My Novels

Monday, October 22, 2007

Mastering the skills

I admit, I've always been a challenge junkie. Give me a very difficult task, I'll do it. The more complex, the more challenging, the better.

The problems usually start when I've mastered the skills, level off to feel that I'm finally at the peak of performance...and then, yup, it's downhill.

I don't want my present position to be that way, but I admit, once I learned the basics, began to hit my stride, the pressure and stress lessened. I LOVE the work, I do. There's always going to be NEW challenges, especially since I have deadlines. There's some aspects I will always hate, such as attending events, getting interviews and making sure I do justice to the people who've shared their lives with me. But now that I can design pages and I feel a bit more confident, I wonder if I'll be able to stick with the mundane grind?

I guess it's the money that will keep me coming back, even when all else fails. That is what was lacking in my creative/fiction writing: didn't make money. Without that basic incentive (as in -- need it to survive) why bother? Wish I could say I love art for art's sake...but I doubt that proves true for many.

Unfortunately I had a sad event to get through: one of my last living uncles died. My father's only brother suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack a week ago, and of course, it was totally unexpected. He was 78, very active and had no advance warning, just keeled over at the dinner table with my aunt. A chest x-ray showed an aeorta in his heart burst, which killed him almost instantly.

Emotionally difficult time during the last week, but I got through it.

And my renters moved out this past weekend, which means a lot of work ahead for me. However, I am going to hire house-cleaning services to clear out the rental house this time. I just don't have the time or energy to do that kind of hard labor. Not sure yet if I'll keep the house and rent it again, or put it up for sale early next year. Don't want to sell it now, due to tax issues for this year.

I don't really need that income any longer, and it's a difficult job to take care of rental property. If I sell, I'll use some of the funds to do improvements to the house I live in now.

Dogs are happy and healthy. Rambo got his rabies booster the other day, which means he's been here a YEAR! Woot! And at the end of November, Oscar will have been here a year. I love them a lot.

The cats are thriving too, haven't lost another one and that is good.

And so it goes...