Little things make me happy.

Sometimes it’s a rant about an octopus, sometimes, it’s pie (and I do love me some pie). Sometimes, it’s the wonder from looking u at the brilliant night sky.

More and more lately, it’s my daughter. She finds ways of looking at things that astound me. She can take something I’ve seen a million times before, and say something, ask a question, or point out something that will force a new perspective on whatever it was.

She points out the magical parts of some completely everyday things. It’s wonderful. I love her perspective on things, and truthfully at times she’s caused me to reevaluate my own opinions and thoughts.

I also find it both amazing, and rather confusing that she’s more content sitting down and working out mathematical problems or spelling than coloring. With the math at least, she’s a far cry from me.

At times she’ll ask me a question about something I am familiar with, and we’ll tell stories as the explanation (the body versus the germs is a favorite around these parts). Which is far easier when it grabs her attention so well. She requests scientific explanations, and sometimes doing that in a story form is just fun.

Plus, with her being four, it helps keep her interested. Which also helps her learn more as well. So, it’s win-win.

While Clifford and EggBert are fun, science is awesome. Having a kiddo who seems to be really interested in it as well really thrills me to no end. I’m looking forward to buying her first ‘experiment’ kit, and whatever else that will help her come to her understand of the world around us.

At 28 I kind of figured I’d be having cooler existential breakdowns. Not that there’s anything ‘cool’ about an existential breakdown, but rage typing and not changing out of my pajamas and ratty band tshit doesn’t really seem to be the most.. exiting way to go about it either.

(artist’s depiction, so. much. talent.)

I kind of hoped that by now I’d be a responsible adult, and maybe have nervous breakdowns in some sort of glamorous way. Much like Scarlet in Gone With the Wind. With wine, flowing dresses, and dramatic music highlighting my despair.

Clearly, I was mislead.

Instead,  I was far, far less.. elegant.

If life hands me way too much at once, this is simply what happens. While on one hand it’s rather not.. healthy… but considering? I’d rather be drinking too much coffee yelling at my computer than some of the alternatives.

So, I suppose in some small way that does make it more palatable than the Scarlett O’Hara version.

My coffee is just thrilled to make your acquaintance.

I’ve discovered something about working for myself. I mean, aside from unreasonable demands, and just as unreasonable hours.

The freedom is nice, but it’s also fabulous for procrastination. It’s absolutely amazing for procrastination.

While I’ve long since cut down on the amount I’ve been doing in lieu of my career switch, I’m still doing a lot of work on a freelance basis. The gigs are smaller, and usually quick small graphics. While my own procrastination has gotten a lot better, the temptation to just goof off on the internet or do anything that isn’t work never really goes away.

I have found that there are a few things that do help, though. While they work great for me, they may or may not work for others.

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  Set Up a Time AND a Place

Seriously here. I cannot stress this bit enough. Setting up more ‘normal’ work hours and a ‘work area’ can be invaluable to getting into the right mindset.  Set up hours that you will be working, and stick to them. Mine are usually from around 9:30 or 10:00 am until around 9:00 pm. Yes, it’s longer than a standard work day, but the time is also broken up far differently.

As for work place, if you have the luxury of a separate area you can use for an ‘office’ that’s fabulous for you. Use it. Set it up as work oriented as possible, with any files or things you may need. Try to limit what else is there if it’s not related to work.

However, if you don’t have that luxury? Any area will suffice as well. Mine is my kitchen table (as all I normally need is my laptop, cell phone, and a notepad and pen). Keep your stuff close, and try and keep other distractions minimal.

• Limit Distractions

This is my main problem, as I work online and my biggest procrastination ‘thing’ just so happens to be the internet*.

While I haven’t had to do anything as drastic as block websites for myself, I’ve discovered that allowing myself some time to mess around helps. As I’ve realized the more I tell myself no, the more I act like my daughter. So, instead of an all out ‘no’ allowing a bit of time to just do whatever helps.

As an added benefit I’m calmer and more motivated to work.

• Set Limits

Let’s face it, if you’re working with the public, there’s a very good chance you’ll wind up with a overreaching and likely disrespectful client. I’ve had my own share of midnight calls, calls during class, and other completely inappropriate times. When you’re working for yourself, you have to remember – you’re a business. Yes, you need to work with your clients, but they also have to work with you.

Most people don’t want to be the client from hell. They don’t always realize that they are. Setting your limits and sticking to them is an incredibly important part of working for yourself (be it hours you’re going to work, times they can call, or anything else).

Let people know that part of the package is working within these boundaries, most will understand. If they don’t, very likely they aren’t somebody you want to be working with anyway.

• Get Over Talking Money

Oddly, this was one of my biggest issues. I, like most, was raised that talking money was rude. This made it insanely difficult to talk pricing, and I would constantly undervalue myself and my work. You need to get over this quickly, if you want to get anywhere.

Look around the internet for people in a similar field as you, or even look through craigslist to see what others are charging. While you cannot ask someone (it’s a grey area as it is, and very likely another freelancer wouldn’t be willing to tell you anyway). Check out what people with a similar skill level charge, and reevaluate your work to figure out what you should charge.

While these aren’t the end-all be-all of making things easier on you, they are a good start. If you have found something that works well for you, please share in the comments section.

*And cute animal pictures. So. Many. Cute. Pictures.

An Awesome Thing (TM).

Along with this new found love of the hustle and bustle there are random little things that just make the area it’s own little world. Sure, there are Occupy protesters elsewhere, but New Haven also has it’s own little tent city (for the record, I have no idea if other places have this). Sure, I supported the movement by occupying a park bench with some coffee, it was still occupying the part bench with some coffee- in solidarity.

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There’s also a bit of interest that right next door to the tent city is one of many Yale – oriented areas.

As my SO and I are such romantics, we took in the protest as well. That’s what normal people do, right?

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Now, I can’t get behind the Ron Paul love for a few reasons, but hey- not going to judge.

Also: More protests!

Fun, no?

Even if I don’t support the Ron Paul people, it’s good to see people standing up for whatever they believe in, same goes for the Occupy protesters. Freedom of speech and right to protest – It’s a good thing. Even aside from the many protests, there’s a lot to love about the area (and yes, at the moment I’m sure I do sound like a tourist brochure, I just don’t care).

Granted, there’s a lot more to this place than protesters but it seems that the only pictures I’ve taken are of those. Because I constantly forget I have a new cellphone that takes nicer photos. Awesome, no?

Honestly? I need to take back up taking all those pictures I used to. Of late, I honestly just wasn’t feeling very creative or driven (thanks winter, good looking out) but I’ve been feeling a lot better of late.

Always a bonus.

I tried for a snappy title. I really did. But, sadly that’s not going to happen.

I get a lot of ad offers on this website. I’m also a member of a few websites that will reward bloggers for time/whatever invested. I mean, sure- it was fun. It’s just got to stop.

Most, if not all of these ads (let’s call them what they are, okay) are geared towards moms.

That’s fine, in and of itself. It is. I mean hell, I am a mom. A lot of them were pretty relevant to my own interests and purchases. I’m also sure that they were for others as well. That’s awesome.

However, of late my mind has been drawing blanks here and to be honest I’ve not written for a while. I’m still getting those ‘blogger deals’ and they’ve grown progressively worse. More cliché, and worse. That’s got to stop. More and more the ads are geared towards some rather offensive ideology or trope. Seriously, it’s got to stop.

I’m not just a ‘mom’. I’m not just a ‘woman’. I’m a human.

Sure, I enjoy some fashion. I also enjoy technology.

I enjoy make up. I also enjoy getting my hands dirty.

I’m not just a woman. I’m not just a number. I’m not just a advertising metric.

The worst part of all of this? My daughter has been coming to me, upset, wondering why she can’t play with certain toys, or watch certain shows.

The reason? They’re only for boys.

She’s getting that message, at four. Only four years old. We watch shows together, I’ve tried to monitor what she views.

It’s not enough.

She’s just learning to write her name, and already is being bombarded with these messages.

That she ‘can’t’ do whatever due to her gender. She can’t like green (her favorite color) because it’s a ‘boy color’. She can’t like blue, same reasons. She can’t play with various toys, do certain things, or be what she wants (a doctor, for as long as she’s known what that was).

Those are for ‘boys’. And that’s not okay.

It goes without saying, I’ve tried to tell her otherwise, while it seems to stick I don’t want those horrible thoughts coming back.

She’s not just a girl. She’s not just an advertising metric. She a human being.

This is my favorite in my latest nail experiments.

I’ve been doing my nails a lot lately. Which is insane for me, especially considering I’m normally the type that will do them and them promptly forget.

Yeah normally I don’t even think about them until they’ve all but chopped off (the polish, not my nails).

But overall, I’ve got to say I’m liking this newfound girliness.

I am really not good around the holidays. Really, from around Halloween on I’m just a tight-knit bundle of nerves.

This year is far worse than most (thank you body for that, just awesome. Seriously).  Between everything going on, being forced to socialize with people I’d generally rather not see, and a host of random medical things in my family- the last few months have been horrible. I know I’ve been bad (really bad) at posting here for  a while now and trust me, I’ve wanted to.  I’ve had a lot of posts for here started, but simply ran out of words to say, or they wound up being some far too long tangent about life in general. Granted, I normally rant. A lot. these weren’t exactly what I should be posting up.

This has been the longest stretch of me being ‘bad blogger’ since I’ve started this website. So, I guess that’s impressive, sort of.

It’s been hard to get myself back in the habit of posting like I should and I’ve been trying. I really have. Truthfully, it a lot of things have fallen by the wayside lately.

Even though the medical problems and some of the other things are gone, and everything turned out okay (thankfully) at this point I’m finding it hard to get back into the habit of blogging here like I had in the past. I’m working on it, and truthfully hoping that maybe this post will be the kick in the pants I need right now.

We’ll see I guess.