True on the lack of passion, Cathy. Taking on what we don't believe in can't have any good results, can it?

I'll be recovering from my weekend for a few days. Two days with all-day cleaning and cooking followed by one day of scraping and painting. (We barely made a dent in painting the windows – as my brother said, "I forgot how many windows there area and how BIG they are!")

Which reminds me of another thing I'm never okay with: Empty promises. The neighbor who'd said for WEEKS we could use her extension ladder, saying she could pop it in her truck and bring it over (about 3 blocks) in 10 minuets said to remind her Wednesday because she'd rather get it here earlier than later. Wednesday, "Remind me Friday." Friday, "Great. Not a problem. Call me at 9 AM Saturday and I'll bring it over on Saturday." Called her. No answer. Called again around 3PM. No answer. She calls back an hour later, "Don't panic. You didn't have to leave me 5 or 6 messages." [TWO. I left TWO.] Said she could drop it off that afternoon, then asked what time my brother was arrived Sunday, then added, "Why would you do that on EASTER?" Um, because we all live in different cities and only gather together every so often – which I'd told her about ten times already. You guessed it. No ladder. Had a back up plan with another friend who has a ladder but no truck. Just before we were going to go over to get her ladder I saw the guy across the street outside smoking (his wife won't let him smoke inside). I knew he had a big ladder. I asked if we could borrow it – voila. Problem solved. Lesson learned: Don't rely on the other neighbor to follow through on anything.

Jodi, great point! I once had a gig that required $2 million in insurance coverage — for one job. They fought me when I said no, but in the end I was able to do the work without the additional insurance. Stupid rules written by attorneys who don't have an iota of a clue on what freelancers do.

That's why it's important to research the client thoroughly BEFORE you pitch.