bizarro world

i applied for a freelance writing/editing position about 2 weeks ago. the magazine is set to launch in january. i followed the dude's instructions as expressed in his voicemail. "contact us with your material and we will get right back to you." suuuuuuuuure ya will. wtf is UP with folks not doing what they say? what is even worse is when i have said "you said you would do 'x' and you didn't" i very rarely receive an apology. just a list of excuses. i'm at a point where i want to create a special court system for those who have the gross habit of saying whatever they want and not owning up to their words or consequences resulting from their words.

for the freelance writing position, i also went through their site and found a major typo. they had misspelled one of their advertisers--a local biz. checking their site today, i noticed they changed the spelling. however, it is still misspelled.

so no response to my submission. not even a "thank you" for pointing out their error. flake. i already worked for a publisher who was a major flake. had all sorts of promises at the start, including the promise of a contract (i worked as a freelance writer). a contract that was never created despite my on-going requests, which in time became labeled as "nagging". i even wrote up my own contract but he just laughed and said he wouldn't sign it. when i would say "you never pay me on time" his answer was "hey at least i pay you". his reason for paying me with such inconsistency? "i cannot pay you until my advertisers pay me." moron. i finally quit. at one point i even said "you are a flake". his response? "i know." at least he owned it. made him more pitiful though.

here's another little ditty in my bizarro world. i haven't written about this before, at least i don't think i have. one of the things i do on the side is i pick up dog waste. yep, i pick up poop. not the most glamourous of jobs of course but, except for those days when it is a rainstorm of biblical proportions, it is easy money. my client list is pitifully small: one. i've had several calls but apparently people don't want spend more than $5/week or so on such a service. i charge a reasonable rate--$10/week for one dog, $15 for two. i provide all supplies. anyway last week i arrived to scoop. my client has a chain link fence. the entrance is two gates, which are held together by a chain and latch. well when it rains, the chain gets rusty. sometimes the owner loops the chain together very tightly, making it difficult to unlatch when it's dry. add the rain and it becomes quite the task. my fingers kept slipping and my hand, which already had a cut on it, kept bumping into the fence. after several minutes of this, i let out a "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" then let loose a couple of choice words. i then took a deep breath and went back at it. after another couple of minutes, i wasn't making any progress. my hands were very cold by this point and were covered with rust. my cut had also been rubbed open and was beginning to bleed. i considered my options. i could always just go and leave a note, explaining my dilemma. i am, afterall, to have easy access to the residence if i am to scoop. but i had already dropped off my bill in her mail slot. so i stared at the fence, put my hand on either side and shook it, let out a couple more choice words as i encouraged it to open, then went back at it. finally, i was able to get inside.

later that evening, my client called and asked what had happened today. at first i was confused until she said one of her neighbors had said someone was at her fence, swearing. i laughed and said i had had a bit of a tantrum trying to get into her gate. client didn't think this was funny. just kept repeating the words of her neighbor. while i wanted to say "your neighbor sounds like he or she has too much spare time on their hands. have they not gotten frustrated and expressed that frustration? were they not able to come out and ask me what was wrong?" i mean good lord............instead i put on my professional biz owner hat and said "i am sorry if my actions and choice of words disturbed your neighbor."

i would like to know which neighbor she was referring to. i'd like to give them a big fat smile when i see them and perhaps flip them the bird. i've been scooping at this home for over a year and a half. the neighbors know who i am by now. so silly...........although about what i would expect from our puritanical society. so uptight. this kind of public behavior is completely acceptable throughout parts of europe. i once had a friend visit italy. when she came back she told me i would appreciate it because people expressed themselves and their emotions very freely in public and it isn't looked down upon.

i already know i live in the wrong country. i'm not a christian. i don't support either political party. i despise capitalism, lies, greed and corporate/political corruption. i support sharing the wealth. i believe in freedom of expression. maybe i need to take my bizarro world underground.......i do fantasize--a lot--about coming into a lot of money, buying an acre in the woods, building a small, energy efficient/self sustainable cabin and spending my days gardening, creating music and art and hanging with my hub, dog and all that nature has to provide.