Wherein I abandon my values and family for pretty, pretty money.
July 13, 2004So it seems that I have taken a job. Just like that. I swore a while ago that I would be all freelance-y and free-spirit-y forever and ever, that I would never again sit in a cubicle and be oppressed by the Man, and then the Man called and said, "Here's some money for you," and I said, "Hey, freelance life? Go sit at the curb until someone picks you up, because I want me some cash."
Yesterday I went to a meeting! In an office! A meeting where no one had yogurt smearings (smearings?) on their shoulders from their kids gnawing at their shirts, where people had Blackberries and wore pumps and slacks and ties (not all on one person, you understand) and seemed to not want to burst into hysterical giggles at the silliness of it all. And then they went, "We'll pay you! To do this thing!" And I was like "No shit!" and they were all "We totally mean it!" and so here I am, now, with a sort-of job. I mean, it's not a full-time job, and it's only for a year (a YEAR!) but now I have all this work, so, hmm.
Of course, Henry will have something to say about all this. I've come to see that kids take up a lot of time and energy, and he probably wouldn't understand it if I told him to play quietly until Mummy came home at 6 pm. So there's that. I'll have to get some help. Because we are still poor (until the cash money comes a-rolling in, YEE HAW), help will probably come in grandparental form, with all the psychic damage that implies. Not damage to him, of course--oh, he'll be just peachy.
I'm not sure what all this means for the blog. In addition to the job, there's my fiction writing, which has been woefully neglected, as I am addicted to the instant gratification of blogging. But attention must be paid, my friends. Attention must be paid! Then there's, you know, life. I can't just give up on the blog, I think, right? I can't. I will find a way. (Cue dramatic music, which swells to triumphant climax, then peters out into sad, aimless jabs at a toy piano. Plink. Plinkety. Plink.)
Reader Comments (32)
We found an affordable nanny through 4nannies.com - I think that's the url. She lived with us and was amazing until she up and decided to go get married and create spawn of her own.
Congrats on the job. I know it's tres un-pc to say this these days, but I had more than just a tiny bit of glee and joyfulness when I got to once again shower daily, put on pretty shoes, and re-enter the working world after extended periods of being home with my kids.
Seriously, congrats on the gig! Sounds perfect (part-time is perfect; money and flexibility) and soon you'll be able to blog about all the things you've since learned from the grandparents you've been doing completely wrong all this time. Can't wait!
but you simply can't give up the blog. I want to hear your take on re-entering the work world. I'm living in a constant date of dread knowing this will be my fate very soon....perhaps you can make me laugh about it.
Congrats on the job and the money and the promise of a life outside of all the glorious things about being a mother.
Congrats on that money thingie.
Rational:1) You can blog from work. I don't mean not get your work done, and like that, though, hey, I'm writing this comment from work and that means I'm not, kinda, well, erm...
But you can draft stuff and think about stuff and just float it on up to the blog when the time is right.
Put up a little announcement, like, "I'm getting paid for stuff now, so I'll be posting less often." Just not "...I'll be posting no more."
2) Your blogger persona will not be satisfied by the work persona. They're two different beasties, and both need to be fed.
3) Your other fiction writing will suffer no more than it was suffering when you were unemployed and blogging too much.
Irrational:
4) Plllleeeeaaaaase. I mean, come on! Where else am I gonna click and see, "Hey Dawn, I got your rosy finger right here."?
5) PPPPlllllleeeeeeaaaaaaasse.
--FD
Anyway, you can't stop blogging. Work to blog, that's my mantra.
The old "Should I get a pedicure or tell the Finslippites I am closing shop" ego ploy:
If I get a pedicure a total stranger might think might toes look pretty but I would need some open-toed sandals and even then they might just think it without saying anything.
If, in contrast, I tell everyone that I might be forced to close the blog then there would be outpourings of affection and threats of suicide and mass protests blocking traffic in major cities and talk of blog-rationing and the Wall Street Journal would run a piece on whether public subsidy of Finslippy could avert the crisis.
So go already. And congratulations on the job but they will never love you as much as we do.
Jamais.
Conrats. Ain't nothing wrong with a little money...