It’s always a joy to find an unexpected flamingo from an anonymous sender in your mailbox! Actually, there were two — a veritable mini flock, if you will. This ornament and an ice cube tray.
I can’t wait to make cocktails with flamingo ice!
Pretty sure I know who my not-so-secret Santa is in this case. Lack of a return address label notwithstanding, the USPS tracking # tells me my flock departed from Chandler, Arizona. There’s only one person I know who lives there.
Thank you, Wendy! Awesome gesture. I appreciate you.
I broke up with my freelance client over the weekend.
It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to this particular cash cow, who happens to be my former employer in Washington state. I owe a lot to these guys; not only did they give me my first professional writing gig when they hired me in December 2012 (and took a risk because I had no actual experience), but they gave me a freelance contract when I left for South Dakota in June 2018. It was a nice safety net that allowed us to leave the PNW without jobs, which — hello! — is scary AF. I kind of assumed it was just a polite gesture, and because the contract stipulated either of us could opt out at any time with 30 days’ notice, I figured it would last maybe six months tops. Instead, it turned into a lucrative, steady income source for two and a half years. One that allowed me to pay off my debt and buy a whole bunch of great stuff, including a new car.
You might recall I cut way back on the work at the beginning of this year because I was burned out and had zero free time, handing off 90% of my assignments to somebody else. A starving college student who needed the income more than I did, as it turns out. And while eight blogs and four newsletters a month is a hell of a lot better than the 80(ish) or so I was doing throughout 2019, there was still a lot of planning and prep work required, not to mention actually writing the damn things. The extra income was nice, but I no longer needed it. And when I landed this great new job at CenturyCo, I really no longer needed it. So I sent in my required notice informing them I was opting out of my contract on Thanksgiving day, turned in all my December assignments (early), and submitted one final invoice.
It’s bittersweet, and I got a lot of heartfelt messages from the people I worked with on these projects. Here’s a sampling:
- I’ve really appreciated your work, timeliness, and communication.
- I’ve loved working with you over the past several years. I have come to rely on you for job advertising content and have always appreciated the fun spin you put on difficult to sell areas and your quick turnaround time. I will miss you!
- Pleasure working with you, keeping the newsletter queue fresh and relevant.
They really are a good group of people and I’ll be forever thankful for the opportunities they gave me. Irregardless (yes, it’s a word now), I have no regrets. I have a very satisfying job and a pretty terrific wife. I’m at the point in my life where work/life balance is a very important thing. Probably the most important thing.
Still not sure if I’m writing every day this month…
(Just kidding! I’M NOT.)
Mark My Words 
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