And in the grand tradition of adding injury to insult, I’m down with a cold.
I hope it’s a cold, and not the flu.
Still, could be worse — I could be down with a cold and still be working the Day Job from the Black Lagoon. So, I win again.
I spent all of yesterday sorting out what I needed to do to sign up for unemployment, and then signing up; and most of today digging through Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act health insurance website. I’ve got some options, and I’ll fill out the final form online tomorrow when my brain is not coughed into jelly. You gotta be sharp when dealing with stuff like that.  One wrong move, and you’ve done something quite different from what you intended.  It’s so easy for wires to get crossed…
But I did break out the champagne, as planned:
The good stuff.
Fortunately, my office is exactly two miles from home and I’m only drinking one glass, so I should be fine driving.  Also fortunately, I have one of those caps you can put on an opened bottle of champagne to reseal it, so none of that stuff is going to waste!
My great thanks to everyone who posted comments of support, commiseration, and encouragement on the previous entry. Eighteen of you here, and a few more on Facebook, and a few others on Twitter — it’s good to know you’re out there, cheering me up and on.
And everyone is asking about Patreon or Kickstarter, or other varieties of crowd-sourcing.  All info is welcome! But I must say that both Patreon and Kickstarter are high on my list.
Here’s my immediate plan:
Take the rest of December to settle in, cool down, clear away the mess and attendant chores, gear up, get into focus, and also deal with the holidays.
Decisions are to be made in January; and action on those decisions, depending on the natural time-line of the decisions themselves.
(Excuse me. Make that two glasses of champagne.)
Meanwhile, in other news:
After being fired on Friday, I headed up to Boston overnight with my sister, to catch the Boston Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker with pals I’ve known since — well, since Disco. Seriously: disco.
Dude in back on the left, with the mustache? Major former disco fiend.
This was a previously planned event.  Also, a nice Christmas present, thanks to Brian and Mary Ann and Sabine.  It was nice to just walk away from the Old Day Job and head up into a world of art and elegance:
Well-decorated and festive.
The experience was so lovely, and the Boston Ballet really know their stuff.
But — alas, my cold is hitting me a bit hard suddenly! (Or maybe it’s the champagne.) So, I’m heading home.
More later.
Curtain going up.
December 8th, 2015 at 8:56 pm
Any support I can offer through crowd funding I’m more than happy to. You’re a brilliant writer and I selfishly want to read more!
December 8th, 2015 at 11:37 pm
Day job firing left me speechless… But, their loss, our gain. #firmsupporter
As a side-effect I learnt that “cheesy” means something quite different here. More like clichéd soppy.
Boston ballet and nutcracker sound the right antidote.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:19 pm
Cheesy can mean “cheap and sloppy” in the States. But you’re right that it’s not quite the perfect word in this case! I’m thinking “sleaze-ball,” would have worked better!
December 9th, 2015 at 1:43 am
Day-job firing sounds very harsh but as you say it just brought your plans forward.
Yippee for ballet, champagne and taking December off.
Hope the rest of your plans go well – and to YOUR timescales!
S.
December 9th, 2015 at 6:24 am
Your optimistic outlook, perseverance and planning are …cool! (I was going to say “admirable” but wanted a sunnier word.) Best wishes to you.
December 9th, 2015 at 9:16 am
Eagerly awaiting crowdfunding information…I’ve read the existing Steerswoman books multiple times and loved them each time…would happily pay multiple times the cost of a book to read another.
Hope you are feeling better soon!
December 9th, 2015 at 9:58 am
Missed the day job post. Champagne, ballet and crowd funding seem like the perfect responses. Feel better soon and enjoy the season of light!
December 10th, 2015 at 12:56 am
You may find Sharon Lee’s post of today of interest. She discusses their take on Patreon. http://rolanni.livejournal.com/1032739.html
(not sure if this blog will let me post a link, so if not, check out today’s post at rolanni[dot]livejournal[dot]com.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Thanks for the heads-up. Sharon Lee is one of the persons whose Patreon I am scrutinizing with an eye to possibly creating my own. Her insights were very apt!
December 10th, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Over a career of decades, I, too, occasionally had my position cut – usually due to having the wrong-colored livery after corporate takeovers or reorgs. It’s disconcerting at best; but I hope you are also feeling overtones of relief and some excitement for new doors opening. It’s nice to see your business picking up at this time, and that you have the support of many in your industry. I suggest a hot toddy for the cold 🙂
December 15th, 2015 at 9:12 pm
Toddy taken. I don’t know if it helped, but it was pleasant!
December 15th, 2015 at 5:51 pm
I hope that when January comes the decisions lay themselves out nicely and your path forward is clear. Also, I hope that it includes plenty of time for writing the books that I look forward to reading.
December 16th, 2015 at 5:34 pm
So very sorry about the cold. Perhaps not so sorry about the job. Reading on……