally? Disposable cameras on the tables are very “in” now, and neither service is cheap. How often do we really look back on photos? Greg: never. Me: I… like organizing things. On the flip side, how often am I going to watch a video of my own wedding? At our first anniversary? When I’m contemplating divorce in seven decades?