TGIF: Just Another Day

Today is Friday although it doesn’t feel that way. I crawled out of bed this morning pretty much unwillingly and stumbled into the kitchen for my first cup of coffee. After mixing the coffee (instant that is), two spoons of sugar, and a bit of French Vanilla creamer I wandered into the living room where my laptop awaits my return. I open the lid to find it doing updates, so I wait. Once it completed I start checking email in hopes that my inquiry emails I sent out yesterday were answered to some aspect. Whether the response is “Sorry, but your writing does not fit our style”, or “We have received your inquiry and currently it is under review”, to “Please write an on spec article and we will get back to you once we receive it”. I’m always iffy with those types of responses. I’ve been burned before where they take that freshly written article and stick it on their website without paying or even notifying me of the event.

I have started up another blog for my writing and anything related to writing. I haven’t really written much on it as of yet, but it will be up and have some content in it before the end of the month.

–  2009 UpsideDownGrl

Back from Vacation

Vacation was great and now its over. That makes me a bit sad, but I’m glad to be back home. I miss the beach, the smell of the ocean, the feel of the sand between my toes, and the cool breeze blowing in from the sea.  We spent most of our time store hopping along Atlantic Ave in Virginia Beach as well as walking on the beach early in the morning as the tide went out in Ocean View (Willoughby Spit Area).

I snapped a few photos of what the tide left behind and picked up smooth rocks and a few sponges that came in with the tide. We found a jelly fish the first day we were there and I took a photo of it. Now I’m back and trying to get ready to get back to work. My current job has no work available for me this week due to the holiday, so I’m surfing around on the internet looking for a few freelance writing jobs which seem to be few and far between. I’ve hooked back up with Demand Studios and have taken on a few projects, but the pay isn’t really all that good. But I guess I can pay my car insurance and my Dish bill with the pay from that. I also hooked up with HubPages but I can’t see making any money from that site. But my search will keep going and I’ll keep writing the little bits so I can get myself back up to the big bits. Now if I can just keep a good focus.

 

 

-UpSideDownGrl

Vacation Time

I’m so excited!!! I finally get to go on a vacation. It was a last minute planning due to my work schedule, but the plan was to go to the beach and although I may not be going to the beach I wanted to go to, atleast its a beach. My plan was to visit Cape Hatteras in N.C., but after hours and hours of searching and calling hotels around the area to end up with no rooms available, we chose to go to Virginia Beach. And since I know the area we can go to various places instead of just spending the day searching for places to visit between soaking up the sun.
After my vacation I’m going to be looking for a new job. I love my job. I’ve been promoted and got a few raises, but it’s actually costing me money to work there. With all the driving I’m actually spending way too much on gas than I’m actually making to pay my bills. I’m looking for some more freelance writing work to fill in the money that I’m not making. So far the freelance work is some slim pickings. But maybe I’ll land something.

– UpSideDownGrl

A Brand New Day

Well today is a brand new day. I have a new outlook on things in the writing world… I think. I don’t want to speak too soon due to I’m usually let down or something gets changed around – not in my favor – so I don’t want to get excited or get my hopes up.

Starting Over…

The first day of Spring.
What better day to start up my Freelance Writing Business once again. Now to just find some projects. I have my office in order, my computer waiting to get to busy, and my email waiting to receive some inquiries. I started a freelance business back in 2004 and made a great living. Then I decided I was going to go back to school full time and my freelance writing business just didn’t fit into my plan, so I shut it down at the end of 2005. I’ve tried over the last few years to get it back up and running just part time, but so far no such luck. I’ve burned myself out at times searching for hour upon hour for freelance work to come up empty handed and disappointed. Searching site upon site for work just isn’t working. Hopefully something will come thru soon.

© 2009 UpSideDownGrl

The first snow of 2009

I can’t believe it – it’s finally snowing. Not just a little bit, but a lot.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Well there are no plans for Halloween ’08. The only thing that may be planned is ordering food from El Rodeo, watch t.v. and play some Saints Row 2 on the Xbox 360. I used to do lots of stuff on Halloween, but this year I just don’t feel like doing much at all. Just staying in and snuggling with my man.

A friend just sent me a link and this was on of the ads – Click Here. Don’t they look comfy. Well anyhoo, this entry isn’t very long as you can tell. 

Happy Halloween!!

All Rights Reserved! © 2008 UpSideDownGrl

Hair—OMG

OMG I just dyed (permanent I must add) the underneathe part of my hair a blue-black color! I kinda like it, but it seems to have a bit of a greenish tint to it since my hair is blonde by nature – the blue black didn’t take as well as I thought it would. Why did I do this you ask? I’m not really sure. Here’s a pic of it, not that good because you really wouldn’t realize how hard it is to take an in focus picture of the back of your head. Try it sometime – without the tripod!

A Really Long Week

It’s been a pretty long week. In between the renovations and trying to find a good paying job or a job at all has been overwhelming and exhausting. The job I was working is over now until there is more for me to do. I have finally finished the last of the writing projects that I had with clients. Slowly but surely they are done and my official resigning of my writing career. 

As I still search for some design jobs, I have yet to find any, but in the mean time I am working on a lot of mock ups to use as samples. I have also dug up a few of my old designs that I created for clients back in 2005. I miss designing so much. It is one of my most loved things. 

I’ll write more later.

I have quit the writing business…

Today is my last day in the writing business unless it is something for Odesk. I will gladly take on a writing project from there due to the fact that the buyers on there are willing to pay what a writer is worth and not the piddly amounts that others are trying to pay for writing.

I am however still designing web pages, logos, and working as a virtual assistant. Those things I will never quit. I have a few things to finish up for a client then my writing is done other than just writing for the fun of it like in my blogs, etc.

I have been putting up a basic free website for my web design business while I work on my permanent one and have my portfolio up along with a lot of other things. So as far as my writing career goes – it will not progress any further. Now it’s time to focus on school, web design, programming, and some graphic designs. I’m really excited about making this change in my life. I’m the UpSideDownGrl as everyone already knows and now its time to turn my life right side up. Things need to change for me – so why not start with getting rid of the things that are not working out and only work on the things that are. The things that will benefit me, my man, and the rest of us. I’m no longer going to write for pennies while others are using my writings and making quite a bit from it while I don’t get any royalties from it, just that one flat fee. Not going to happen anymore. 

Well, I guess I’ll finish up the last bit of blog post then say au voir to all my clients I write for. And hello to all my new design clients. Time to get writing. 

All Rights Reserved! © 2008 UpSideDownGrl

Tuesday – And the World Turns yet another day!

I began designing mock logos this today. I’m at home all day today and don’t feel good at all. I have the flu or some really bad food poisoning. I’m not exactly sure. Yesterday I completed half of my sign up for college and next month I have to complete it. I’m going to get my programming degree so I can actually make some money. Writing is a lost cause. There is no money in it anymore like there use to be a few years ago. I use to be able to support myself with working as a freelance writer. Now days though no one wants to pay a writer anything but a few pennies. So going to college and working for QLF are my only choices at the moment. I want to work on some freelance web design if I can find someone who is willing to hire me (not even for the going rates for web designers) and let me get some experience and some one I can use as a reference. But many aren’t willing to take a chance. What ever happened to those who were willing to take a chance with someone and give them a chance to show what they can do for you. Now everyone is so selfish and will only let you work (with no experience) for free.

When I started working as a writer I had no experience. None what so ever. I failed English in College and barely made it thru in High School, but did anyone ask for a resume, did anyone ask how much experience and education do you have? No of course not. But today they do. And they’re asking for this info for what reason. Most of what they ask for is web content which only stays up for a month. No one actually reads articles online – they just skim it. Well I guess that is enough of me bitching about the writing world. From now on I am no longer a writer except for my blogs and websites. I will no longer be writing for anyone else unless (yes of course there’s an unless) they can pay a decent amount of money for what I write.

All Rights Reserved! ©2008 UpSideDownGrl

The Outsider – Me, Myself, & I

Wow, its been a while since I’ve posted anything! I’ve been working back at the shop full time for the last week. Monday I’ll be working as well after I set up my financial aid and everything else I’m going to need to start back to college in the Spring.

Something I’ve noticed over the last few months or so is that everyone treats me as an outsider. I’m no longer really included in anything and pushed to the side for other “more important things” to take my place. I don’t feel welcome anywhere – not even at home. I don’t know why – but maybe it is for a reason. Maybe to push me to move on with my life and those who are meant to be in my life, will be and those who aren’t, well they’ll be gone. 

I’m working on my Computer Information Systems (CIS) degree and will have over half of it completed within nine months. I know my plans for what I want to do with my degree and have found a shortcut to start a career in nine months instead of waiting 2 years to get my degree before I can start making the big bucks. I have met a great advisor who is helping me through the loop holes and helping me land one of the highest paying salary jobs in the area. I’m so happy and can’t wait until next September. No more having to write for pennies. I am still writing, but most of my clients have hired someone else because I have raised my rates. Blogs are now $20 -$35 per post instead of $10 and $15. Q & A  and articles up to 500 words are $45 each and my hourly rate is now $25 per hour. This is still under the current going rates for these types of articles and posts, but I feel I will still come out ahead with these rates. But many of my clients have looked for writers in India and other countries where they are willing to write for pennies – this in turn leaving American writers with no work. I have also started up web designing again. My rates for that are $50 an hour for now. Soon I hope that it will take off and I can make a pretty good income with that until I finish my degree. Well, I have to finish up the laundry and catch up on some other stuff around here.

Setting Up My Business – Today

My business name is Meisha MacKenzie. I’m setting up my site today.

Another Rainy Day – Oh Joy!

Don’t get me wrong, I love the rain, but it’s Saturday! I want to see some sunshine.

Another Rainy Day – Call me Twitterfied!

 

This morning I woke up to the rain pouring down outside. Don’t get me wrong, I love the rain, but my knee does not. It’s really early for me to be up and about, well I can’t really say I’m up and about. I’m still in the bed listening to the rain, sipping on the coffee my man brought me before he left for work this morning, and watching Mocha talk to the birds outside the window. All of that along with checking email and getting to work on the remaining 4 blog post I have to complete and the other 5 Q & A’s, & 10 more articles all due by Monday. And then I have another 20 Q & A’s due by the end of October. You would think I was making a pretty good income here, but the pay just isn’t enough to pay all of my bills. It looks like I will have to raise my rates in the near future (a few weeks) and I may end up losing some clients, but I must do what I must do. Yes it would seem I’ve somehow ran out of days as well and now it’s down to the last minute type of writing. So much has been going on lately and time has somehow just passed me by.

When I woke up at 6:10am this morning I had a plan. I was going to get up, grab the laptop and start working on the blog post. I completed on last night while I watched my man play that new game we just got for the Xbox 360. I love playing xbox when there are good games out. Lately, there just hasn’t really been that many. Saints Row is awesome – so much better than any of the GTA’s. We just put a deposit down for Saints Row 2 – it comes out on October 14, 2008. I can’t wait Anyway, back to what I was saying about my plans for today. I completed one of my blog post and started on another one while he was playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. I guess I should’ve completed them all, but I got side tracked (or saw something shiny as everyone always says to me), and started cleaning out the refrigerator and watching my DVR’d 2 hour special of Gordon Ramsay‘s Kitchen Nightmares.

I love that show. Watching it makes you not want to eat out at any restaurant any more. I still eat out though. Usually at O’Charley’s. I absolutely love their grilled chicken and their rolls.

 

From December M. Raynes Twitter Page!!!

 Okay, so I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on Twitter. Now at first I looked at this little thing and just couldn’t figure out exactly why anyone would want to use it, but after a few look sees and a few post I’m now addicted! Go figure right, something so simple can take up a whole lot of your time! Well, as it would seem that time has once again slipped away. It is right now 8:26am. Where did the last hour and a half go? Well, enough yip yap on here for now. Time to get things in the workings.

All Rights Reserved! © 2008 December M. Raynes

Not a good day

Today I feel like crap!!! I have that stupid sinus thing that is going around and I’m freezing too death. My head is going to explode, my stomach is upset, and my shattered knee (happened when I was 16 – never had the surgery on it) is killing me cause it’s raining outside. I can’t think or concentrate on anything today. I have so much to do but just can’t get it done. Along with suffering, I’m also searching GetAFreelancer.com for some data entry work. No luck so far. I just want something that is fairly easy to work on and not a huge hassle of researching and looking for detailed and long articles.

I have 10 more articles to get done by the end of the weekend and another 26 to get done by the end of October 31st. Well actually the 30th because Halloween is my day! I don’t work on Halloween – It’s my special holiday! Black cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, and Spooks – what could be better. I’m not big on the candy, but I love the movies – (the old ones are pretty funny) gotta love Vincent Price and all of the costumes the little kids wear. In my neighborhood there aren’t any trick or treaters, but when I lived in the city there were lots of them.

I finally finished my web site, but have yet to purchase the domain name. Right now it’s just running on the sub-domain name they have. I found a new favorite of mine. A1 Steak Sauce Smoky Mesquite style. It is delicious on everything. I’ve been eating it on everything for the last three days. Rolls from O’Charlies, I use it as a salad dressing, put it on sandwiches, and love it on grilled chicken from O’Charlies. 

Alright – Time to search again for some VA work either full time or part time. I just need some work that can pay the bills!!!

All Rights Reserved! © 2008 UpSideDownGrl