Freelancing Update

Two great opportunities came my way today. I don't know if either of them will pan out. One is from GetAFreelancer. I placed a bid weeks and weeks ago and got no response from this vender. Just got an email offering me 60 re-writes per week, if her client likes my writing. I emailed back and accepted, but I believe she is offering it to several writers So I'm still waiting to here. The second, is from Blogvertise, who accepted my blog, and will give me opportunities to write for them. I haven't seen any yet, but will keep you posted.

FreeLunchRoom

I'm trying out this new deal--it is getting paid for completing offers. Everyone has seen this deals--get a free laptop, get a free ipod, then you have to complete all these offers, and just when you think you're close--the up the ante. Well, it's kinda like that---except someone pays me to complete offers for them. This weekend and did two--and was paid $45. Now that is not all profit, because some of these offers you sign up for cost money. But by my calculations I've cleared between $30 to $35. So not bad.

It gets tricky though, because a lot of this are free trial offers, so once you go green, you have to get in there and get them canceled--or it will cost you a whole lot more than you make. So as far as a way to make money---I'm still on the fence about it.

I will say that the folks at FreeLunchRoom are really nice and have all sorts of videos and manuals to help.

Oh Say Can You See

Back in the day folks didn't go shopping on holidays---because hardly anything was open. Fireworks stands, a gas station or two, maybe a corner grocery but that was it. Really, unless you go to a parade, or a family gathering, it just looks like any other day with a bunch of American flags hung from the city streets. Wal-mart parking lot was full when I went by, so was Safeway, and MarketPlace foods.

I stayed home this year--no parades---not because I don't love parades, I do. But because I didn't want to spend the gas. I watched the neighborhood fireworks and thought about what America means to me. I could say all the trite things that everyone says, greatest country on earth, freedom, etc. And to some extent that is all very true---but it doesn't really say anything new.

What being American means to me--is that I'm a single woman who raised three children alone--and this country made if possible for me to earn a living, buy home, and see my children through college. Maybe I could do that elsewhere in the world--for sure in Europe, but there are lots of places that that wouldn't have been possible. See the problem with saying that America is the greatest country on earth, etc., is that it is the only frame of reference I have. Although I've traveled outside the country---I haven't lived outside the country. Doesn't everyone feel that their country is the greatest, the best? Aren't they like me, the country they live is all they know. I love this country because it is mine, like my mother is mine. I didn't choose my mother and I didn't choose this country. Both have been good to me, both have disappointed me.

I think there is a difference between loving the land and the people of America and loving the government. I truly love the people and the land. The government, provides me with safety nets, like Social Security and Medicare when I retire (hopefully), it provides unemployment when I cannot work. The government facilitates trade with other countries, defends the land and people from invaders and is there to hold us up in times of natural disasters. It's important to remember all things that the government does that holds us all together day to day, year to year, century to century. Because too often, and I am certainly guilty of this, we think of the government as politics. I'm not crazy about the current politics--more accurately I would prefer that the last eight years of non-leadership didn't happen. But I truly appreciate the government.

Being proud to be an American is not quite as cut and dry as the song would imply. Being an American is complicated: it is not all truisms and platitudes--it is scandals and greed, and back-biting politics, as well as altruism, generosity, and leadership. Some days I'm prouder than others. What I do know is that America is all I've got--all I've got to give to my children and grandchildren. I want it to be strong and kind and I don't give a damn if it is the greatest nation in world to anyone but us.

Raccoon Shooting in Rainier Neighborhood

My children will remember the great ferret debacle--where the whole neighborhood --including the police department went into mob action over a ferret. It was ugly, for the ferret, and pretty traumatic for my children. That was 25 years ago. In all that time, the neighborhood properly ashamed and chagrined over their abysmal behavior, has been domestic pet and wild life friendly. (In case you're wondering, there has long been a debate as to whether the ferret was domesticated and freed, or was in fact a wild ferret. The truth will never be known.) But everything changed last night.

Maybe I should have seen it coming when folks down at the store were all upset over sighting a coyote in town. Each person was telling the others where they had seen it. Really? There have been coyotes in town since the day I moved in over 25 years ago. Frankly, my guess is the coyotes have a family history here longer than any one else. But suddenly folks were getting worked up.

Then as things do, it escalated and mutated now folks are getting worked up about a raccoon or raccoons that were eating the koi out of their ponds. I get that koi, especially large ones, are expensive. But they are fish---they are outside. Raccoons aren't their only problem. We have cats, cougars, owls, eagles, hawks--you name it---they all need to eat.

Well as it turns out, a neighbor down the block shot a raccoon. It was daylight and as would be expected it wasn't a lethal shot. The raccoon was wounded and leaving a blood trail--which in turn was being followed by the shooter, the shooter's wife and about 15 neighbors of various ages and physical conditions---all tromping through the yards trying to find the injured animal.
(Not to render aid, but to dispatch the poor creature to meet his god.) Alas, they were unsuccessful in finding the wounded animal.

I hope the wound was not serious and that the raccoon will recover. I doubt seriously that it will return to the neighbor's pond--it has probably learned its lesson. The scary part for me, is that now we have pistol-packing neighbors that will shoot at anything that gets near their yards or ponds---this is, I fear, a recipe for a future tragedy.

Month One As A Freelancer

Today I added up my total earnings for the month from my combined buyers, ContentGuru and GetAFreelancer. I earned a total of $128--subtract from that the 10.00 I spent at Elance to get writing gigs, and the $13 I spent at Freelancer to get more opportunities to bid on jobs. I cleared a whole $104 for writing 48 articles. Yep, 48 articles--and I don't think I'm nuts. But I do work hard.

Here's the deal, I learned a whole lot this month. I learned to research fast, organize, and write fast. I learned about SEO writing--which is essential producing internet pollution, but I did it and I'm still doing it. It's part of paying my dues. My main gig for now is writing real articles (no keyword stuffing) for the internet for $2 a piece. While the money sucks, I get to search the internet and write---two of my favorite things to do. And, while I am writing two-dollar articles, I am not driving around (saving gas money) and not buying anything---still another savings