Oh yes. TGIF! What a busy, busy week I’ve had. Now it is almost over. I can smell the weekend (here, the weekend consists of a lot of pool time!)
Earlier in the week I complained bitterly over the fact that I had failed on the Just Hit Send September Challenge. Well, I’m here to say that I have redeemed myself. While my challenge goals were to actually write 4 articles and submit them, I got kind of side-tracked with blogging. I really enjoy it. I sat down this week and created four stellar blog entries that I can submit to potential blogging jobs. And, I applied for two of said blogging jobs! So, while I didn’t write articles, I most certainly WROTE and submitted that writing to paying job markets. I think that qualifies! I will be heading over to Absolute Write to update my siggy. Yea Me!!
On a completely different note, I just want to say…. HALLOWEEN IS COMING!!! Halloween may just be my favorite holiday of the year (well, after Christmas). I am trying to wait until October 1st to actually pull out my decorations… but I don’t think I’ll make it. Last night, while stopping in to the local drugstore to grab milk, I got sucked into their Halloween isle. It was beautiful. My kiddos and I spent at least 15 minutes pressing buttons on silly/scary decorations. I walked out with some great skeleton garland to decorate my entryway. And, of course, I had to put it up as soon as I got home. So… technically the decorating has already started. :-) I’m hopeless. In an effort to rationalize my actions, I must say that October 1st falls on a Monday. I certainly can’t be expected to decorate on a Monday!?! I need the weekend! And it also isn’t fair to ask me to lose a whole week of spooky enjoyment by waiting until the 6th. Nope… definitely not fair. So, tomorrow morning I am going to brave the still-scary garage and find all my fabulously ookie-spooky decorations. By Sunday night, my home will be haunted and full of spider-webs. It will have funny ghosts and gouls, dancing skeletons, and cackaling witches. Yeah. I can’t wait!
OK - enough gabbing. I am now going to finalize my THIRD entry for the Just Hit Send Challenge. I have an article to finish. Happy writing to all!
[tags]looking for blog jobs, writing challenges, halloween decorations, october[/tags]
[dels]looking for blog jobs, writing challenges, halloween decorations, october[/dels]
Look at me… back in the zone. Two days into the work week, and two posts up on my blog. YeeHaw. See, I’m feeling good. I’m feeling productive. I’m feeling unstoppable! I’m going to apply for a job blogging. Yup.. I’m going to do it. (hides under desk for 10 minutes hoping terror will subside). OK, so you may ask… what is the difference between blogging here and applying for a job blogging? Why is that scary? Well, let me tell you. I am afraid of failure. I am afraid of rejection. And to often that fear paralyzes me and stops me from doing anything productive. It is much easier to do nothing, and say I can do anything I set my mind to… then to try something and find out I can’t. It is scary putting myself out there.
See, here on my blog I can talk about whatever I want. I can babble and mumble. I can decide not to post. There are no expectations at all. But if I get a real job blogging.. then someone is counting on me. And that someone has the right and ability to pass judgement on me… (um… on my writing… not me.. just my writing… let me repeat that a few more times). I guess that is why the fear builds up in me. I want everyone to love me. I always have. I want to please people. I want to make people smile, or even laugh.
So… here I go. I am going to start applying for blogging jobs. I’ll let you know how it goes. Send some good thoughts my way, y’all. I need help keeping my fingers typing. I need help staying in the zone.
[tags]writing, blogging jobs, professional blogger, kathleen frassrand[/tags]
[dels]writing, blogging jobs, professional blogger, kathleen frassrand[/dels]
I have missed posting for 3 days in a row. Dang! Life just got kind of busy. The good news is that I finally started cleaning out my crazy garage. While it is still unbelievably stacked with junk, I did manage to reorganize a big section. I also donated a trunk-full of cast-offs to the Good Will. I saved some things that I thought I could realistically sell on Ebay. Putting those items up on Ebay is very high on my to-do list for this week.
In other news, I have downloaded and set up a feed reader. I’m using Omea, and let me just tell you that I LOVE it! I can open one program and it will automatically hit my favorite blogs and download the the latest postings. Talk about a time saver! The program is free. If you are interested in checking it out, go here:
OK, I also need to say that it is the 24th of September and I have failed MISERABLY on my “Just Hit Send” challenge. I had set a goal of writing and submitting 4 articles for magazines. Care to guess how many I’ve finished? Um… yeah… that would be none. Somehow, the month has completely escaped me. I don’t entirely know where it went. Of course, the good news is that I set up two blogs (one of which is monetized with Adsense), and have been doing great at posting. But… that certainly doesn’t pay the bills. If I am going to move into the ranks of paid freelance writer, I’d better get cracking at what actually makes money.
One of the reasons I love blogging is because it gets the creative juices flowing. I really get into a zone when I post. When I hit the “publish” button, I swear I could write just about anything. I feel inspired, and witty, and smart. ARG!!! Where does my time go? Where did the month go? WHY don’t I have any paid writing to show for it? I swear… next month I will do better. And this week I WILL get one of my articles written and submitted. I’m putting it in writing… right here, right now. I WILL.
Thanks for listening to my rant. As Scarlett would say… “Tomorrow is another day”.
[tags]writing, blogging, finding time to write, not meeting goals, setting goal, organizing life, omea reader[/tags]
[dels]writing, blogging, finding time to write, not meeting goals, setting goal, organizing life, omea reader[/dels]
I just can’t believe HOW much rain we’ve had here in the last few days. Just yesterday we got over 10″ of rain… in ONE day! I had to drain the pool twice. It was crazy. We really did need it, so on one hand it was great. Three rainy gray days of non-stop wetness. But really… I’m a mom. Life doesn’t stop just because it’s raining (just like it really doesn’t stop when I’m sick either).
I still had a child to get off the bus. I still had violin practice to make it to. I had grocery shopping, and errands to run. I drove all over town in pouring rain. I loaded and unloaded multiple children out of the car while trying to hold an umbrella that had suddenly turned inside out. I ran across parking lots, griping small hands while the wind drove the rain sideways into my face. I feel like I’ve been wet for three days. I feel soggy.
And today… the sun is finally shining. It is glorious outside. It is one of those days that just fills you to the brim with hope and happiness. The sky is bright blue, and the clouds are puffy and white. I want to get out there and enjoy the day. But guess what? My day doesn’t stop just because it’s sunny. I still have errands to run, and kids to ferry about. I have obligations to fulfill, even though my heart just wants to play.
And that brings me to a sad truth. Day to day living can suck the life right out of you. Our days are so filled with all that we must do, that we forget to think about what we want to do. And I don’t even mean that we forget to DO what we want, I mean we actually forget to even THINK about what we want.
When I was younger, I would lay in bed at night thinking about all I wanted to do in life. Now, I find myself so absorbed with what I need to do tomorrow, that I never make time to think about what I want. Most days I march through life like an automated robot.
Must make bed.
Must cook food.
Must wash children.
Must pay bills.
even…. Must write blog.
So, I make a promise to myself right now. Today, before I flop down exhausted onto my pillow, I will make a list of things I want to do. Silly things, like read Shel Silverstein poetry to my children. Meaningful things, like going back to college for the last two classes I need. Happy things, like meeting up with my girlfriends and laughing till I want to cry. Emotional things, like dealing with relationships that need fixing.
Today is my day for hope and happiness. I will grasp the fleeting rays of sunshine and twist them into a to do list for my life. And I better hurry… because by 4pm tonight the rain is rolling back in to town, just in time for violin practice.
[tags] to do list for life, happiness, plan for life, rainy days, happy sunshine, hope, kathleen frassrand[/tags]
[dels]to do list for life, happiness, plan for life, rainy days, happy sunshine, hope, kathleen frassrand[/dels]