money, money, angst,, money, angst
Woke up yesterday in a total panic about money. There is no reason why I shouldn't be in a total panic about money 24/7, but fortunately my brain conspires to spare me, except in these periodic episodes.
So after checking my diminishing bank balances, paying the minimum on on all my credit cards, and opening a few bills to make myself face the worst (oddly my current best stress management technique), I started looking for where an old client is today. His company folded after 9/11, and that event was, more or less, the cause of my having to come back to New York from California. He'd been on my mind for weeks, so I decided that maybe the cosmic telegraph system was trying to tell me something.
I found him right away on Google. CEO of another company for the past few years. It took me another couple of hours to get my brain in the right state to write him a note. No e-mail address on their website, or any e-mail address that offered a hint on their naming convention. So, I picked up the phone to see if anyone would give me the address.
The person who answered was squeamish about handing out this information, but she offered to connect me directly with him. Okay, I said, thinking about how I describe the last few years of my life. Took some time off to write a book? Actually, not for him. We'd had a mutually sympathetic correspondence going while he was looking for a new job post 9/11. Of all people, he'd understand that I needed to go to ground for a while.
But then I got another person on the phone, who announced he was head of marketing and that he was pleased I called, since they'd been discussing me and their need for PR. Turns out the CEO had said they should talk to me. What followed was the usual set of questions you get from someone who's never dealt with an agency before. Could I send a proposal? Well, no, not until someone tells me about the company, its problems and objectives. But I can send you a portfolio. Okay, that will do.
That's my job today, putting it together. Along with learning everything about hedge funds for another client.
When I got off the phone last night, I pulled 20 books off the shelf and went to list them on half.com. A small step forward in clearing out the possessions and making a little money. Half got listed. Eight went into the box for the Salvation Army, because they were selling for $1 or less, and not worth the time of listing and mailing. The other two were too interesting to let go, and I'm reading them.
Bought in some period in New York when I imagined it would be a simple matter to switch D for some better model. But both surprisingly well-written, amusing and inspiring. Secrets of Seduction for Woman by Brenda Venus. The Technique of the Love Affair by A Gentlewoman.
Maybe they'll make me open my mind to falling in love again. I can hardly imagine it, but anything's possible. Maybe they'll just give me some good ideas for writing a love story. That would be good.
So after checking my diminishing bank balances, paying the minimum on on all my credit cards, and opening a few bills to make myself face the worst (oddly my current best stress management technique), I started looking for where an old client is today. His company folded after 9/11, and that event was, more or less, the cause of my having to come back to New York from California. He'd been on my mind for weeks, so I decided that maybe the cosmic telegraph system was trying to tell me something.
I found him right away on Google. CEO of another company for the past few years. It took me another couple of hours to get my brain in the right state to write him a note. No e-mail address on their website, or any e-mail address that offered a hint on their naming convention. So, I picked up the phone to see if anyone would give me the address.
The person who answered was squeamish about handing out this information, but she offered to connect me directly with him. Okay, I said, thinking about how I describe the last few years of my life. Took some time off to write a book? Actually, not for him. We'd had a mutually sympathetic correspondence going while he was looking for a new job post 9/11. Of all people, he'd understand that I needed to go to ground for a while.
But then I got another person on the phone, who announced he was head of marketing and that he was pleased I called, since they'd been discussing me and their need for PR. Turns out the CEO had said they should talk to me. What followed was the usual set of questions you get from someone who's never dealt with an agency before. Could I send a proposal? Well, no, not until someone tells me about the company, its problems and objectives. But I can send you a portfolio. Okay, that will do.
That's my job today, putting it together. Along with learning everything about hedge funds for another client.
When I got off the phone last night, I pulled 20 books off the shelf and went to list them on half.com. A small step forward in clearing out the possessions and making a little money. Half got listed. Eight went into the box for the Salvation Army, because they were selling for $1 or less, and not worth the time of listing and mailing. The other two were too interesting to let go, and I'm reading them.
Bought in some period in New York when I imagined it would be a simple matter to switch D for some better model. But both surprisingly well-written, amusing and inspiring. Secrets of Seduction for Woman by Brenda Venus. The Technique of the Love Affair by A Gentlewoman.
Maybe they'll make me open my mind to falling in love again. I can hardly imagine it, but anything's possible. Maybe they'll just give me some good ideas for writing a love story. That would be good.