Not a great week so far. A big project is on hold - the client is so difficult that the agency I'm working with is thinking of walking, I don't blame them - but it will cost me a lot. This is what happens when you have the wrong people commissioning design. It's been a very difficult brief from the start - we've all kept our heads out of sheer bloody mindedness, and I've always been determined not to get beaten by it all - it 'should' be a really good piece of work with some decent visibility, and I need that.
Another job has gone to print - it's only a tiny little job and I'm not making any real money - unusually, I'm carrying the print bill - I don't usually - It's not enough to mark up a handling fee - but it's going to be a pain to get the client to open an account with the printer I selected - I hate managing print, if anything goes wrong - I have to pay for it. I'm already getting sleepness nights. A piece of branding work I've just completed went really well - but there is a digital element that I have to farm out and the chances are it will eat up all the fee - and I've done another quick job that's going to go into Heals's - but again, of no monetary value. I 'think' I've just picked up 3 weeks inhouse between now and Xmas, but not at a very good daily rate - and it's a really full on piece of work.
On the other side of the coin, one of the guys in the studio has a sideline in buying and selling URL's - he's been doing it for years and just buys up words, packages them together with the Twitter/FB/Instagram etc - and sits on them until someone wants them. The more commonplace words sell for the most money - particularly if you tag something like 'direct' on the end. He makes quite a bit out of it - and yesterday he sold a SINGLE word for more money that I make in 6 months, and far more than most novelists will ever earn for a book. I am clearly in the wrong industry.
Small dog has really ramped up the ante on her bladder capacity - she's been pissing in the house 2 or 3 times a day - it always happens in cold weather. Senile greyhound has become increasingly grumpy - barking at other dogs - it's quite embarrassing - all the other dog walkers give us a really wide berth.
My hard drive was repaired - the engineer was able to extract the drive, replace all the bits that connect with the outside world and put it in a new case - she only charged me £25 but I gave her £30 - the new enclosure was worth at least 15 quid, that's probably less than the 3mm aluminium Porsche designed bullet proof case it came in - that had to be broken open to extract and repair the drive.
Had a strange conversation earlier in the week with someone I know who has had a sex change. One of the most difficult things when you trans is the legal management of a change of identity - apparently it's quite a big deal, however - the only agency that came out of this with any grace or credit - was the Inland Revenue - who apparently have a dedicated department specifically for people who have transitioned, partly because it's a major issue that you could be 'outed' through multiple administrative processes, payroll etc - and that would be illegal. They are better trained and far more sympathetic than any other department she's dealt with over the last 20 years. It's almost worth considering. *joke*.
By getting rid of the robot post from 2011 - I've successfully dropped my hit rates down to almost nothing. I think that's a result.
If anyone is considering upgrading their computer (Mac) to Yosemite - I can strongly recommend it - I'm really happy with the results.
I seem to get caught in the rain every time I leave the house. Like it's stalking me.
No comments:
Post a Comment