Work and Life Updates
Had my teeth cleaned yesterday and saw my NP. She says my kidney tests are better this year than they were last. (I have only one working kidney–a congenital condition, I think, since two aunts had the same anomaly).
While I was out getting my teeth cleaned and visiting with my NP, I locked the hens and rooster out of the hen pen and opened the cage to the new hen’s door to see if she’d come out and explore while I was away for a good five hours total. When I got back, the first thing I did was check on her. She was still the cage! They don’t call chickens ‘chicken’ for nothing. They’re very timid when it comes to trying new experiences! I’ll try it again today and lift her out of the cage (while leaving the cage door open) to see if that motivates her to “boldly go…” — or even to timidly go! And tonight after dark when the other hens and rooster have nested for the night, I’ll tuck her in with them and see if that works out for all concerned. I’m pretty sure I’ve acclimated them well enough to do that. The other chickens spend a lot of time near her cage, looking in and stealing her food. No one seems crotchety to her, and she doesn’t seem ruffled by them…
I’ve been busy recently editing copy for a couple of clients and writing blog articles for another client. The blog client is very happy and wants one or two blogs per week going forward. She’s providing the talking points via bullet list or source materials she wrote previously, so getting a 500 to 750-word blog written in 75 to 90 minutes is usually do-able–but I do tend to tweak, edit and hone once the first draft is laid down, to make sure each post is as powerful and engaging as it can be. It’s the materials review and final massaging of the text that takes the most time; the original draft itself is usually pretty straightforward. I’m enjoying the tasks and the associations.
One of the fellows I proofread and edited for (I also wrote a powerful, compelling blurb based on an anemic blurb that he sent me) wanted me to format the final drafts of the proofread/edited pages so they look totally professional. I told him I’m not a graphics designer and didn’t hear about that aspect of the project until after we’d agreed on a price and the original scope of the project and I’d begun the tasks, but I said I’d do my best if he wants to pay me an additional $50 to do it. I hope he decides to do it himself or find another provider who’s an expert along those lines. I don’t like to dabble outside my areas of expertise: writing, editing, copy enhancement, etc. First of all, formatting doesn’t pay as well for the time I’ll be investing in the task, and I can’t guarantee he’ll love the result. I’m no slouch as a MS Publisher user, but I’m not, not, not a pro in that area. When I’m asked to write the copy for a brochure, I can put together a mock-up showing where I envisioned putting everything in it, but I leave the actual formatting to pros like Eli Struck of Enlighting Struck Design, if my client is local. I know other excellent virtual graphics designers, too, among them Cajun Gypsy Arts. But I’m sure they’d charge a lot more than this client wants to pay for the minor amount of designing he wants me to do…
Guess that’s all as far as work and life updates for now! Carry on! Have a great day!