Excellent graphic showing the relationships between Fast, Cheap, and Good.
One of our blog friends had it as his slogan, as though at a restaurant: “You can have it fast, cheap, or good. Choose two.”
Category: Writing
LOVE the bartender, and the targets.
“Move your whiskey, before you start shooting.” Sage advise.
Like this:
Must’ve taken me seven months, but in my defense, it was over 1,000 pages long in 9-point type. Also, at the same time, I was reading McGrall-Hill’s Proofreading Handbook, Copyediting & Proofreading For Dummies (by FAR the most useful and informative), Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, the Chicago Manual of Style, the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook (Christmas gift), and seven months’ worth of Vanity Fair magazines, not to mention starting my proofreading and writing business, and of course, blogging.
WHEW!
Like this:
Found this one on GOF”s blog. Blame him.
1. Why did you sign up for writing your blog?
My good friend Tim sent me an invite to join Vox when it was still in beta testing. Been at it ever since (2006). When it went away, most of us moved over to WordPress.
2. How did you choose your blog’s name? What does it mean?
“Check your premises” is sort of a theme with writer Ayn Rand. It means that if something doesn’t make sense or doesn’t add up, then you should check your premises. Too often, we are influenced by our pre-suppositions as if they were a given.
3. Do you own another blog?
No, one is time-consuming enough.
4. What do you do online when you are not on your blog?
Working, listening to music on Spotify, obsessively checking Facebook and email.
5. How about when you are not on the computer?
Working, cooking, cleaning, sleeping, eating, watching tv, hanging out with hubby in the outdoors.
6. What do you wish people who read your blog knew about you?
If they read my blog, they probably already know everything I’m willing to share.
(No number 7, apparently.)
8. What is your philosophy on your blog layout?
It should be pleasing to the eye and easy to read. I do prefer dark-colored themes. Easier on the eyes.
9. Tell me about the picture you use to represent you on your blog.
The one at the top was taken by a professional photographer, and I was in full make-up. The one at the bottom was taken by Rich during our honeymoon in Idyllwild, California. Someone told me I look like one of the Deadly Viper Assassins, so of course, I like it.
10. Pick three random blogs from your blogroll and tell us about them.
Amelie keeps changing her blog name and handle, but we love her artistic and ecological sensibilities. She loves the snow, nature, and hot tea. And CIVETS!
Inga is GOF’s daughter. We love her because she is wicked funny, evil, alcoholic, appreciates eye candy, loves the country and wants to escape city life someday.
Monsoon is probably my nearest blog neighbor. She’s in the Phoenix area, and I’m in San Diego County. She loves her ferret, cooking, and travelling. She is going through a rough patch right now, and we wish her the best during this transition period.
12. What do you consider the 10 most “telling” interests we would infer from your blog persona.
Ten?!? Good lord. What an annoying question. I like to laugh, eat good food and drink wine; I like cute animals, especially kitties, and beautiful scenes of nature’s wonder. I’m very cynical, have a dark and twisted sense of humor, and a deep distrust of all government. I’m an avid reader, when I can find the time. I’m happiest far away from other humans (except hubby) and deep in the woods. Hey, that’s ten! I almost just skipped that one.
15. What’s your current obsession. What about it captures your imagination.
Cooking makes me happy. I wouldn’t say I’m “obsessed” with anything right now. If I am, I’m blogging about it.
17. How many blog friends have you met face to face?
None yet, although I do have hopes of meeting Monsoon and maybe Hangaku Gozen, because we all live in the western U.S. I did just read about Peter McC meeting my good friend K9. I would love to meet all of my Aussie friends.
18. What don’t you talk about on your blog.
Sex, politics, and religion are the big three, although I do violate my own rules sometimes, if the content is good enough. If I was the type to engage in any sort of unlawful activity, I would certainly not be dumb enough blab about it online.
Like this:
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 21,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report.
Like this:
Can’t WAIT to see this: a thriller based on Poe’s stories, starring John Cusack, directed by James McTeigue (V For Vendetta):
“When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper–part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story.
“Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.”
Like this:
She snarkily corrects Conan O’Brien’s diction during an interview. After the commercial break, he comes back armed with a dictionary!
Like this:
Monday morning:
Freelanced.com informs me that someone wants to hire me for proofreading. Susan Ahonen with EzineArticles.com sends me an emailed interview. Among other things, they want to know if I’m familiar with their submission guidelines; I am. What time zone I’m in. If I have a PayPal account; I do. If I’m familiar with Google Documents and have Google Chat; I am and I do. If I have an account with Copyscape.com (a plagiarism checker); I don’t but would be happy to set one up. If I can proof a minimum of twenty 500-word articles daily; I can. Et cetera.
Lovely. She sends me a proofreading test. It is chock-full of errors to fix. The actual articles won’t be nearly this bad, of course. It’s an MS Word document. I’m told to turn on “track changes” and send it back when I’m done.
Thursday morning:
In a quick succession of emails, I see that I’ve been cleared as “ready for hire” by Susan Ahonen. She asks if I’ve been contacted by Ozio Media, and I have indeed gotten three emails from them. Seems they are the employer? What happened to EzineArticles.com? One email details how to invoice Ozio. Their pay rate is miserable: 30 cents per 500 words. Third-world rates. But, I need the experience and resume credit, so I gulp and decide to go ahead, at least for a little while.
Ann with Ozio Media has a lot of documents to be proofed and wants to know if I can start immediately. I actually have to leave for my ranger job at 11:00 a.m. She wants me to open a Copyscape account ($5.00 minimum for 100 credits). She provides a link to a page full of documents, all instructions I must read. She wants me to contact her via Google Chat, for about an hour of training.
I write back, saying I can’t cancel my commitments for the next two days on short notice; could we start on Monday? Yes, she says, let me know when you are ready on Monday. Whew.
I print out all the instructions (about ten pages’ worth) to read over the weekend, and set up the Copyscape account.
Monday morning:
Send email and chat messages to Ann (no last name) at 8:30 a.m., no response. I sit at the damn computer for two hours waiting. Checked hourly for the following four hours after that. Late in the afternoon, when I was offline, she sent a reply saying she was now available. Hmph.
Tuesday morning:
Send email and chat messages to Ann again at 8:30 a.m., again no response.
Tuesday afternoon:
Finally around noon, she sends an IM to say she’s available if I am. She conducts the training over the next hour via Google Chat. It’s pretty straightforward. I have an account now with Box.net, which serves as an FTP server for Ozio. She walks me through opening a project folder, selecting files for proofing from an Incoming folder, and for uploading them back to a Completed folder. Pretty straightforward. I’m not to move or delete files; if I make a correction, I’m to re-upload the corrected file and put a comment on it. We are to leave comments when downloading a file, when it’s passed or failed Copyscape, and anything else that needs noting. I’ve been assigned to “Justin’s” team, and if I have any further questions, I’m to direct them to him.
I read the project guidelines carefully, but they’re written for the authors. Word count, font, and point size are specified, and file naming conventions are strict. I open up the project folder; there is only one file available for proofing. Apparently one must check the folder several times a day, because when an incoming file appears, an unknown number of other proofreaders can also grab it. We’ve been warned not to download more than three or four files at a time. I guess that was a problem; someone taking all the files at once and hoarding them.
I proof the file and upload it to the Completed folder. One more file appears in the evening; I grab it and proof that one also. Woo, 60 cents!
Wednesday morning:
I find a slew of emails from Box.net, all saying “(filename) received for PMA review by EB.” One of those files was one that I proofed. These were all comments left by this EB (project manager assistant?) on each file in the Completed folder. A minute later, another comment arrives pertaining to my file:
- EB: ??? Not formatted per project guidelines. Please correct.
Oh no! Really? I look over the guidelines again, look over the file again… I don’t see anything. I reply.
- Me: How so?
- EB: If you think all this red looks okay, then I’ll have to re-format it and re-upload it. I’ll have to get the manager’s approval, though.
- Me: I’m sorry, this is my first day. My understanding was to track changes. Is that incorrect?
- EB: Did you even look at the text?
Well, that’s pretty snotty. Can I just get a straight answer? I take the high road:
- Me: Of course. Maybe you could tell me what I did wrong, and I’ll be happy to correct it.
At this point, another random person broke in and left their own comment:
- Random: Since you’re the project manager, why are there 14 files in the incoming folder but only 12 in the completed folder? What happened to the other 2
- EB: Are you for real, or is it sarcasm?:
Wow, this has gotten completely out of control. At this point I try to contact Justin (again, no last name) via email and chat. No response. After several minutes, I reply:
- Me: I’m trying to be professional, and find out what I did wrong. Are we not to track changes?
Several minutes later, another random person chimed in:
- Random: I didn’t write this article, but I think we don’t use track changes.
- Me: Thank you.
I quickly fixed both articles, and re-uploaded them. Then left one last comment:
- Me: See corrected files.
There was an error in the file-naming convention on the second file; I left a comment on that file alerting them to that, too.
Wednesday afternoon:
I get an email from Justin, five hours later, saying I’d been dropped from his project team.
Quickly followed by another email from Box.net saying my account had been closed.
Just like that.
I sent an email to Ann NoLastName, saying that I’d like to discuss what happened, that I’m just flabbergasted at this turn of events. She replied in the evening, saying that I’d made errors in the file transfers, and in the way I left comments. I knew better than to bother asking, at this point, what “errors” I’d made, exactly. She said that the project was closed, and wished me well in my future endeavors.
Damn. Now, I’ve been fired before. But in less than 24 hours? Now, THAT’S a new record.
Actually, no one ever specifically said I’d been fired, just that the project was closed and they wished me well. So I’m keeping the bastards on my resume, for now at least. “They just haven’t sent me any work for a while…”
After some detailed searching, I found complaints about Ozio Media here and here. They pay writers next to nothing, too: $1.50 per 500 words. Then they “reject” it for unspecified reasons and refuse to pay their pittance. I bet they get a lot of free writing and proofreading done that way.
Update:
Now they are saying I am violating their terms by revealing trade secrets. Riiiiight. So let me just state here that these are my opinions, and this is my site, and I am free to express my opinions on my site. I am relating an honest, truthful account of my experience with Ozio.
My friend Monsoon tagged me for this challenge. First job sounds like a good place to start, so here goes:
1) My first job was at a McDonald’s, at the age of 15. I hated the constant din, all the beeping in particular. I hated the scratchy polyester uniforms. I hated the way I came home every night permeated in grease: my clothes, my hair, my skin… all greasy. The pay was lousy. I quit after three weeks. Certainly gave me an appreciation for anyone who works in fast-food.
2) I went to a private school until the middle of seventh grade. We had to wear uniforms, again with the polyester. I grew up in the 70′s, so I had to wear a lot of that crap. I was in an advanced-placement class, and it was very stressful. One day I came home with a nosebleed that didn’t stop for 45 minutes. The next day, my mom took me out of there and enrolled me at the local public school, where I thrived.
3) I love trying weird food combinations, like peanut butter and mayonaise, or peaches with green onions and balsamic vinegar, or my favorite…. mashed avocado and banana on open-face toasted bread with mayo. Mmmmmm….
4) My first car was a ’72 VW Karmann Ghia. Drove it for nine years. The defroster didn’t work, and the battery frequently drained on me for unknown reasons. But I loved it.
5) Many of you know I was a competitive figure-skater when I was young. But before that, I tore up the tennis court pretty well, too. I had a killer serve. Tall, you know.
6) Everything I know about cooking, I learned after I left home, mostly from friends and magazines and cooking shows. My mom is just about the worst cook ever. But I give her credit for constantly trying.
7) I sleep naked, except in the deadest cold of winter. Can’t stand having stuff either pulling on or bunching up around me when I move. Feel like it’s choking me.
8) I refuse to buy a car with automatic transmission. I am a stick-shift girl. Remember above re: the VeeDub’s battery always draining? I got really good at push-starting that puppy. Could get it running with only six feet of space or so. Plus, with a manual transmission, you can also down-shift, saving your brakes, and park it in gear on hills, in case the parking brake snaps.
9) Someday I want two things: an outdoor shower, and a treehouse.
10) I would love to be able to speak Russian, but I know that’s never going to happen. So my mom, who’s Ukrainian, taught me some curses. Here’s one:
shlawk be-te-ve trofl (in the be-te-ve — all e’s are pronounced as with emerald; the l in shlawk should be rolled; trofl as in troffle) – literal meaning – “may lightening strike you dead.”
Now I’m tagging the following folks to try the same challenge:
