The interview Process Wednesday, Aug 29 2007 

Uncategorized thewritingspider 5:57 pm

     I might’ve mentioned this before. I’m a freelance writer with a job habit. I like to have both freelance work AND a steady nine-to-fiver which keeps me in the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed – electricity, water, lunch every day, and gas for my car. Since Ad Agency X closed unexpectedly and left me without a nine-to-fiver, I have been looking for gainful employment.

     That’s where Big Corporation comes in. I have been interviewing with Big Corporation for almost three months now. I have had three phone interviews and four in-person interviews including a presentation. They decided that while I wasn’t right for the position I had been applying for, I might be right for another position! So… I have another phone interview tomorrow.

     I would really like to work for Big Corporation. Hell, I’d like to work for ANY body at this point. But honestly, is this necessary? I am not applying to be a CIA operative. I am not trying to get multi-level security clearance into the Pentagon or Area 51. So why all the hoops? Husband says that this is how Big Corporations run and I’m not used to it, having worked all my adult life in small artsy organizations where you can wear flip flops to work. There is mostly likely some truth in that, but still…gah.

 

The Good Charlottes Monday, Aug 27 2007 

Uncategorized thewritingspider 12:37 am

Charlotte II           I’m going to tell you about the Writing Spiders.

           Last year, when Husband and I were living with my in-laws, a spider took up residence between a shrub and the foundation by the front door. I’d never seen such a spider. Huge black and yellow body with long elegant black legs. She sat in the middle of a strange and beautiful web shot through the middle with a thick zigzag of silk.

                 I discovered these are the argiope aurantia, or black and yellow garden spiders, also known as writing spiders. They’re harmless and eat lots of bugs, which is nice. The female spins her web in late summer, including the thick line called a stabilimentum. The smaller less spectacular male hangs out nearby in the bushes until the fall when they mate and he dies. Then she lays her egg sac and dies. Which is all kind of sad, but fascinating nonetheless. And also very like a certain children’s book about a spider and some farm animals that I really loved as a child and might still love though I haven’t read it in ages.

                   Now husband and I live in a condo with a little garden and I’ve recently discovered our garden is home to four writing spiders, who I have dubbed The Charlottes. There is a funnel web spider that lives around the corner but she stays clear of The Charlottes, it seems.

                   I like these spiders. They write their cryptic silk hieroglyphics and no one knows why. There’s no proof the web is more stable for it. No proof that it helps them lure prey or mates. So I think they must just love writing for the sake of writing.

                  Every day she sits in her web, totally still, waiting for lunch. At night she repairs the web. But always there is that squiggle of silk down the middle of the web. She works hard and writes even when no one is looking.      

 

The Jobless Life Thursday, Aug 23 2007 

Uncategorized thewritingspider 2:36 pm

Day number 84 of joblessness and the search continues.

In June, I lost my job as a copywriter at a local advertising agency. I’d only been there two months. Some career move. (At least I can collect unemployment, and that is a story for another day.) I’ve been looking for a regular gig since then, plus I’ve been trying to pick up some contract jobs.

Besides being a professional job searcher, I am also a freelance writer. Frankly, I’ll take just about any writing job. No, I’m not going to write your optimized search engine articles for .10 an article with a minimum of 500 articles. But being open to many kinds of writing jobs has lead me to some pretty fascinating projects. I’ve been able to do a little freelancing since I’ve been liberated from my 9-5, but I’ve learned that I am not cut out for the solitary world of full-time freelance writing.

Give me the smell of fresh toner and some office drama any day.

It’s hard to be jobless this long. The last time I was sans work, I was only off for six weeks before I found something new. We’re heading into the third month and I’m starting to panic. I’ve been doing the right things, sending out the resume and portfolio, spreading the word to friends. Sure I’ve had a few nibbles – everybody wants someone who can write, right? But I’m having a little bit of an identity crisis. I’m no longer the person who gets up and goes to the Y before showering and going to work. I’m the person who had to cancel her Y membership and may or may not wash her hair every day.

Ok, now I really am going to go wash my hair.

 

Hello world! Thursday, Aug 23 2007 

Uncategorized thewritingspider 2:23 pm

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!