In which financial concerns are expressed

I've come to the conclusion that barring dramatic changes in my current income sources, secondary income is a necessity. 

The company I'm newly working at is going through some changes right now, and as a result pay has been sporadic and frankly too low.  Of course, that was starter pay but still.  I've talked to the owner, he said they're working out a handling for that.  

Well, cool.  I believe him, and all of the other people, they've been making good money working there, so it can be done.  But I'm feeling this is the wrong economic climate and definitely the wrong time of my life to depend solely on them for my survival.  I'll definitely keep that as my day job -- it's not that it's a bad company or even that the pay is horrible (a lot of people get by on less).  The problem is I have, at the moment, sufficient creditor demand that the current paycheck pretty much vanishes with barely enough left over for groceries, much less good times.  And damn it, I want good times.  That was the whole damned point of moving and all. 

(The weirdest thing about all this, to me, is that in a year or two, almost all of my major bills will be paid off, and I won't need to worry about them anymore.  But I do need to have "made it"anyway, by then. The timing of all of this is really kind of messing with my head.)

So.  This is actually kind of a blessing in disguise.  Because every writer mentions how real it gets when their writing is needed to put food on the table.  And I mean, right now I'm just talking about MY food. I also need to think with putting food on the table for someone else. Whoever that will eventually be, ha ha. It's gonna happen. But it's less likely if I'm staying home every night because I can't afford to go out, neh?

But seriously. It's time to put my money (so to speak) where my mouth is, to really put my talents to work not merely for fun, but for profit as well.  I have a few ideas about how to accomplish that with relative speed and minimal capital.  I've enough avenues to pursue:

I've a friend who runs a scriptwriting contest. He's got reams of scripts that need reading.  I read with awe-inspiring speed (honest, I have inspired awe!).  That's a no-brainer. He can pay me. It probably won't be great sums, but it'll make a difference, and I can start immediately.

Those same reading skills could come in handy elsewhere, too. Particularly my proofreading skills. Maybe it's time to look for people in the LA area who need their shit proofread. Hmmm.

I've got a webcomic already sort of established.  A little research, maybe a little help from some friends, I could have my own website up.  I've already got lines established for merchandise (especially t-shirts).  It might even be in my interest to get a small business loan (just a couple, three grand) so I can get the needed hardware and software to actually continue.  A few hours a day could turn into some good bucks. 

And of course, there's the writing. My stepdad outlined a net-based business model for getting my work out there; it'd more or less be self-publishing but word of mouth and online buzz could bring me the attention of a major publisher in a matter of months.  For which, incidentally, I will need the help of my online friends.

So what am I going to do?  

ALL OF THE ABOVE.  

Because I can, because multiple income sources are better than one or two, and because shit, I'd need to do some of that stuff to achieve my ultimate goals anyway.  

The irony is, I might get too busy providing for my life to actually live it. Heh.  Nah.  I've been down that road before.  I'd recognize the landmarks in time to turn around. 

What a day

Well, I'm exhausted. 

Today was eventful.  I took a "personal day" so I could drive up to LA for a job interview and to check out a room in Tujunga.  

My appointment was at 1pm in Pasadena, so I didn't have to leave the house until around 11.  And that was just in case traffic was bad -- as it often is (and was).  I figured I'd get a little extra sleep, then start the day off with some webcomics and whatnot before Mapquesting directions. 

Well, our ISP was having glitches and service was, as it turned out, down in the entire neighborhood while they sorted it out.  Somehow, miraculously, I was able to access Mapquest in spite of this and get the directions I needed(!). 

Then I messed around for a while figuring out what to wear. This was mostly a matter of deciding which tie to wear, since I've only got one suit per se. Well, and what shirt. I went with the blue one. Big surprise, ha ha. 

Driving to Pasadena was kinda stressful, more or less as usual.  Since my DUI, I get a definite, instinctive sphincter clench whenever I see a police car anywhere on my road.  It doesn't matter than I'm not speeding, etc. etc. -- I just get really tense, my knuckles white on the wheel and pulse thundering in my temples.  That happened twice on the way there.  Not pleasant, but nothing happened.

But by the time I got to Pasadena, that was mostly forgotten. It was a lovely day and Old Town Pasadena is very quaint. It's kinda dirty, yes -- but it's LA, so that's to be expected. But there's a lot of cool old architecture (as well as some more modern stuff) and it's just a really nice place. That's where I'll be working if they take me on. 

The interview went really well -- so I think they will. I hope they will -- I really like the office, the kind of work I'll be doing, and the people there seem like good people to work with. 

After that I went to a prospective living space -- a room in a house in Tujunga.  And THAT looked really good, too! I mean, it's not "my own place" but it's a foothold and it's a really nice house, in a fairly nice area, and the guy I talked to was a really nice guy.  Plus they have a cat! And an exercise room with gadgets! And a really nice backyard! The rent/utilities amount is a little scary but only a little. I can handle it. 

I'll know by the end of the week whether the company will hire me. If they do, it'll be an upgrade in many ways.  I should say WHEN they do -- I really think I killed at this interview, and frankly I'm super-qualified for it.  They'd be fools NOT to hire me. And they didn't seem like fools. 

So yeah, once they hire me, I'll give notice at my current job and in two weeks, I'll be living my own life -- on my own for real, not cloistered or with family. That's simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. But I figure hell, dumber, less capable people than I have managed; I can too. 

Update on the Financial Crisis

Okay first of all, I gotta say I do feel like a douche for saying I was pissed at my mom in that other blog.  Considering what an expensive little bastard I was growing up, I surely have no right to complain because she needs some monetary assistance from me.  

Then again, much of my expensiveness was paid for by my stepdad. 

Oh well. Still.  

So I've got some lines in on some job possibilities. And I'm actually getting kind of excited about the prospect of working at a Blockbuster. I don't know why. It just seems right somehow.

But here's the kicker: My mom somehow landed a part-time job that, all by itself, will solve all of her monthly money woes.  It means she'll have a little less time off, but only a little. Amazingly small change of schedule for her (although her regular job will take a bit of a hit).  So she's in the clear even without my help!

This is great news! But guess what?  I'm still gonna go for that second job.  Because A) I do owe her money anyway; B) I can use the funds from the second job to help me pay off the DUI fine much faster, to say nothing of various other debts and C) I can build up a cushion in my savings so I don't HAVE to live paycheck to paycheck AND maybe start socking away toward my own personal, private accommodations and whatnot. 

It's actually a good idea all around.  I'm making a decent wage right now, but sometimes it barely covers my shit. Sometimes, in fact, some of my shit has to go uncovered. Because more important shit had to be covered sooner. Granted, I'm lousy at managing my money, but that's all the more reason to make more of it, right. And I don't just want my existing shit covered.  I want more shit. And that shit needs to be covered, and covered well. I want that shit so covered it doesn't smell anymore.  

So yeah, having killed that analogy -- I'm all set to give away the bulk of my weeknights. I just need to convince one of the store managers to take me on. Which I feel very good about doing.

I can't believe I'm actually kinda stoked about this now...