h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

'ning. & thanks for the hugs, guys. Things are looking less overwhelming today as I found some nice shoes last night which are all gold and sparkly and actually fit on my wide feet!

It should be 'ferrets' claws' to have the next bit make sense grammatically, right?

I'm being 'activated' these weeks and it helps me decide whether I want to actually *become* a freelancer, instead of just happening to be freelancing because I cannot get a fulltime job. If you see the difference.

When somebody like me has been (partly) unemployed for a year, i.e. partly supported by unemployment pay, I have to be 'activated' to improve my chances to get a job or become fully selfsupporting. A long story about our laws for unemployment - which they chance every year anyway - . (Actually I have been partly unemployed for 10 years, but working freelance and working as a substitute has put me back on square one several times).

I now have three (coachlike) sessions with a young woman who helps me sort out how to be my own employer, how to become a one-person firm.
What are my products? how to sell them? how to price them? how to network a.s.o.

I'm an employee at heart, independent, yes, but I still want frames to work within (especially working hours) and collegues to work with. Haven't had it for almost 10 years, though. My selfdiscipline only raises its head when deadline approaches.

My first step has been to order a cellphone . Now I'm looking to find a place outside my home to work - preferably with other people like me. Not nescessarily in the creative and/or media business but somebody to discuss ideas with.

And NOW the woodchopping.

Frosty and foggy, which seemed to keep a good few people out of town this morning. Now that it has been proved that wrapping up warmly does protect you from the common cold virus, I felt smugly cosy in my long winter coat and thick fiery red scarf.

We are aiming to see HP this evening, but the cinema wasn't open by the time we were ready to leave for home. So may leave it another week, or risk getting naff seats by booking on line.

[p]

[MTG{KEA}]

Morning, oops afternoon All.

[Hyp]

It's past time for there to be another check in the mail.

Just back from the post office, and there was a check but for only half the amount. This isn't the state, but a private client with a good private income.



And this is the dark secret about self-employment. You can work all hours, as hard as you like, and still go under if the clients don't pay you.

Drat,
Drifting along in a Saturday evening haze. Missed the England v All Blacks rugby because of a mix up at the pub and not going out until later.

[GDZ]

Mtea> and sympathy, Lil...

Lil: >>> And this is the dark secret about self-employment. You can work all hours, as hard as you like, and still go under if the clients don't pay you.


I've been only sporadically employed over the last 1 1/2 years, and I wish I had a skill I could market, so I wouldn't need to find a company which can provide the (affordable) medical coverage I need.


Preferably with a stealth component, so I could keep more from the taxman. I have seriously been trying to check out bartering, and how it could work in the current culture.

SC

Well, things are looking sideways this morning. The headline on our local newspaper says a large company is locating to my town. I interviewed with them this summer when they were scoping out the area, and during the course of the interview they indicated they wanted me to be a supervisor.

That is the suck, Lil. Can you contact this person?

FG, if it's customer service, go far away. Low wages!

I had quite an adventure yesterday. Bought tickets online for Harry Potter. Go to leave, double checking that credit card used to purchase said tickets was in my wallet. Nope. Not there. So I call the restaurant we were at last night. Yep, it's there. Run over there because I have 5 minutes until I pick up D. Guy who answered the phone has disappeared...no one knows where my card is. He comes back 10 minutes later, gives me my card. Race to the bus stop. D is, thankfully, waiting for me. Get in car, drive to theatre. Get a flat tire on the offramp, drive and park, see movie, call AAA, wait an hour.

So, last night for dinner we had fast food. I figured with that sort of day, if I cooked, I was likely to burn down the house.

MR, if that were my card, I'd get online and check recent activity! Your card shouldn't have left the establishment.

I have just double-glazed most of my windows with a roll of shrinkwrap I got for free. This will improve my energy efficiency.

Drat. I can only manage this header game if a sentence is left dangling, sorry. Not enough imagination for a whole new sentence...

No-one complained about me today, but I wasn't at work, so that's not suprising. Or maybe they did, and I just don't know about it.

FG, wouldn't it be a bit mean if you left your current employers again, so soon after they gave you a life-line to escape the job from hell? Or am I misunderstanding? Or being odd? Both are possible.

No, you're right, David. It would be mean. But then again, I'm a self-centered narcissistic b*tch.

[GDZ]

[Affy]