what's cooking?

Keeping busy


I thought I’d be bored by now. I’m finding out a lot about myself during this forced respite. Such as:

-except for losing 1/3 of our income, this isn’t that bad.
-being out of work doesn’t mean you aren’t busy
-there just aren’t that many jobs, of any kind to look for

First off, I’ve applied for about 4 different jobs I’ve found on various journalism/pr/advertising job sites. I’ve been e-mailing all my contacts and letting them know about my availability. My husband and I went to a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness, we had a great time! We were invited by one of my new PR friends. A wonderful lady who has taken me under her wing and has been feeding me with invaluable information, job sites, groups and organizations and names to talk to. I’ve been doing it all.

This month I will be going to an informational breakfast/seminar, a prowriters meeting and I’m still hunting down other groups to throw my newly made business cards at.

I’ve also been hired to do some “punch up and editing” for a new website’s press release. Not much money, but hey, work is work. I also contacted the local CEO of the OC Registers community papers and let him know I was available for freelancing locally. He said he has read my work and really likes my style and would be thrilled to “use me”! Plus, he’d like me to write up a sample column for a monthly article for the area I live in. I’ve done the mock-up and will send it over today sometime. Again, stinko pay, but the bylines are invaluable.

Another fun thing-I’ve mentioned this before, but I am a speaker for VibrantLives. We are a volunteer group of speakers for those of us on ENBREL. This is my “saving grace” medication for my rheumatoid arthritis. When asked, I go and speak-usually to a group of rheumatologists and their staff and tell them my story and how much this particular drug has done for my health.

One of the team leaders gave me a call and asked me to book November 10th. They’re sending me to Thousand Oaks (a very lovely community outside Santa Barbara) and speak. I readily agreed and let them know of my new found availability for not only speaking, but if they’d like to use me to write up press releases, that I am in fact, for hire!

Hey, this is the same organization who hired a limo and swept my husband and I to Santa Barbara, paid for our dinner at a five star dinner and back home. They also sent me to Omaha, put me up at a local Hilton, paid for my very nice Omaha steak dinner at a wonderful restaurant (I don’t really eat beef, but I was told to break training and try it) and all meals. They were also nice enough to reimburse us for the gas we used for my husband to drive me to the airport and back home.

I love speaking in public. I’m a ham and want all these doctors to know just what these two shots a week has meant to my independence.

I’ve also been feeling so much better that I’ve been walking over 2 miles a day. Thank goodness-my old lady leg is finally firming up. This could be due to the heat and sweat, but I’ll take the improvements and enjoy!

So there you have it-we are not as well off financially, but in all respects, even after two weeks, I’m thinking this is one of the better things that has happened to me in a long time.

I’m physically more capable, writing more and still looking forward to what comes next.

Hopefully all of you feel just as positive.