Two Checks Received...

...and banked. I'm still owed for two more projects, one which finished in July, and a second in August. It's not like I'm rolling in dough, but we did go straight to Lil Caesars and get a $5- pizza and some wings. (Foodies. Heh. It was a long day and I didn't feel like cooking. And we hadn't had pizza in months.)

But, my cell phone will be paid, the cable/net/landline fone will be paid, and enough left over to see the retinologist and oncologist in October. I also opened a savings account with one of those online banks--very difficult to get at your money there, so perhaps I'll be a better saver. That's my hope anyway.

I'm still done. Done freelancing. At least, with this particular organization as my only income stream. I'll still take a project here and there, just because I *do* enjoy it, but the light is on, and the coffee has boiled over about expecting to make a living doing this. I get it. At last.

So I've got two packages that went into the mail today for a two positions with the state--they have to be applied for separately, so all the same info, except the job title on page one of their application. I had to enclose the following:

--Their application (7 pages)

--Their questionnaire (5 pages of essay or short sentence answers)

--resume

--cover letter

--list of additional jobs with addresses and phone numbers

--references

--copy of editing certificate

--copy of diploma

I started it on Thursday, and finished it off today. I needed to look something up for one of the questions to complete the questionnaire. THEN I noticed that for my first package, a different position than package 2 but with all the same materials required, that the paper I'd printed them on had evidently had coffee spilled on it at some point because all of the pages had brown stains at the very bottom.

*blast*

New paper and re-print.

Re-package, go over checklist, carefully check everything is signed, yes, done.

Print postage using Stamps.com (another blog post about them another time).

Send husband to post office as deadline for apps is tomorrow.

Keep scouring the Internet looking for jobs--at this point, as long as I can sit down (back issues), I don't care what it is. Well, no call centers. EVER. Just...NO.

I'm also having a conversation tomorrow night with a dear friend who's run his own business for years, and perhaps about starting my own small business, officially, not just "work on the side," but an actual business. It should be an interesting conversation.

I saw one of my bosses yesterday as they are teaching a class at a community college nearby, adult education, in publishing, and I got to attend in order to help them and the other students in the class. They were all smiles and gratitude, and the money problem was not discussed. They did seem glad to see me, I'll say that.

Like I said, I'll continue to take projects until I find something with more solid ground under it, and then, after that, the occasional project for fun and extra $.

But the crazy-making waiting on the mailman bullshit is over.

***

Since for whatever reason, I am unable to leave responses to comments on my blog, I'm posting my response to HD here:

Yep. I've come to the same conclusion. It's time to move on, although I'll keep one toe in the water because I like the work and I do like my "briend", boss/friend.

But...moving on. Stepping back into the real world.

Jewels