What a week it has been!

 

Two electronics quit on me so I had to replace them.

 

The printhead on my aging HP printer/scanner/fax machine quit. The cost to replace it is exorbitant, so I got a new one. This time, I got a Canon for $349. (The less costly options were flimsy.) It will be ready to pick up on Thursday. Since I only use it for business, it’s deductible, so that’s good.

 

My Samsung 32″ flat screen kept freezing up, and no amount of upgrading solved the problem. So, I spent $167 to get a new one. I love it. It was time to upgrade anyway. It works perfectly, is Alexa friendly, and the remote control is fast and easy as pie to operate — all HUGE steps up from the one I had.

 

And I got another gem, too…

 

I also bought an orbital floor machine ($158) to make it easier to clean my kitchen, hallway, and bathroom flooring. It was scheduled to arrive today, so I cleared the floors to make way for cleaning them. But later this evening I got word that it has been delayed a day or so. I hope  it comes tomorrow. In the meantime, everything that usually sits on the floors (trash cans, table and chairs, fire extinguishers, etc.) is stashed in my bedroom.

 

I bought the orbital floor machine before the scanner/printer quit, or I would probably have delayed that purchase.  I’ll be glad I didn’t, though.  I can afford all three things, but spending almost $800 (including taxes and an extended four-year warranty on the printer/scanner/fax machine) during the same week made me feel anxious. I had to remind myself that I’m making good money now, so if it had to happen, now’s the time.  So, I’ll count my blessings instead of losing sleep!

 

Upcoming Expenses

 

I’m going to drive up to the University of Washington dental school  in Seattle (after my tax return gets squared away this coming Saturday) to see what getting an implant for my #8 front tooth will cost, and whether I’m a good candidate. That’s going to cost around $2000 if I get approved.  (Teaching schools charge 30 to 40% less than regular dentists do. An implant is $4500 usually, including a bone graft and crown.  The extraction of the remaining tooth below the gum will probably increase the cost a bit, too, but $2K is do-able for me.)

 

Making Way for the New Printer/Scanner/Fax

 

Tonight I took out the piece of furniture that the printer/scanner/fax sat on and replaced it with a smaller piece. If the new equipment doesn’t fit on it, I will go to a thrift store and find something that will fit in the same space. I want to find something with a couple of drawers, so I can put extra paper and envelopes in it, too. It needs to be no more than 15 inches wide.  I have two pieces of furniture here in my den that fit the space, but getting them out of where they are now would be a chore, as they’re already full of supplies and copies of my books.  I’d prefer them to stay right where they are, so if I can find an affordable used piece that will work,  I’ll do that.

 

In Other News…

 

My newest long-term client has been with me for six months now and is very happy with everything I have done for them. I’ve segued from blog writing to copy (sales) writing  and course writing (for more money, of course) , now that I’ve proven I can do it all very well. Not a week goes by that I don’t get compliments for the work I do for them. It makes me smile. 

 

Some bad/sad news…

 

This week, another client I write for (usually about once or twice a year) said the two most recent pieces I wrote for her were “mediocre ” after first hitting me up with a cryptic message saying, “My bad. I should have asked you for a quote. I can’t afford to continue. Have a nice life.”

 

That seemed extremely odd to me, so I inquired further. That’s when she went on a vicious tear, accusing me of “doing the work just for the money” and writing the pieces too fast!

 

I assured her I would work with her for no additional money, given a little more direction beyond her bullet list of talking points, but she sent me just half of what I charge for copywriting (no professional writer works on spec), saying she now has “a bad taste in her mouth” about me and doesn’t want to use any of it as a result.  I had her re-confirm that she won’t be using both pieces in writing, so I can keep an eye on her stuff to make she she doesn’t use them both without paying full price for them. (She said she wouldn’t, but I need to monitor her for a while to be sure.  She can use one piece, but not both, for the money she paid.)

 

Too fast?

 

The two pieces (landing pages) took me two hours to write, which I do not consider fast. One was just a little over 100 words in length; the other was about 500 words.  I am a fast writer (comparatively), after 14 years in the copywriting business and over 50 years as a feature writer. She has always loved the turnaround speed before. (That’s one of my USPs, and has always been a plus for clients. They get to see a first presentable draft usually within hours or one day, depending on the length of the piece. And my first presentable drafts are always pieces that I would proudly issue under my own name; it’s never my FIRST draft! And my first presentable draft is usually approved with just a couple bits of tweaking. I’d estimate that fully 99.5% of my first drafts are LOVED by clients and only slightly altered after they explain what’s slightly off about them.)

 

Well, needless to say, I was thrown for quite a loop, so I looked over the pieces I wrote again. I still disagree with her assessment of them (I’m proud of them), so we’ve parted ways, and that’s probably best.  The way she chewed me up in that second, vicious email isn’t something I would want to experience again, and now that I know she’s capable of that much  vitriol, I’m willing, even eager, to say sayonara.

 

She is real estate agent, and I rarely write for that  niche, anyway! Most of them, I have noticed, are like lawyers. Both professions make bucket loads of money, but rarely want to pay what copywriting work is worth.

 

Pondering

 

I wonder if there is something going on in her life that has affected her in such a way that she has lost perspective and patience/equilibrium.  I have days like that (few and far between), but I recognize them for what they are, and I take care not to lash out when I feel that way: I consider these lapses in equilibrium temporary “insanity” and seclude myself until they pass!  I know I need a mental health/away day when I feel that out of control!

 

But because I’m capable, too, of having bad/low days, I  always give people the benefit of the doubt. Especially now, with COVID.  A lot of people are on their very last nerve.

 

I truly hope she recovers and finds someone who thrills her socks off every single time.  It ain’t easy, and it won’t be me.