She claimed to be a white woman raised in poverty by a black foster mother. She watched her foster brother die after being shot by gang members. The woman, Barbara Jones (pseudonym for Margaret Seltzer), also claimed to be selling drugs for an LA gang. It’s a totally bizarre tale set forth in her memoir,…
Lori’s Big Day Off
or What I’m Doing with My Leap Day Maybe it’s not professional to admit to it, but I’m taking a day off. I’m not showing up for work at this keyboard on Monday – not at all. Commas will have to remain misplaced. Fragments will remain, er, fragmented. And let’s not talk about what those…
A New Habit?
For some reason, I’ve been receiving a lot more requests from people wanting me to promote their sites or their work. Normally, if I don’t know the person, I don’t bother. But this one intrigued me. The site is called Bookhabit, and I went there with more than a smidgen of skepticism. Let’s face it…
Measuring Worth
No, it’s not yet another post on payment – not quite. It’s about determining if the project you’re working on or being offered is worth it. I bring this up after waving bye-bye to the long-arsed project of a week ago. The work was tedious, but it paid okay. The projects were large, but again,…
If I Had an Extra Day…
The weather gods were on our side Friday, for we made it to Manhattan to see Eddie Izzard live at the Union Square Theatre. He was his usual hysterical self. You either love him or you don’t get him. I get him, and I love him. He was not in drag, but he was looking…
Steady as She Goes
I’m sporting the remnants of a migraine that woke me up, and I’m taking it nice and slow today (so if this post seems all over the place, it’s because I’m riding an Excedrin high). We have tickets to see Eddie Izzard in Manhattan tonight, and if the weater doesn’t stop us, I refuse to…
It’s Getting Ugly Around Here
Every time I think I’ve seen the furthest lengths a person will go to for control, something else happens that makes me wonder if control is like a big black hole in space. Yesterday’s issue with the client wanting to view copy has now turned into a stalemate. I’m getting notes telling me pointedly that…
When Control is Important
Had a situation yesterday in which I had a lovely interview with a nice person and that lovely interview ended rather awkwardly. Why? Because of this line: “We really can’t approve your story for publication unless we’re allowed to see it first.” Uh, no. Her issue is this: while she is high on the food…
Your Professional Face
Oops – is that your amateurism showing? I had some email correspondence recently with a client, and I can only say that despite the words in his email, I got the impression I shouldn’t trust him. Why? Because he used some “template” stationery that resembles a notebook page, and he signed all emails with “C…
What’s That Huge Sucking Sound?
Alas, that noise that sounds like a Hoover pulling teeth from a squirrel – that would be this latest project. I sent a note to the Powers That Be on the 13th asking very pointed questions. That was a follow-up to the questions asked on the 11th, and it preceded the very direct question on…