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The freelancing problem no one talks about October 2, 2008

Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.
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If you subscribe to this blog on a feed reader you probably noticed that my TGIF post disappeared. That’s because I am suffering from the freelancing problem no one ever talks about – losing all track of time and having no idea what day of the week it is :-). For some reason, today felt like a Friday to me, and I posted the TGIF video I planned to post tomorrow. I realized my error a little later and deleted it, but it probably already went out to the feed readers. Sorry about that.

The Urban Muse, a great blog about writing if you aren’t familiar with it, suggested a couple weeks ago that bloggers “keep a few posts in your drafts folder.” This was one of those “aha” moments for me, and I have had a couple posts percolating as drafts ever since. Unfortunately it is also too easy to simply click on Publish before you’ve had your morning cup of coffee. I jumped the gun this morning, since I am having a slow week and lost all track of time.

This is a frequent problem, because many of us work on the weekends and either take days off during the week or never take a day off (but that really isn’t healthy). A calendar usually keeps me in line, but everyone makes mistakes.

Actually, this was a good thing in this case. I dread Fridays, because that is the day that every agency I have ever worked with – and some I haven’t ever heard of – call in the late morning/early afternoon/evening with a job that simply must be finished by Monday. Lucky for me, I now have another day before that happens. It feels like Christmas! 🙂

Oktoberfest die Zweite (part 2) October 2, 2008

Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Uncategorized.
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I attended a German Oktoberfest cooking class last night at Viking Cooking School. It was a hands-on cooking class, and we made soft pretzels (enjoyed with a spicy Obatzda cheese spread) , wild mushroom and spinach strudel (which was AMAZING – phyllo dough isn’t as difficult to work with as I thought…), grilled bratwursts with caramelized onions, and Black Forest cupcakes. After we finished cooking we enjoyed the fruits of our labor with a nice glass of wine. I’m still full this morning!

It seems the Americans are embracing the Oktoberfest more and more every year. In addition to numerous local Oktoberfests, there are features in the cooking sections of magazines and newspapers and lots of other cultural references to the big beer fest. Here is Blondie’s contribution to the Oktoberfest:

Confessions from an Internet junkie October 1, 2008

Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.
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My name is Jill, and I’m an Internet addict.

I’ve been without Internet access since 7 PM last night (it’s shortly after noon as I write this). My ISP sent out a technician first thing this morning. He switched out my cable modem, the splitter both inside and outside my apartment, and the cable itself. After he left I was unable to access the Internet, but it took about an hour to work through all the other issues on the phone with Tech Support before I was finally able to get back online. It turns out the new cable modem caused my router to revolt, and this locked me in “quarantine.” The ISP page in the browser told me I needed to activate my service, but I’ve been a customer for five years now. Turns out my router needed to be rebooted for me to get online. But, hey, Skype still worked just fine the whole time, because Corinne tried to call me about our ATA presentation in the middle of all that.

Luckily I didn’t have any jobs due or anything to work on, because I had taken yesterday off to compensate for working over the weekend. I was fine about not having Internet last night (I caught up on some downloaded TV shows and read a book), but I was going through some serious withdrawal symptoms by this morning (or maybe it was just frustration at Tech Support’s complete ineptitude – it took until Level 3 to figure out the problem):

  • Feeling of jumpiness or nervousness
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability or easily excited
  • Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes
  • Depression
  • Difficulty with thinking clearly
  • Clammy skin

Wow, this isn’t a good feeling. I think I need to wean myself off the Internet a bit. It isn’t healthy. According to the site linked about, “Due to the nature of Internet Addiction Disorder (failed impulse control without involving an intoxicant), of all other addictions, IAD is said to be closest to pathological gambling.” Luckily my addiction doesn’t cost me a lot of money and hasn’t disrupted my “academic, social, financial, and occupational life the same way other well-documented addictions like pathological gambling, eating disorders, and alcoholism can.” In fact, the opposite is true. I truly feel the Internet benefits me in a wide variety of ways, but weaning myself off it a bit certainly isn’t a bad idea…

They say admitting you have a problem is the first step, but at least I can take comfort in the fact that I’m not alone.