The Freelance Life

Just wanted to "wax poetic" a bit about the life of freelance writer. Sure, I may not make as much money as I could be making if I kept on being a highly paid "web guru" database guy. Sure, I may not make the money of the big time writers. But I am still quite happy.

Here are some of the reasons:

• I get to make my own hours. This allows me the flexibility to hang with my wife and son. This also allows me to drop my son off at school and to pick him up from school. It's a routine I have been doing for the last 11 years or so. Sure it's made him a bit spoiled, but I believe it's made us closer. Plus I like knowing where he is. (Of course as he got older it was more of a having a general idea where he is.)
• It's neat having readers. Between Working Daze, my comics and my novels I must have around 100K readers. Not a lot mind you, but still enough. It's cool knowing that I make a few people smile every day.
• I'm my own boss. (I guess this goes with the making my own hours.) I like not having to answer to anybody but myself. On the downside it's tough to complain about what an ass my boss is.
• The money. Like I mentioned before it's not a lot of money. Very few freelancers hit the big buck where they can gargle with champagne. But if you put in the time and keep hanging in there and don't mind the rejects you can bring in some nice income.
  

Finally, I realize the freelance life isn't for everybody. The road to becoming a freelancer is paved far smoother if you have a significant other who has a "real job". (You know the type of the 9-5 job that comes with benefits like insurance and retirement and steady income.)

I'm just grateful that I have a very patient wife who has a very real job. It would be nice if someday I become one of those freelancers who does it hit big. (Can you say movie deal?) If that happens I can pay her back by giving her the option of an early retirement.

Until that day comes I'll just keep plugging away being happy with what I have.

Roy in Twitter

Okay, I am surprised it took so long, but Roy is now on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/WorkingDaze_Roy

Roy in Twitter

Okay, I am surprised it took so long, but Roy is now on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/WorkingDaze_Roy

Near and Dear

This cartoon was very near and dear to my heart as this is based on a real conversation I had with my wife. Of course I am more Jay than Roy (at least that's my story and I am sticking to it) and in real life it was candy not donuts but close enough.

As you can probably guess I am trying to lose weight. My weight loss program got knocked off track by my dad's passing and then our family trip to Costa Rica to visit my wife's mom.

Starting Monday the diet is back on and so is an exercise program you may seem some of this in Working Daze in weeks to come.

Oh please, tell your friends about Working Daze, we need to keep growing our audience.

Economy Rant

BEGIN RANT:

You know I am getting tired of all these partisan reactions to the economy and life in general.

What happened to doing what's best of the people and the country?  Why is always what works follow party lines?  If the democrats have an idea then the republicans almost always reject it.  If the republicans have an idea then the democrats reject it.  I swear a democrat could say, "snow is white and always falls down" and a republican would say, "no snow always falls towards the ground and is white.  Oh and we need tax cuts."

The thing is there is no absolute right here there is no absolute wrong here.  You will always be able to find flaws in any plan.  We all have to be more flexible and see that there can be some merit in what the other side says.  We also have to remember that the economy tends becoming a self-forfiling prophecy.  We think it's going to be bad because politicians and talk radio and tv hosts tell us it is going to be bad, therefore we pull in our money and don't spend as much therefore the economy does in fact get worse.

So let's all try to cut down on complaining about how the other side doesn't get it and figure out that we are all on the same side.  Let's work together and think positive.

Everybody go out and buy something.  Hopefully one of my books.

END RANT

I will be back from vacation on monday.

 

Man I am getting old...

The true sign that I am getting old is that I messed up the Princess Bride line in today's Working Daze. I am soooo ashamed of myself. It should be he's "mostly dead" not "a little dead". Sorry, sorry, sorry.

I wish I could say it was the "working daze spot the blooper" contest but sadly it is not.

Good SuperBowl Lousy Commerical

I sat and watched the superbowl with pen and paper (yes I do occasionally still use those ancient devices) in hand hoping to come up with some gags for Working Daze while I wrote.

I wasn't planning on getting to into the game. I figured last years game was good and I had no vested interest in either team this year. So I would hope for my numbers to come up in the pool (they didn't) and hope for some clever commercials.

Wow was I surprised. First off, the game turned out to be exciting and a good game. Not a well played game mind you (lots of bad penaltie and some borderline calls) but still very fun to watch. It's not often you get to see great comebacks by both teams. Second off, none of the commercials did much for me. The Doritos crystal ball one was probably the best, though I don't think the doritos people would really want people getting free doritos that way.

A couple others made me snicker but nothing really stood out at least for being good. The careerbuilder.com on stood out for being really REALLY REALLY to the point where a couple people watching the game at our house said, "wow we would never go to that site even if we needed a new job." So in a sense the commerical was successful since it was one of the few I remember what it is for. In another sense though it certainly didn't make me or anybody else in the room want to use the product.

The good news is I think in writing about I have come up with the idea for some Working Daze cartoons. Hey, thanks careerbuilder!!