Monday, September 5, 2011

'Cause You Know I Really Like Workin' For A Livin'


All time favorite unemployed/underemployed video.


The exquisite beauty of life is that sometimes we have to do things that we really don't want to do. Like working more hours than the standard 40 hour work week.

Because of the bruising battle budge battle that took place in this state this past summer between a guv'nor who thinks running a state is like running a city (sort of like a president who thinks running a country is like running a senatorial district) and a complacent labor union who has no problem being a boot licking brown noser, my personal/family finances are in the state of flux that I'm no longer used to dealing with.

So as much as this pains me to even consider, I need to embark on a hunt for a second job. I really don't want to do this, but to quote a lyric from Cage the Elephant, "I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, there ain't nothing in this world that's free."

It's not like I haven't done this type of stupidity before. Prior to my lovely daughter being born, I was doing two jobs on and off (mostly on) for about 4 years running. I was averaging about 70 to 75 hours a week, and yes, I was getting burned out doing it. Back then, the reason as to why I was doing it was because I had what could be considered a small gambling problem, so the second paycheck basically funded that gambling problem.

I eventually reduced the gambling problem to a manageable level ($220 a week to currently $120 a week) and subsequently gave up the second job as I started to move slowly upwards in job class and salary at the first job. However, as the economy eventually kamakized into smithereenies near the end of the last decade, the family finances began to eventually mirror the economy. Money became tight but the bills certainly didn't stop, no matter what kind of outside financing I was able to find to help ease the strain.

But now its 2011, and unfortunately, the immediate needs of the family (second car and one child aging out of the dental insurance) dictates that I make the genuine effort at finding something to help ease the strain. However, if/when I do get that second job, there will be a few major adjustments in my life that will have to be done, and unfortunately they will be in the area of blogging and writing.

For the writing aspect, the actual writing portion might either get put on the back burner for a while, or at the very least, I'll switch my major from writing novels to writing short stories. If I do anything with a novel, it will probably be in the form of shopping around my current project to the small and medium sized publishers. As for submitting my short stories, that will probably get put on the back burner as well, since I may not have the time to do a thorough search and destroy for what I got sitting in my slush pile.

As for blogging, that will be a bit tougher to handle. I'm three and a half years into this thing and I'm starting to make great strides in terms of readership, visits and subscribers. I care about the people who read and visit my blog and the last thing I want to do is mess that up.

Having said that, I am toying with the idea of putting Shooting Suburbia on semi-hiatus, simply because I haven't found the time to produce any more fresh content. I haven't carried a camera with me since early spring and I haven't felt motivated enough to get the last remaining camera developed. If I do that, the only blog I'll have to worry about for the foreseeable future is this one.

The only change right off the bat that will be done is to eliminate the Sunday post, leaving me only three days a week to worry about. If I do anything else with this blog, I will definitely let everyone know ahead of time.

Money.

It does make life easier. But it sure hurts like hell to get the proper amount needed in order to get what you need.

11 comments:

  1. If you get a second job, G - I hope it's not something that will wear you out too much. That is a lot of hours to be working.

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  2. Managing one blog is hard enough. I've already gone to only posting about every 3 days. Just visiting blogs is really time consumming. Luck with the money issues, of course.

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  3. Lynn: This time around, I plan on getting something around 15-20 hours a week. There is no way on God's green earth that I want to do 75 hours a week again.

    Charles: It wasn't so much time consuming doing the picture blog as it was a mixture of finances (buying/developing disposable cameras) time and motivation. I actually started hitting a brick wall with the picture blog around mid-July or so, so it was simply a matter of time before I took this unfortunate step.

    As for visiting other blogs, I agree, it can be time consuming, which is why I try to schedule it during breakfast/dinner and the weekends.

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  4. I've cut back on my blogging, strangely enough not with my other blogs so much, but the main one, mainly because of real life commitments and I'd rather write a decent post every few days, than crank out loads when really I haven't got anything worth blogging about!

    Visiting and commenting on other blogs does take up a great deal of time too, but I do enjoy it.

    I'm sorry that you will have to cut back a bit on blogging because of work commitments.

    Couldn't you get a second hand or cheap digital camera? The results are immediate.

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  5. Joe: Makes sense to be selective about what you post. Posting for the sake of posting doesn't do anyone any good.

    I enjoy visiting and commenting on others as well, which is why I try to maintain a set schedule for that. Because I have such a mania for doing something while eating breakfast/lunch/dinner, the set schedule for visiting and commenting works out quite well.

    Funny you should mention a cheap digital camera. The video camera I got is a super cheapy one that does triple as a camera (has that particular function) and I found software to turn it into a compute camera as well. I could use it to take pictures then immediately upload to my flash drive for future use.

    That cures one problem but the problem of finding the time to do it still remains. Something to work on, but your suggestion does have merits.

    Not thrilled about cutting back, but sometimes the real world must take precedence over stuff in the Cyber World.

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  6. Money is a necessary evil, that's for sure. I tend to write more when I'm more stressed, even if I have less time, since it's stress relief for me.

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  7. R: I used to write a lot when I was stressed, now I can't. While it is a great release valve to have, I find its harder to focus when I'm stressed.

    Angry is easy to write with, stress is not.

    But whatever works for you is the key thing.

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  8. Hey, the real world has to take precedence, as you say. I'm so damn busy at work right now I'm too tired to even think of anything to write about anyway. So, I haven't updated my blog in almost a month. No biggie for me, because I only have a few readers anyway. Eventually I'll get back into it, as busy season winds down. Bet on it. (hahahaha!)

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  9. Gumby: I pretty much figured that's what happened to you. For you not to update, the real world must be calling waving their aromatic greenbacks in your general direction.

    Not looking forward to this, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

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  10. I need a second job too- tho I'm too exhausted! I'd like a sit-down one for the first one- too physical. The income has reduced n the bills increased. I'm starting to sell off treasures I don't want to, cause job 2 is taking too long! Tough to get one-
    Good luck!
    As a writer tho- I'm betting it will be so bottled up it'll spit out in your limited free time instead of sleeping... Mine is sometimes involuntary- I've written in dreams a few times, n good stuff too!

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  11. Mama Z: I plan on trying to get something that is about 15-20 hours a week. I can handle that, and definitely no exhaustion this time around. If it gets to that point, I'll simply walk away.

    Snaggle: Sucks when they start cutting your pay, which is what they did to us here. Long story short is that for the next three and a half years, no raises.

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Go on, give me your best shot. I can take it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have created this wonderful little blog that you decided to grace with your presence today.

About that comment moderation thingy: While yes, it does say up above I can take it, I only use it to prevent the occasional miscreant from leaving thoughtless and/or clueless comments.

So remember, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and all answers will be given that personal touch that you come to expect and enjoy.

G. B. Miller

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