Comments on: Settling In

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:03:55 +0000

I'm glad you're back too and glad the frantic stuff is gone for now.

By: Wade Finnegan

Wade Finnegan — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:08:37 +0000

Thanks Lori, I'll do that and send you an email.

Cathy- Boise was great. I wanted to connect with you, but was at the ice rink so much and gmail threw the twitter messages to spam, maybe next time.

I hope everyone has a great 2012, with all of us writing more and earning more.

By: Paula

Paula — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:44:25 +0000

Glad you had such a great extended holiday, Lori. So far 2012 has been slow for me. Last Tuesday, my first official day back, I sent an e-mail LOI to an editor, had the typical back-and-forth (including rates) and she replied saying she'd have an assignment for me soon, not due until mid-March.

I'm glad it's slow on the workfront, since....drumroll please....I finally got a much-needed new Mac. Right now I've got it working online, but because my old Mac is soooo old, the "Migration Assistant" won't move my files for me. I'll have to call Apple and ask how to do that, and more importantly...ask which things I need to move. I've lost all of my bookmarks, so I'll have to see if there's a way to save or move those. I need to load Office, too.

I'm struggling to get used to the mouse scrolling backwards with Lion. Preferences lets you set the trackpad direction, but not mouse direction. Suggestions, fellow Mac users?

It will be a while before I'm totally switched over, but I'm already amazed at how much faster web pages load (without annoying "continue/stop script" messages!) even with a sluggish DSL. I'll have fun catching up with Twitter and Pinterest, neither of which worked well with my old OS.

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:31:52 +0000

Well, now that all of you who have been goofing off are back,;-) I am having wireless connection problems. Driving me nuts when I have so much to do.

Jenn-I know what you mean about "old habits." Loved having my family here for 10 days, but it sure messed up the routine.

Kimberly-I am a dye-in-the-wool Chargers' fan so I hate the Denver Broncos. I was pulling hard for the Steelers, too. Ah, alas.

Wade-glad my town was nice to your son's team. :-) Maybe the break will help you with your 2012 plan. Look forward to hearing about what you decide.

I'm going to try to get some actual work done. Welcome to 2012, y'all. :-)

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:51:02 +0000

Sounds like a super weekend, Wade. The only thing better than football is hockey. :)

Try this - brainstorm a little on paper. What do you want to do? No limits - just write without judgment or fear. Don't think about it at ALL beyond "This and this and maybe this..."

Get a good list and we'll go from there. :)

By: Wade Finnegan

Wade Finnegan — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:51:07 +0000

Got back from Boise last weekend and then went to Everett WA this weekend. All hockey related trips. My son's team won the tournament in Boise, but then turned around and got their butts kicked in Everett. It was great fun and I'm really enjoying being a hockey dad. :-)

On the freelance side, I've got to figure out where I'm going. I don't feel focused and not sure what to do next. I had some success early on, but then things fizzled. Doing a full-time job and freelancing on the side is difficult. As Lori says, "you need to market" and I know that's true, but I'm not sure where to concentrate. Also, I'm feeling that I need a niche. At first, I thought I would dabble in different areas, but that in turn makes it difficult to market my services. 2012 will be the year this takes off, I just need to find a pair of wings.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:26:12 +0000

Enjoy your first working day of 2012, Jenn. :) Nice to start later, I think.

I do too, Kim. I'm surprised at the volume right now, but I did just sign on with a number of clients, so why am I shocked? Hmmm...

BIG disappointment. I share the disappointment. :)

By: Kimberly Ben

Kimberly Ben — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:32:16 +0000

Welcome back. Yeah, getting back into the swing of things is always rough, isn't it?

I have noticed an upswing in work since Jan. 1, but to be honest I usually get more work during this time because many of my clients fall back a bit during the holidays.

The Steeler's loss was is big disappointment in our house too. :)

By: Jenn Mattern

Jenn Mattern — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:16:06 +0000

I'm glad to hear you're settling back in Lori. Today's my own first day trying to get back to a "normal" work schedule. And getting back into old habits can feel like such a relief.