Life Off the Grid - Busy Week

I hope it's a busy week. This is Monday and I've placed all the introductory, request for interview emails out to the executives I've been hired to interview. These aren't search and seizure interviews of the sort I did in thankfully long-gone reporter days, but thoughtful follow ups for a new client who sounds fairly perfect. I've also made requisite set up for other interview, a profile for a previous employer. That's all set for tomorrow. So now what? 

Is my time any more my own now than it was a 

month ago? All the business owners I've ever met, including the very kind ones who took time last week and the week before to chat with me and, in one case, throw me a bone to test my catching skills, work a good 60 hours a week. I haven't started tracking where those hours are but at a guess I'd say a couple are at the beginning of the day when you turn on the computer en route to the kitchen and another couple at the end when, because there's no commute, you just keep on answering emails or trolling the Internet. I suppose when there's actual work to be done on the jobs you took the time to get, you can do that. Then, because TV and even the Netflix choices are paling (palling?), there's that time. Then, I guess they work one weekend day.

By Friday aftern

oon last week, I'd had it. Over-dosed and needed a trip to Trader Joes and some time in the midday sun that didn't include the parking lot in front of Staples. (cuz I've been updating the tech around here.)

Yesterday, I started to do some prep work but couldn't keep my eyes open so took a nap. Fortunately, because I really wanted a 'normal' (i.e., free) Sunday, an old friend called with a lot of catch up on.

I've had one job interview that piqued my interest but the red flags were flashing like the arm bands on a thousand Chinese solders. Anyway, I'm kind of excited. Surely, if the universe didn't want me to work for myself, I wouldn't have enough work in the pipeline to go another month...or two.

The rule for this week is to finish what I've started. In another hour that will mean telephoning the people I emailed this morning, but right now it means finishing the sewing on "How to Distinguish Scents" so that all six editions are complete and then making a start on some fun books I want to make using recycled covers of old Nancy Drew books. Who wouldn't want a Coptic-bound blank book with a bright and familiar flash of the past as a cover? I found a slightly battered roll of heavyweight drawing paper at Pearl's yesterday and snagged it at a great discount. This will enable me to cut paper to the right size for the recycled covers without wasting perfectly good 81/5 by 11 inch writing paper.  And it's nice, too. I drew on sample below with some color pencils (Blick's brand) and it felt great.

See me on Etsy soon.