Tag: work

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there and back again

I got laid off last week. It came as a surprise. There were no rumblings, no rumors. I was anticipating a raise and a promotion. Instead, I got a severance package.

No hard feelings, though. It was a good company,y and I worked with good people. I loved the work that I did, and I am proud of what I have accomplished.

Now, I’m back in the trenches, looking for the next step on this journey.

I am looking for a Remote position in the Technical Writing arena. I have over 20 years of writing experience and management experience, and I learn quickly.

I know you’re out there. Come find me.

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this election matters

Sometimes, I feel like I’m just coasting, letting the tide move me without even putting my oars in the water. I do my day job, take care of the animals, eat, sleep, and then start over the next day.

Other times, I get to do wonderful things or make myself do difficult things. Last week, I went to a conference. In a few weeks, I’ll go to LA for music and spend a couple of days at Disney by myself. After that, I need to go to Tucson to help my stepmother with a few things.

Difficult. Fun. Difficult.

In the middle of all that, I have a day job to do, and we have a national election coming up. I’ve never been more adamant about an election before this one. If we are to survive as a democratic republic, we must vote blue up and down the ticket.

I am a passionate proponent of women’s healthcare and reproductive choices, the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC equality, and taxing the rich. I want to elect the first woman president, and give her a blue senate and house so that we can make progress.

So, that said, please get out and vote. Our lives depend on it.

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late nights, early mornings

I’m in Raleigh, NC, for Pendomonium, a conference for software company Pendo.io as a work thing this week. I flew in on Monday, getting to my hotel at around midnight. I couldn’t sleep. I got maybe two hours, all told.

Yesterday was the first day of the conference, and boy, I struggled to stay awake at points. Lots of good things to learn and some networking.

Last night I got about 4.5 hours of sleep. I could lay down right now and sleep, but day two starts in about a half an hour, so…

Tonight, I NEED to get to sleep early. There may be some Benadryl in my evening meds. My alarm is set for 2 am for a 5 am flight.

I think I’m getting too old for the late night, early morning thing that I used to do with no problem. I’m not quite ready to give up gig nights, but between two gigs in two nights in August, and two days at Pendomonium, I think I’m getting to the point of needing to space them out more.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Oh, yeah! And you can now buy my books in my SHOP! Get yours now! Forever is on sale for the whole month of October, and Tonight is FREE for October.

I need more coffee…

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shaking the dust off

Wow, it’s been a minute. I’ve been struggling with my usual summer depression, and I’ve let a lot of stuff slip. I’m here, though, and I’m pulling myself up out of the fog.

I’m working on getting all of my books listed in the shop here, provided I have physical copies. The ebooks should all be up before the weekend is over.

In other news, I’m going to Raleigh, NC, this coming week for work. I’m going to a conference for Pendo, the software we use to manage pop-ups and surveys on our platform. Then I need to go to Tucson to handle some stuff for my step-mother, and in November, I’m down to LA for a gig.

Always on the go!

In writing news, I am finally finding my swing again. It’s hard to write in the fog of depression. I found a WIP on my hard drive that I’m playing with. It’s sci-fi, with a morally gray main character.

So, anyway, Hi and stuff. I hope to be around a little more often.

Photo by Vinicius Wiesehofer on Unsplash

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day job

I work for an ad tech company for my day job. I write technical content for the help center and manage language on our UI among other things.

As part of a product refresh we are doing, they are offering us the opportunity to run ads of our own, on anything at all, so I’ve started up an ad campaign for The Blood Witch Saga!

So you may start to see ads pop up around the internet if you are in the US and have expressed (through your web traffic) that you are into books and such.

Exciting times.

I’ve also started a new writing project that is a bit different for me. Still urban-ish fantasy, kinda dystopian, with dragons and gremlins and other fantastic creatures. I’m really having fun with it.

Anyway, once again I’m up way too early in the morning, poking about the internet. I’m about to go hit up Threads with my normal daily posts: today that includes a poetry post, along with my #Serious Question of the Day and my Something to know about me post. You should come hang out there! As social media goes, it’s currently my favorite place to interact.

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goodbye 2023

It wasn’t the worst year on record, but it wasn’t the best either. It was a year of ups and downs, turn arounds and backflips.

It was the first full year without my father in this world, my first Christmas without him. There was a lot of added responsibility with taking care of my stepmother and getting her settled into a life without him.

My pupper filled a hole in me that I wasn’t even aware I had, and I love her so completely. She gets me out of the house daily, and I’ve met some cool folks because of her.

I almost lost my 16 year old kitty, but she’s feeling so much better now and was even playing a little this morning. Now if I can just get her to eat the right food and take her meds.

I spent a lot of time with family this year, including a week-long vacation in NOLA with my Mom and brother. I didn’t do a whole lot of writing, but I’m happy with the writing I did do. Wrote a poem a day in November.

I probably drank too much, and I definitely ate stuff I probably shouldn’t have. Re-watched favorite shows and started a few new ones. Lost my facebook account, ditched X/Twitter, fell in love with Threads. Played around a little with AI art using my own photography as a base. Asked AI to tell me about myself and laughed at the results (what it got right was okay, what it got wrong was a lot and hilarious).

Looking forward to the new year. Hoping for a promotion on the day job. Want to finish at least one of the WIPs. Want to travel more.

First up in that regard is a solo trip to Disneyland in January. I’ve never done it alone, so it should be interesting. I plan to spend a lot of time hanging out in Batuu. I may take a notebook and do some writing there.

Also attending my first Supernatural convention in July. It’s the first time I’ve had the money to do what I need to do to handle my agoraphobia (front row seats) at the same time as they went on sale.

And on that note, my coffee is almost gone, the cat needs meds, and I should get this last Saturday of the year on it’s feet.

Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash

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taking care of me

A few months ago, routine bloodwork came back showing that I am anemic. More bloodwork showed that I was severely anemic. What can I say, when I do something I like to go big. I’ve been on iron since and today I’m going in for a colonoscopy and endoscopy to determine if there is any internal cause.

I also need to go get labs done to see if taking the iron has helped, but I’ll do that tomorrow. My appointment with hematology is mid-January, so I need to get it done soon so that they will have the results.

Next up on my healthcare goals is getting my Nexplanon implant removed, setting up a mammogram, and getting back to the dentist.

It’s hard work, this getting older thing. 

In the meantime, I carry on with the day job and writing when I can. I really want a cup of coffee.

Alas, nothing by mouth until after the procedure.

What’s on your agenda this Wednesday before Christmas, readers?

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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dragging myself out of bed

Yesterday was the absolute worst day of this cold. I hardly slept the night before due to coughing and sinus pain/pressure, and the cough was just killing me. I took the day off sick.

I drank Nyquil and snuggled into a blanket/pillow fort on the couch and watched a bunch of Leverage episodes. I coughed up junk and went through a box of kleenex. I only left the house to take the dog to the park and to take my mother to her sleep study.

After dropping Mom off, I crawled into my bed, put on a long ASMR video and drifted into a Nyquil fueled coma. I didn’t get a lot MORE sleep than the night before, but it was all in one solid chunk, and that seems to have made all the difference. I’m feeling much better this morning!

I did, however, have to drag myself out of bed before I wanted to so that I could go pick up my mother by 5:30 am. I am hoping that now that I’m feeling more like myself I can actually get some work done on both my day job and my house.

I need a second cup of coffee first, though.

Hoping your Wednesday is fabulous, Readers!

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

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a writer writing

I’ll admit, I’m struggling a little this week. I have a bit of a head cold and the accompanying fatigue has made it difficult to get stuff done. And there is so much to do!

However, there’s some Death Wish Coffee in my Star Wars “Pew Pew” cup, my throat is less sore and my space heater is making my office a little more cozy.

I’m working on book 4 in the Blood Witch Saga. I’m pretty sure where the plot is going, but this first draft is pretty rough and will take a lot of editing. This is largely due to the disconnected way I’ve been writing. The opening is way too slow and I need to get to the action faster. But, I will continue writing and come back to the edit later.

In this book, Thána and Co., including the ghost of an ancestor, are off to save magic. You can expect more world hopping, necromancy, possession, probably some new races/languages, and some mythological creatures.

You know, the usual.

For now though, I need to finish this cup of coffee and get the day job started. So much to do!

Oh, and don’t forget my giveaway! You can win a hardback copy of the first three books in the Blood Witch Saga.

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the joys of being a growed up person

For a lot of years, I worked for a company that shut down for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Then there was enough PTO available in my next jobs that I could take it off. This year, I opted to not take the time off, even though I could.

It’s always an odd week. Half the company is off on vacation, which means there are no meetings. The normal cadence of the week is off. But, that also means more time to get work done.

However, I find myself more easily distracted by random things. I head to the kitchen to get a drink and end up cleaning off a counter. I go to the bathroom to take care of business and end up rounding up towels for the laundry. Go out to get the mail and end up playing with the dog.

It doesn’t help that the weather has us cooped up in the house. It’s been wet and rainy for days. Poor Athena doesn’t understand why we haven’t been to the park, but she gets so dirty! And bathing her is a chore and a half.

I’ll be heading back to Arizona for a few days in a couple of weeks, to accompany my stepmother to a few appointments. Haven’t decided how I’m getting there just yet, with the current state of air travel.

I need to go out today to get the car smog tested so I can finish the registration stuff, and I need a few groceries besides.

I’d rather curl up on the couch with a book and a cuppa.

Ah well, the joys of being a growed up.

Photo by Ismi Fitri Hodijah on Unsplash