PATIENCE AND THE FREELANCER

Like most careers, a freelance writing gig has its highs and lows. One of the biggest highs is working with many different clients. One of the biggest lows is chasing paychecks from all those different clients. Besides, putting a wrench in the budget, it just feels crappy to not get paid for work done well and on time.

Thankfully, chasing down clients doesn't happen often. Usually I see payment within 30 days. Sometimes up to 60. Only once before, did it seem to take more than 3 months, but that company was reorganizing and I did believe that no one was in charge. And now there's this...

Hey, look at me! I look like I am begging for... um...maybe a paycheck I invoiced 120+ days ago. 

It was Day 107 when I started writing this post. And then I hesitated. Maybe it's not the right thing to do, plus I had that idealistic "oh, it'll probably come tomorrow" recording playing in my head.

On February 13th, approximately Day 120, I thought, "Hey it's been 4 months since I sent that invoice."  I've been waiting an entire season for a paycheck. In other terms, I have been waiting the time it takes a baby to start solid foods. I got pissed, and resurrected the post.

I tapped on a few keys, then hesitated again. I wrote to the woman who hired me. Mortified that I was still waiting to be paid, she told me that some checks went out on Friday, and that maybe mine was with that bunch. Our fingers were crossed.

Then came Valentine's Day -- a day of love and perhaps...a paycheck! The only exciting thing in my mailbox, however, was a tiny lizard which scared the shit out of me. When I spotted it stationed on the last envelope, nearly white and trying so hard not to be seen, I screeched and threw all the mail in the air. As I collected the letters off the grass, a really cute Wheaton came over to sniff me and say "hello." That was nice, but the absence of a check was not.

{Confession: I did not sign a contract with this company.}

The freelance gods are frowning upon me; I performed emergency proofreading duties in good faith. I know. I know -- a stupid move which actually sometimes makes me think this massive delay is somehow my fault. I hate that that thought actually crosses my mind.

A good friend tells me his sister did a job for the same company, and that they took forever to pay. "But they paid!" he says, attempting to assuage me. I know this is supposed to make me feel better.... kind of like the forgotten 50 you find in a pair of jeans you haven't worn in a very long time.

I don't want to sound like an ungrateful, whiny freelance writer -- and if you know me personally you know that I am so NOT a WFW, but in the event that I am coming off like one, I shall turn this negative situation into something positive starting....now!

Let's play...

"GUESS THE NAME OF 
THE VERY, VERY SLOW PAYER"

 Just leave your answer in the comment section of this blog. If you are correct and the first one to be so (but you may not be a good friend to whom I may have already griped), you'll receive an autographed copy of a "The Colorful Counting Book," a short paperback kids book that I made a little too hastily on Lulu. But it's the thought that counts, right? And it is kind of cute. Oh, I am eager to see the names you come up with, and I do hope you'll play.

(o.k.-  I'm really sorry that the prize is not a cool purse, or a spa service or anything of greater value, but remember, I haven't been paid -- and actually it is kind of cool especially if you have a kid or know a kid that is at the age of learning colors and numbers.)

It is February 15th, and still no check. Maybe tomorrow or the next day or the next or the next or maybe the next.............

10 Lingering Thoughts about The Atlanta Gift Show

EYE-CONIC: "See it All" was the 2012's Winter Gift Show's theme.

Just back from the Atlanta Gift Show, here are 10 lingering thoughts...

 

1. THE SEMINARS ROCKED

I went to hear interior designers Nathan Turner and the delightfully sassy Mary McDonald talk about elements of style and I also attended a seminar led by a stylish panel of astute social media-ites including: (above, front to back) DwellStudio's Christiane Lemieux, Habitually Chic's Heather Clawson, and Apartment Therapy's Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. Maxwell said that titles such as "Top 5" and "Best of" work great with blogs -- hence!!! That's my friend Nick Bewsey from Blue Raccoon on the right.

2. "NO SMOKING" SIGNS ARE PURELY DECORATIVE

From the smoky smell of the stairwells, I gather that smokers either do not read signs or that the frustrating elevator situation leaves them no choice.

3. MY VOTE FOR BEST-IN-SHOW FOOD

I was most impressed by Go Home's giant wheel of Parmesan rolled out at the lunch hour. I didn't think I could manage a glass of red at 1:30, but I could!

4. PEOPLE-WATCHING/MEETING IS AS FUN AS PRODUCT SCOUTING

Spotting fashion, good and not so much has become my favorite Gift Show pasttime. I loved this scarf/sweater combo worn by Laura at Lacefield Designs.

5. LOVE THE FREE TOTE BAGS

These happy sacks, acquired at the gift show, will make me the Eco-Belle of Publix.

6. GRATEFUL FOR COMPLIMENTARY CAPPUCCINO IN HIGH DESIGN

(sketch provided)

7. TECHNICAL CHALLENGES PREVENT CONNECTING

I guess AmericasMart is just a super solid building cause it seemed that my efforts to tweet were thwarted often.

8. 1 IN 5 WOMEN CARRIES VERA BRADLEY

I made up that statistic because Vera Bradley bags seem to be everywhere.  I almost said "1 in 4."

9. ORANGE!!!

It's nice to feel relevant. Orange, deep turquoise, and green pear were the prevalent pops. (BSC upholstery and Oomph tables featured from J Douglas)

10. I AM STILL CONTEMPLATING A TATTOO

Beautiful, perfectly placed, and quite inspiring: new tats on Deanne from Design Legacy.

I

Naming Names

image from here

Choosing names can be a difficult task because a name is something that sticks for a very long time. From babies to businesses, from pets to domain names. Screen names, user names, blog names, book characters. Names lend distinction. People name boats and estates, even shacks. Women get married and add onto their original, then often wish they never had.

Names last but they are not static. They are susceptible to trends and social influence, falling in and out of favor with the times, celebrities, criminals, world events, even elections.  At some point, everyone wants to be called something different. Just last night, my daughter said she wanted to be named Erica. This is not the first time she's offered an alternative. She's 10 and it won't be the last.

I put a lot of thought into naming my kids. Following in the Jewish tradition, we designated letters, chosen in memory of our grandmothers, to begin the search. I didn't go to the baby-naming books, but rather, as any magazine editor would do, browsed mastheads. I tested each possibility out loud. I whispered it like I might at bed time. Shouted it like I might at a playground. Spoke the names sternly and softly. I did not want to stick my kids with names that would be frequently misspelled or mispronounced. My husband gave his opinion too. In the end, our two girls were given gender neutral names. First came Dylan Rose, then Sammi (long for Sam) Bea. I can't really imagine our girls being called anything but what they are.

The son I never had would have been named Ziggy. When my kids hear this, they are grateful they are girls. I fell in major like with "Ziggy." It conjured up images of a happy-go-lucky bright boy with corkscrew curly hair and a wild side. I imagined he'd grow up to be a doctor, perhaps a pediatrician, and the kids would all clamor after him. "Dr. Ziggy, Dr. Ziggy,"  they would chant endearingly. The caring doctor with boyish good looks and an untamed head of hair would be well-loved. That is the name I chose for the boy I never had, and I may recycle it someday for the dog I hope to have. Please use it if you like!

Did you ever come up with a great name that you couldn't use? Share it.

Good Reads for a Healthy, Happy, and Prosperous New Year

January is National Cervical Health Awareness Month and to celebrate the New Year, the health of my cervix and hopefully yours, I wanted to shine a light on three inspiring women authors -- Jennifer Grace Safina, Jacqueline Whitmore and Michelle Whitlock -- who I have met thanks to my cervix.

At one point in time, the four of us were all present at the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's annual conference.

This photo was from the National Cervical Cancer Coalition Conference 2009 in Los Angeles. I am in the back row, far right; Jennifer Grace is beside me. Jacqueline Whitmore is in the red dress, far right middle row. Michelle Whitlock is here too, but the photo is too small for me to point her out

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Jennifer Grace Safina and I met five years ago in a classroom. We became fast friends and worked on a cervical cancer awareness campaign together. Jennifer Grace has since become an "executive dream producer."  She leads motivational seminars and soulful retreats all over the world, for individuals and businesses, in person and on-line, and she was just chosen to be a Hay House author and radio personality. Her book "Directing Your Destiny" will be published in the near future. Here's Jennifer Grace as she appeared on "The Balancing Act" last month.

Jacqueline Whitmore and I met at the National Cervical Cancer Coalition conference in 2008. Jacqueline, a renowned expert on business protocol, was a guest speaker at the conference, and she shared her own story about surviving cervical cancer. I was moved by her candor and presentation, and we continued a friendship beyond the conference. Recently I was invited to her beautiful home to celebrate the publication of her second book, "Poised for Success: Mastering the Four Qualities that Distinguish Outstanding Professionals."

Michelle Whitlock was at that conference too, and she shared her dramatic story about survival. Michelle's passion for life is contagious, and I was happy to learn, after reading a sample chapter a few years back, that her book "How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice: A Memoir of Love, Hope & Empowerment" is now published.

Jennifer Grace, Jacqueline and Michelle are each interested in sharing wisdom, techniques, and information that can lead to a life of physical health and spiritual well-being. Something to think about as the new year quietly rolls in.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of a friend, Jeanne Bice, an incredible business woman and funny writer, who beyond building a QVC fashion empire, used words to motivate others and to "Pull Yourself Up by Your Bra Straps."

For more information about Cervical Health Awareness month, click here.

ELVES: Take the "S" Out of Selves

Francesca (left) and Sammi were on stocking duty.

Last weekend my children totally got the meaning of the classic adage: "It's better to give then to receive." While I have learned that there's also great merit to receiving, as a mother who tries to teach compassion to her kids, it is a really good thing when a child can experience the spirit of giving firsthand rather than just be told about its benefits.

Renee gathered all the fixins...

and hung the stockings with care.

 We brought some holiday cheer into the home of a family-in-need. Guided by our friends who did all the planning and purchasing, we entered the family's home like a band of elves. This act of kindness actually began some time ago when the family, whose oldest daughter Deana was diagnosed with  leukemia, applied for aid from the Arielle Anacker Cancer Foundation. The  Foundation, created by my friend Diane Trivelli in memory of her daughter Arielle who, at the age of 11, lost a 3-year battle with Ewing's Sarcoma, has been helping in many ways to ease the financial strain put upon the family.

Renee, friend to me and Diane, was touched by the family's plight, and wanted to also help. She raised money to buy a kitchen table, new Christmas decorations, and individual presents for the family members. Her daughter Francesca used her own savings to buy a welcome mat for the front door.

We worked like elves for 2 hours. We put a crisp red cloth on top of the table, put up the tree, flung some tinsel around, and hung a wreath on the front door. The girls personalized felt stockings with glitter glue. We all signed a holiday card to the family and Diane made out a special one to Deana in celebration of her last chemo treatment. And then we waited to surprise them.

A new place to gather 'round.

Well, not all of us waited. Dylan and I unfortunately couldn't stay, but Sammi stayed as the Dagmi rep. She reported that the homecoming was "sad and beautiful" and that everyone hugged, and that the mom and oldest daughter were crying happy tears. They loved the kitchen table and  kept touching it. "You should have been there," she said. "It was awesome!"

CURATOR (otherwise called: WHEN YOUR STORY DOESN'T GET PUBLISHED, BLOG IT)

CURATOR

This story on CURATOR was originally slated for EAST magazine. After I submitted the story, however, the publishers decided not to run it. On a scale of 1-10, my disappointment was a 10.

I interviewed Dave Hall from Moto Art for a Bob Vila story and when he saw that I lived in Ft. Lauderdale, invited me to CURATOR as his guest. I hadn't heard of the event and thought it sounded like a fun one to cover. I pitched the idea to EAST and they said "Go."

 Had I not been "working" the event, I may have gone as the guest I had been invited to be, and I could have experienced the evening without the baggage of cameras, notebook and pen and  without the pressure of getting the shot. And, I actually may have eaten some food and had a drink.

But c'est la publishing vie, and I did leave with some nice swag compliments of New Beauty.

Thank you Matthew. Along with a delicious scent, you made my night!

New Beauty Swag

Souvenirs included my very own fragrance from Memoire Liquide, personally blended right before my very eyes by scent genius Matthew Aguilar from New Beauty at Fred Segal, as well as a bunch of random beauty products.
 

Here is a revised photo essay: 

CURATOR

Curator: an evening of flight, fantasy, fast cars, and fun.

Fiction created a swanky setting that included wonderful characters.

One thousand forty nine miles south of the publishing metropolis is a growing media company gracefully gathering magazines and entertainment companies under the sun. Sandow Media, now a decade young, known for thick slick glossy mags like Luxe, New Beauty and Worth, is now putting some focus on treating its audience to experiential luxury events such as CURATOR.

Sponsors first:

(l to r) David J. Archibald, President, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC; Ronald B. Laconi, President, Chartis Private Client Group; Andrea Bezark, VP Marketing Communications, Chartis Private Client Group; and

James N. Dimonekas, Executive VP, Group Publisher, Sandow Media.
 

CURATOR, Presented by WORTH magazine and Chartis Private Insurance, and held on the grounds of Sheltair in Ft. Lauderdale, was a platform for exclusive exhibitors to target a luxury-seeking quality-demanding public.

 The red dress makes (and the woman wearing it) the shot.

At 5'9" plus 3" heels, I found it hard to slink into the Lamborhini Adventador.

As late afternoon turned to evening, dramatic lights lit up the tarmac, and guests climbed into planes, slunk down into sports cars, and washed down  BurgerFi fare with fruity vodka drinks.

Though the Occupy Wall Street movement was protesting nearby at the Boat Show, the decadent mood at CURATOR, was enjoyed free of guilt.

Compliments of Chartis, photographers Thomas Daniel of Splashlight and Maicol Diaz of Unique Photography & Design, snapped crisp black and white portraits of guests all night long.

L.A. designer and wardrobe architect David August (left) sifted through swatches with clients

Mia Foley (left) and Lorena Arbelaez model DeWitt timepieces as....

guests, each handed a key upon check-in, tried to unlock the box holding a $26,000 DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight Regulator A.S.W. Horizons.

Inside a top-of-the-line Hawker 4000 that smelled so leathery good: Hawker Beechcraft demo pilot Dan Raffaelli (left) and Vicente Miralles, Sales Consultant with Avia Service.

A Wynn-win situation with Larry Altschul, Executive VP of Player Development at WYNN ENCORE in Vegas, and friends Teahnna Suriano and Jacqueline Bicknell who flew in from LA.

The Moto Art group: David Hall (right) with sales execs Melissa Pelligrini and Mike Rudden, and a few recycled airplane creations, including 2 fuselage partitions, a propeller sculpture, and desk from the private collection of Sandow Media CEO Adam Sandow.

I loved this computer animated artwork by Julian Opie called "Susanna Walking Forward". Click here to see her walk forward.

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C

A School Assignment I Didn't Like

I think I might be channeling the curmudgeony spirit of Andy Rooney. It's a phase, and I'll be back to my happy-go-lucky self in no time. But while I'm feeling particularly disappointed today by a homework assignment, I thought, "Why not blog about it?"

Sammi and the entire fifth grade class is preparing to spend a day at Biz Town next week. Biz Town is a very cool local interactive exhibit where kids get to act out business and job-related roles. Sammi and her friends are totally psyched about this field trip, and in preparation, the class is learning about jobs, taxes, and expenses, and economics-lite. The kids have special homework assignments that digress from the usual. Today's assignment was to watch television,  find 8 good commercials and write the reason why you like them. The class had discussed some of the properties that constitute a good ad.

Sammi started watching TV at 6:30 and by 9:00 had managed to write down 7 examples that were likeable. Besides the ad for a cellphone with a 3D camera, it was hard for her to articulate why she actually liked the ads. She liked the Hershey ad because she loves chocolate, and the pizza ad pleased her in the same way. Perhaps she was used to clicking the "like" button on Facebook -- an easy to express opinion that requires no comment.

Early on in her assignment, I asked, "Can you write down commercials that you do not like and explain why?" "No," she told me pointing to the form that provided a 3 1/2" L x 1/2" H "like" space for writing her reason. I said, "But I bet you could as long as you explain yourself." She didn't agree.

I took a shower, and found myself getting more pissed at the assignment. Was I over-reacting or was it narrow-minded to only ask kids why they liked ads? It wasn't like it was even the Superbowl or Oscars. As the holidays approach with ads for all the things we fake need, I would be much more interested in tapping into a healthy dose of budding skepticism.