Tackling the To Do List

There are a few things I've always wanted to know. I wanted to know how to make sushi, and I finally learned this summer. It is great, and a lot easier than I thought it was. I've done a lot of the things on my to do list. I'm down to learning how to make eyelashes longer. I've tried a few things, but that was years ago before the latest developments came along. When I quit working in an office, and started working from home, it really didn't seem to be important, but reading that list I saw that at one time it was. Now it would still be nice to have long, full eyelashes. It would be nice to get dressed up and use makeup to go out and have a fun night out once in awhile. I think it's time to tackle #7.

Trick or Treat

I'm surprised I've gotten anything done today. It's Halloween. I love this holiday. It's so much fun. There haven't been that many little ones coming by. I thought we'd have more, but that must be a testament to the fear we feel now about going up to neighbor's doors. No one knows anyone the way they used to.

It was worth having all that candy on hand though, for the few that did come. Trick or treat everybody!

Finding the Right Job

My husband has been in the paramedic industry for over 30 years. That's a long time. He's been the station manager for the company he works for now for a few years as well, but is still on the streets. It's part of the job, but it's getting hard. There are so many other options for healthcare people. Sometimes it is just a matter of knowing where to find them. Looking for Healthcare Support Jobs on the internet makes it possible to see everything available in any area you are interested in.

We've given some thought to moving out of state. Maybe it would be a good idea to see what jobs are in the states we're looking at. He could do an interview trip and we could both go. I'd scope out the neighborhoods while he did the interviews.

Angry Drunk

Too funny. Not something you'd really want to see, but funny to think about.

Luxury Smoke

My husband doesn't smoke cigarettes, but he loves a good cigar. Most of the time he settles for local store-bought cigars, or those little cigarillos that come in what looks like a cigarette pack. I think I'm going to surprise him for and get him some really good Davidoff cigars and let him enjoy a little luxury for a change.

He's had really good cigars in the past, and I can attest to the fact that even as a bystander, the difference is noticeable. The smell is so much more aromatic. I actually enjoy when he smokes them too. I don't complain about his cheapies though, since he doesn't complain about my cigarettes which I also know smell far worse than any cigar to those who aren't smoking them. I wish they made high-quality cigarettes they way they have really great cigars that make the total difference in the experience of cigar smoking.

Fun in the Kitchen

Yes, even though I spend most of my days slaving away over the keyboard, I love to slave away over the stove as well. Tonight I'm making breaded Talapia and rice for dinner. The other day I made homemade sushi. That was a first. I've never made it before, but LOVE it when we go out to eat. So I had such a taste for sushi that I decided I needed to learn how to make it at home. Here are some pictures of my first attempt at making sushi.

The rolls right before I cut them up:

A plate full of beautiful sushi bites just like in the restaurant:

Hi-Tech Hide and Seek

I'd laugh if it wasn't such a cool idea. Now you can play hide and seek in one of the most high-tech ways possible. Garmin, the maker of great GPS systems now makes what they call the Chirp. It is a little unit that you can store information on, and place in chosen spots for others to find, and discover your message, talk about online, and track using GPS.

All you have to do is buy garmin chirp and get in on the game. The Chirp performs many functions, including letting you know how many people have found it, coming within the selected range. The unit lasts for up to a year in the place where you put it, until you have to replace the battery. I can think of so many ways to use this, and have fun with it next year on the boat. Since almost every boater has a GPS at their helm, it will get lots of hits if I hide it along the river where we cruise.

Another Chance

Okay, I've decided to give monetized blogging another chance. Not on here, but I had let my urls lapse on my other blogs. It is so time-consuming. I know a lot of people have great success with monetized blogging though, so why isn't it working right for me? It's not even search engine placement. I get that. It's not clickthroughs, I get them. It must be the products I choose, but I always try to find the best products that will really help my readers. I'm going to have to do some research about that though. My biggest problem has always been converting clickthroughs into actual sales. I do my job and get readers to the page, but that's where it seems to stop every time. I think next month I'm going to spend the time and money to start one--just one this time to really concentrate on and see if I can finally make that transition.

What's a Vacation?

A friend of mine, who actually gets to take vacations (okay, I do too, but sometimes it seems like these 7 day work weeks go on forever) had a great time boating with his family and some friends. On the way to the lake, however he ran in to some serious problems when his boat trailer blew a tire. That had to be scary. Waiting on the side of the road for roadside assistance made it a little less scary than trying to wrangle the tire change by himself with traffic whizzing by. It all turned out great, and they eventually made it to the lake. The pictures made my mouth water. I didn't get out on the boat at all this summer. It wasn't due to work. I can work anywhere (which does make it nice, and lets me get away when needed), but this year with my husband's illness, we just couldn't do it. I sure hope we can get back on the water next summer. I miss it, and it makes the 7 day work weeks much more enjoyable.

Maintaining the Status Quo

I've always said that freelancing was a feast or famine business, but I think I just figured out the secret to consistency--me. How much work I have depends on how "hungry" I am. When I want to work, and really seek more work, I get it--usually in spades. When I am satisfied with the status quo, I just let my regular clients supply me with just enough work to survive. Now, I am at the point where I can do that, and still make enough to pay my normal bills and have a little fun. There was a time when I was starting out, that when I got complacent, I went broke. That's when I thought that it was the business. Experience has shown me different, but I have to admit that it took this long for the light to turn on, and for me to realize what was creating the flux and flow.

It will be nice, though, if eventually I can sit back and let my regulars supply me and the flow will be so high that I don't ever have to solicit new clients. I never thought the point I'm at now would come, where even when I am not actively looking for work it would be there in at least enough quantity that I don't starve or go bankrupt. So maybe it will eventually be to the point where freelancing is no longer feast or famine even when I get a little lazy.