Working for the Weekend

Someone was snoring her heart out on the subway this morning...she sounded like a cross between a snorting hog and a jet taking off! It was funny to see other peoples' reactions to it; once they realized where the strange sound was coming from, everyone had a good laugh. Poor woman - she must have been pretty tired! She didn't wake up once.

I work downtown Toronto now, and have decided to take the TTC rather than brave the traffic on the Don Vally Parkway. Public transit does have its disadvantages though...such as standing outside in -20 degree weather waiting 25 minutes for a streetcar that is supposed to run every 2 minutes. Or how about missing the earlier bus home because there was a delay on the subway? On those days, nothing could make a traffic jam seem more appealing!

This morning was a good day to ride the TTC though. There was no traffic, no delays, and to top it off, I got a seat on both subways! I arrived to work early which means I can leave early; life is good.

There are so many people working in this city and sometimes I wonder if everyone is unhappy. If I had to take a guess, I would say that at least 80% of the working class do not enjoy their jobs. I do most of the time, but there are some days when I would rather just throw in the towel and stay in bed!

It's too bad people can't find a job that they enjoy. Imagine if everyone or at least most people liked and enjoyed their work each day. If you are deciding what type of job to look for, make sure you apply to jobs that you can make a career out of - a career you can see yourself in for at least the next 10 years. That way, you won't be one of the masses on the road depressed about going to work in the morning.

Serenity Now!

I don't know where my brain is at today, but it certainly doesn't seem to be staying in one place! I can't keep on the same train of thought for more than 30 seconds, and even if I know what I'm talking about, it really doesn't sound like I do, because my words just come out in confusion.

I'm hoping that writing about it will calm my brain and help me to make more sense for the rest of day... We shall see if it works.

There is so much going on in my life right now - it is hard to keep track of everything I have to do. I have about a dozen people all needing and wanting things from me, and everyone seems to call on me at the same time, and I feel like pulling the hair out of my head!!! :s Some days I am fine, and can deal with the chaos that has replaced my life, but but there are days (like today!) when I want to dig a hole in the ground, get into it, cover myself up and hide from the world for a few days!

Serenity now indeed... Have you ever wished there were more days in a week or more hours in a day? I have - actually I've also wondered what it would be like to have more than 2 arms! However, if we got our wish, there would just be more things to do to fill up all that extra time, and we would be even more over-worked than we are now.

It is important to take time to relax regularly, even if you can only grab 10 minutes! Take some time, pull the car over and breathe for a few minutes, and remember that people can wait a little extra time for that paperwork, project or whatever it is that they are demanding of you.

Getting Fired is No Fun!

Well folks, I was fired recently from one of my 6 jobs... (Yes, 6 jobs!) I was the caretaker of a community centre, and it was the perfect job for me: right across the street from my house, I made my own hours, and I could clean it early in the morning, late at night, or any time in between.

However, this centre is also run by a few of the long-time residents of the community, aka: the old ladies of the neighborhood! They are nice ladies, but to quote the last caretaker, "They are stuck in the 1950's, and they don't like to pay for anything." (He said it, not me! I just repeated. ;)

I guess he didn't claim all the hours he was putting in for the job, and I certainly did not leave anything out when I made my invoices! Therefore, I had the job for 3 months, then they knocked on my door and fired me. Oh, they hemmed and hawed around the reasons for letting me go, but it was plain to see the real reason behind it - money.

I was let go once before from a job where money was the reason. Not that in either of these circumstances the employer didn't have enough money to pay - if that was the case, it wouldn't have upset me at all. No, with both jobs it was just that they found someone who would do it for cheaper.

I was upset, I'm not going to lie! I don't think I would have been so upset if they had just come out with it and told me the real reason though. Skirting around my questions is just not very professional - I would rather hear the truth any day than not very well thought out lies!

There...I vented. I feel better now - still a bit stressed about having to replace the income, but I'm trusting that this door closed so I better one could open up. Those old ladies were getting to be a pain to deal with anyways! ;)

What (or Who) Are Internet Ghosts?

Friends, there are ghosts among us... Not the spooky, white sheet kind of ghosts, but the low-paid, desperate kind.

How many times are you on the internet in a typical week? How many Google searches do you make? How many articles do you read about the topics you've searched? I would hazard a guess that at least 80-90% of the population now researches and asks their questions on the net pretty often. Some people build up a trust with a particular author and follow their articles regularly.

I have some news that may shock you. Or it may not surprise you at all, considering the standards we have grown accustomed to as a society. That news is that chances are, the articles you read on the internet, are probably NOT written by the person whose name is attached to them!

Who wrote them? Freelance writers, that's who. Freelance writers who need the extra money and don't think about the consequences. Freelance writers...like me!

The consequence of being an "internet ghost" are discovered one day, when you are Googling something, you come across a cleverly written piece that makes you sit back and say, "that is a good article...sounds like something I would write myself! Must be a more good writers out there after all." Unfortunately, when you take a closer look, you realize that you DID write it, and someone else is taking the credit for it!

We don't think of that at the time however; all we think about is the $15, $5 or even $2 we will be getting in return for those 500 words that we can never take back or take as our own. Those 500 words will belong to someone else, and we won't even be able to use them as a reference.

I have written hundreds of these, and it makes me wonder how many so-called writers and authors out there have ever written a single line for themselves. If you are skeptical, Google "freelance writing jobs" and take a gander at how many websites there are devoted to the subject. Then have a look at the job postings - there are almost no employers that want your name on the article.

The part that gets me the most about this is that when you come across those too-familiar words, and you look at the website they are on, usually you realize that you could have written this article yourself, put your name on it and they would have accepted it and published it!

But there are way too many freelancers out there who need the quick buck and are probably too stressed to think about anything other than the bill they can pay with the small amount they are getting paid to remain in the shadows.

I was one of those...once. Now have a job that has nothing to do with writing, but I still have that burning inside of me that only a writer can understand. So I blog...I don't get paid very much for it, but it's MINE! Someday, by the sweat of my brow (or the sweat of my fingers!) I will be able to pay my bills with my writing, and it will be harder to do this way, but I don't want to waste my time promoting other peoples' names anymore. It's my turn!

I don't mean to put down other writers who are ghost-writing...it's not a bad way to get experience, and like I said before, I did it for a few years. The point I want you to walk away with, is don't do it forever! Branch out...your writing deserves to have YOUR name attached to it!