The Life and Times of a Full-Time Server
Jan. 29th, 2019 06:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elise_rashaWhich is currently getting in the way of even being a hobbyist writer. I'm currently seeking another job. I'm seeking server work, but that's mainly because I've become accustomed to having daily cash. Eventually, I'll be making that transition from daily cash to actual paychecks and royalty checks, but to try and make that leap (again) would be rather disastrous for me. At this point, it's just going to be baby steps.
I do, however, need a different job because the current one is unable to support all of my financial responsibilities. The only way for my current serving job to support all of my financial responsibilities would be for me to ditch my car. That would eliminate the car payment and the car insurance by $655 a month. The other areas where I can cut would only decrease my responsibilities by a potential $136. I could declare bankruptcy, but that's an absolute last resort that I would really, really, really love to avoid right this moment. Besides, I've hit the three-year mark with this place. I've hit the point where going in feels like it's crushing my soul and my motivation to do much of anything.
Which is why I have the depth words for this year. In case you've missed it on Facebook (and in case I haven't brought it up here . . . which I haven't; last entries were dated for December 2018), I've chosen three words for this year to expand myself as an author and as a human being. I've chosen Movement, Courage, and Trust. For me, it means identifying the areas in my life where I've become complacent, where my personal development and growth have stagnated, where my writing career has stalled out, and I'm going from there.
This means, for me, living up to what I say I'm going to do. If I want to publish, I need to get that pen into my hands and the words written on paper. That means sitting my ass at my laptop and transcribing those words into a word document. It means setting dates and trying to reach those deadlines.
To help me get there, I bought a rather large planner from the Happy Planner people. (Michael's had an amazing deal on them! And planner stickers! It's been so inspiring! And I can get caught up in "making plans" just like anyone else. This planner, however, is doing more to keep me on track than anything else I've ever tried.) While I'm not hitting what I want to do for daily word counts, I am making it a point to write every day. I have a focus on three works in progress each week, one of which is super secret at this point. When the time comes, I will announce what it is and when it will be published. One of these works in progress is the upcoming The Summer of Dragons and Fireflies, which I've pushed back to an April 5th release date. Another part of why I'm seeking another job is my current one eats up too much of my daytime hours. I'm gone from my laptop anywhere from 10-12 hours a day, five days a week, and it isn't always busy at my workplace. Sadly, I can't carry my laptop with me to use at work. My bosses would definitely frown on that, and, upon getting home, I simply want to unwind and allow my brain and spirit to recuperate. It sucks. It will probably sound like I'm whining to some people out there who come across this, and I feel like I am. I feel like I'm allowed to get this off my chest because I want to focus more on my writing than spend an hour in my car driving to and from work and working for a place that truly doesn't respect my time (but demands that I respect theirs by trying to get 2 hours of work done in 20 minutes - can't be done unless time is taken during the shift to actually get the more time-consuming tasks done. Again, not always possible because customers come first). A change of pace will actually do me some good, a change of environment will do me some wonders as well.
Anyhoo, back to the writing aspect here, I'm also working on stories already in progress only. Depending on what I get done, I may end up doing the same thing for next year, waiting to start new projects until all current works in progress are completed in rough draft. This is a bad habit I got into with NaNo because of their "rules" for November. (Yes, I'll be participating in NaNo this year again, too. Projects for November and the Camp NaNos in April and July will be determined closer to those dates.) It's a habit I'm working on breaking. The habit I'm replacing thi with is finishing the project, hence daily word tracking and rotating out one novel a week to build up that stamina. The super secret project is getting daily work, along with The Summer of Dragons and Fireflies. My goal, by doing this, is to get some works completed.
So now that this is out of the way, I'm making it official here (it's already official on Facebook and will be official on Twitter). The Summer of Dragons and Fireflies will hit online bookshelves on April 5. I know Tuesdays tend to be the typical day of a book release, which generally coincides with video games, DVD, and music releases. I'm aiming to be weird(er) on this. Excerpts will be coming soon. The art reveal will be next Tuesday, February 5th.
Finally, I'm just going to end with what I'm doing to get myself out of my current situation. This is where my word, Trust, is coming into play. I'm currently taking an online alcohol course to cement my alcohol license here in Oklahoma. This simply means I'll be approved by the state of Oklahoma to work in bars or any place that serves or sells alcohol. I'm looking to expand my serving skills. I actually love serving. I love working in the food industry. I've entertained, off and on over the years, starting my own restaurant. One thing I would love to do over the next three years is get myself a food truck to serve food to homeless people, something I would love to do on a daily basis.
I'm on the fence about massage therapy now. It was bound to happen. I love the idea behind it and what it can afford to me. I've run into some obstacles I wasn't expecting, along with a timeline conflict. Chances are now I'll be taking classes somewhere out of Oklahoma. I've had a goal of moving to Colorado for almost three years now. That's one more thing I'm aiming to make happen this year instead of next. This is where I ask myself for how much longer do I keep putting off the one thing I've known is meant to happen for me for the sake of this thing or that thing. Yes, the massage therapy courses would help me in getting a job once in Colorado, but there are also other things I'm ready for.
And this is pretty much it for today. First entry of the year, and I'm glad I got it done.
I hope everyone enjoyed their new year's celebrations! If you've chosen a word for a depth year, may you find yourself wildly surpassing all of your expectations and dreams!
Blessed be, my friends, and happy Tuesday!
Coming up in the next entry: Explorative Creative Writing, Part One
I do, however, need a different job because the current one is unable to support all of my financial responsibilities. The only way for my current serving job to support all of my financial responsibilities would be for me to ditch my car. That would eliminate the car payment and the car insurance by $655 a month. The other areas where I can cut would only decrease my responsibilities by a potential $136. I could declare bankruptcy, but that's an absolute last resort that I would really, really, really love to avoid right this moment. Besides, I've hit the three-year mark with this place. I've hit the point where going in feels like it's crushing my soul and my motivation to do much of anything.
Which is why I have the depth words for this year. In case you've missed it on Facebook (and in case I haven't brought it up here . . . which I haven't; last entries were dated for December 2018), I've chosen three words for this year to expand myself as an author and as a human being. I've chosen Movement, Courage, and Trust. For me, it means identifying the areas in my life where I've become complacent, where my personal development and growth have stagnated, where my writing career has stalled out, and I'm going from there.
This means, for me, living up to what I say I'm going to do. If I want to publish, I need to get that pen into my hands and the words written on paper. That means sitting my ass at my laptop and transcribing those words into a word document. It means setting dates and trying to reach those deadlines.
To help me get there, I bought a rather large planner from the Happy Planner people. (Michael's had an amazing deal on them! And planner stickers! It's been so inspiring! And I can get caught up in "making plans" just like anyone else. This planner, however, is doing more to keep me on track than anything else I've ever tried.) While I'm not hitting what I want to do for daily word counts, I am making it a point to write every day. I have a focus on three works in progress each week, one of which is super secret at this point. When the time comes, I will announce what it is and when it will be published. One of these works in progress is the upcoming The Summer of Dragons and Fireflies, which I've pushed back to an April 5th release date. Another part of why I'm seeking another job is my current one eats up too much of my daytime hours. I'm gone from my laptop anywhere from 10-12 hours a day, five days a week, and it isn't always busy at my workplace. Sadly, I can't carry my laptop with me to use at work. My bosses would definitely frown on that, and, upon getting home, I simply want to unwind and allow my brain and spirit to recuperate. It sucks. It will probably sound like I'm whining to some people out there who come across this, and I feel like I am. I feel like I'm allowed to get this off my chest because I want to focus more on my writing than spend an hour in my car driving to and from work and working for a place that truly doesn't respect my time (but demands that I respect theirs by trying to get 2 hours of work done in 20 minutes - can't be done unless time is taken during the shift to actually get the more time-consuming tasks done. Again, not always possible because customers come first). A change of pace will actually do me some good, a change of environment will do me some wonders as well.
Anyhoo, back to the writing aspect here, I'm also working on stories already in progress only. Depending on what I get done, I may end up doing the same thing for next year, waiting to start new projects until all current works in progress are completed in rough draft. This is a bad habit I got into with NaNo because of their "rules" for November. (Yes, I'll be participating in NaNo this year again, too. Projects for November and the Camp NaNos in April and July will be determined closer to those dates.) It's a habit I'm working on breaking. The habit I'm replacing thi with is finishing the project, hence daily word tracking and rotating out one novel a week to build up that stamina. The super secret project is getting daily work, along with The Summer of Dragons and Fireflies. My goal, by doing this, is to get some works completed.
So now that this is out of the way, I'm making it official here (it's already official on Facebook and will be official on Twitter). The Summer of Dragons and Fireflies will hit online bookshelves on April 5. I know Tuesdays tend to be the typical day of a book release, which generally coincides with video games, DVD, and music releases. I'm aiming to be weird(er) on this. Excerpts will be coming soon. The art reveal will be next Tuesday, February 5th.
Finally, I'm just going to end with what I'm doing to get myself out of my current situation. This is where my word, Trust, is coming into play. I'm currently taking an online alcohol course to cement my alcohol license here in Oklahoma. This simply means I'll be approved by the state of Oklahoma to work in bars or any place that serves or sells alcohol. I'm looking to expand my serving skills. I actually love serving. I love working in the food industry. I've entertained, off and on over the years, starting my own restaurant. One thing I would love to do over the next three years is get myself a food truck to serve food to homeless people, something I would love to do on a daily basis.
I'm on the fence about massage therapy now. It was bound to happen. I love the idea behind it and what it can afford to me. I've run into some obstacles I wasn't expecting, along with a timeline conflict. Chances are now I'll be taking classes somewhere out of Oklahoma. I've had a goal of moving to Colorado for almost three years now. That's one more thing I'm aiming to make happen this year instead of next. This is where I ask myself for how much longer do I keep putting off the one thing I've known is meant to happen for me for the sake of this thing or that thing. Yes, the massage therapy courses would help me in getting a job once in Colorado, but there are also other things I'm ready for.
And this is pretty much it for today. First entry of the year, and I'm glad I got it done.
I hope everyone enjoyed their new year's celebrations! If you've chosen a word for a depth year, may you find yourself wildly surpassing all of your expectations and dreams!
Blessed be, my friends, and happy Tuesday!
Coming up in the next entry: Explorative Creative Writing, Part One
