January 8, 2011

• I've had a rough week. Not a bad week, but it sort of went on for a long time and had lots of stuff in it. My husband's 4:22 alarm clock is probably the main thing, frankly. I always end up sleep deprived and Not at My Best when I have to get up with him that early.

  My new website had some tech compications (a freak accident with a server) on Monday and then on Tuesday a former client had a problem. It's kind of a sad problem, really. He left me and The Computer Guy, who had  made him a beautiful website and written (me) and planned (TCG) a fine secondary website for him. He took my content and our concept to a bargain "web designer" who not only gave him an inferior site but also messed up his fine site that we built him. So Tuesday was filled with frantic emails from him, his wife, and finally the "designer" asking for help.

  We sent him the original files, but apparently his new person doesn't know what to do with them. This is a sad tale, I know, and I am sorry for the guy, but also I spent a couple of hours dealing with the issue for him, while trying (and failing) to get my paid work done. The total time was a couple of hours, but since it was in a series of interruptions over a period of two days, it was more intrusive than that suggests, and I didn't get all my work done.

  It isn't right for me to ignore my current, paying clients to send compassionate but essentially worthless emails to a former client who isn't paying for the help. It isn't good for my business and it isn't fair to my current clients. The guy still doesn't have a functional site and I spent Wednesday catching up from the emergencies of Monday and Tuesday.

  I'm a sucker for emotional appeals. That's the true source of the problem.

  Thursday was a normal workday, but 12 hours and 40 minutes long (according to Toggl). Yesterday I took time for a lunch meeting with #1 daughter. Now that we don't live in the same place, we've decided that this will be our means of keeping up to date. I also took time to go see the IRS and buy food in order to avoid having to call out for pizza all the time.

  So what with all that stuff happening, I'm working today. I have to get my online classes ready, and check my campus email. I like teaching, but I dislike everything else about it. The hourly rate ends up being lower than my normal rate, and there's all this grading and following rules and filling out forms and going to meetings... Could I sound more bratty, petulant, and unreasonable?

  I'm not really feeling bratty today, though. I have fun things to do and I plan to do things like baking and knitting and taking a nap. I did some housework already, and read a bit, and a little time spent doing stuff I don't like will probably be good for my character.

  • 12:37 pm
  • 2 Comments