Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Color To Enhance Your Worklife

Interesting article about how color can affect your worklife (and I guess your personal life too).

Use low wavelength colors to focus and calm down: blues, grays, purple, etc.

But use high wavelength colors to rev up and get motivated: yellow, orange, etc.

I guess the problem can be when sometime you are unfocused and other times you are unmotivated. Then what do you do colorwise???

I love the color gray, so if I could paint my walls at work, I would paint them gray. I think it is a tremendous color to make you feel in control and focused.

http://www.stylelist.com/2011/09/26/how-color-can-help-you-work_n_982043.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl6%7Csec3_lnk1%7C99687

Career Changers Or Wannabes: Read Up!

You can tell from the subhead of my blog that I am a career changer. And I am always thinking about the next great thing. Not because I am disatisfied, but because I know that it is the best way to stay relevant and on top of careers and making money going forward. Plus, it is fun.

Even though I loved my past career and thought I would retire in that job, I always had the needling feeling that I needed to do something else. Just in case. Just in case my job and industry were phased out. That is not the case yet, but could be, so that was good thinking on my part.

Below is a link to an article about other women who were game changers. They started new jobs, new careers, or even new companies to broaden themselves and their opportunities. Happy reading!

http://glo.msn.com/relationships/change-it-up-1534405.story?gt1=49006

Sunday, September 25, 2011

I May Need To Get Life Insurance

I have never really needed life insurance before. Sure, it would be good to have it to cover burial expenses and pay off my bills if I should die. I could have used it for that, but never really bothered. I have some paltry life insurance at work but not enough to take care of much.. I don't have dependents, so it never seemed important for me to investigate it.

Things may be different in the near future.  A young relative of mine may come to live with me, and I will be her caretaker. Her guardian, her custodian--however you want to call it. Things aren't good for her at home, and I have offered to take care of her. If so, she may be moving in with me in a couple of months.

Now suddenly I am thinking I should get life insurance. Probably term life--I hear that is best. I wonder where I can get a survey template to find out good rates?? I am hoping I could get a good rate. But I am not a 20-something anymore, and not even a 30-something either. So my rates will be higher, but hopefully still manageable. I already have a private disability policy, so maybe I could get a survey template from that company.

I am not a smoker and I am in pretty good health, so I should be approved. In the next few months, I will definitely take the plunge, fill out a survey template, and get signed up. I'll feel better once this is all taken care of.

When In Business For Yourself, You Worry About Getting Paid

Now that I am a lawyer, I am thinking about things like how to get business. I am just doing it part time, and am not ready to go full time, but I will at some point. I will need to know when to make that switch. But with more clients come more work and more billing. But how do you do that in an effiicient way and make sure you get paid?

I guess there aer not easy answers to making sure you get paid part. But there are systems and people out there that can help with such office tasks as billing.

A good friend of mine is a physical therapist, and she would like to go out on her own, but she is concernd about her physical therapy billing. Her work days are so busy helping patients, and would be even more so if she goes on her own, so when would she have time for physcal therapy billing and all other aspects of office work that would need to be done. And I know there are aspects of medicare and medicaid that she is concerned about now. Are those programs going to change, and if so, how would that affect physical therapy billing?

For right now, I think she is Ok with continuing to work at the nursing home, where others take care of these issues. But if and when she steps out and starts her own practice, these are things she will have to figure out.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Is Online Freelancing The New Online Dating?

After being an independent contractor on a couple of freelance writing websites for a little over a year, I have finally settled into a comfortable place. I am making enough money on the side from freelancing to complement my full time salary and actually get somewhere. Somewhere meaning being debt free, financially secure, and paying for some minor luxuries without panicking sometime on the horizon.

I have to admit it is a nice place. So many employers (a misnomer actually for those hiring independent contractors) only want to pay a pittance for work, sometimes as low as $1 an article for 500 words, and of course, they want it RIGHT NOW. Since I am a professional writer and editor, I pay no attention to these people. I won't even tell you what I think of them. (It is not good.)

But I have two regular gigs that are pulling in some nice money weekly. But they take time. I am also to the point, where I have to be careful to not take on too much work. When I bid and get selected, I am always flattered and want to do the work. But you have to be careful not to take on more than you can do well per week or month. When you have a full-time job, that can be hard to figure out.

But what is funny is how many employers post jobs and never fill them. Or contact you by phone or email, sometimes having a lengthy discussion, saying they want to hire you, and then you never hear from them again. Or even that they hire you for a job that they posted, and you never hear from them again. What gives? It reminds me so much of the online dating that I also do. All show and no follow through.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Fishing In Orlando

One of my best friends just got married and moved to Orlando. I am happy for her but really miss her. I haven't talked with her much since she moved down there, so that makes me sad. I know they are busy setting up household and getting used to each other. But I do miss hangiing out with her. She is also having fun doing all the great activities you can do in Orlando. They do things like go camping and fishing,, so they cae looking for a camping and orlando fishing guide, She told me xI could come down and visit, so i am looking forward to that sometime. Maybe I can do that sometime in the next year, since I have no more vacation time. I haven't been to Orlando is a long time, so that would be fun.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Already Excited About My Cruise

I am not going on my cruise until January, but I am already excited about it. I had dinner with my friend who plans the cruise for her boss. It is a private music cruise. That means it is more expensive than a regular cruise, but it is worth it. This year will be my fourth year, and I am beginning to get to know some of the regulars. Some go every year, and I think I have joined their club.

Seems like everyone I know has been going on cruises. My cruises have all been to the Caribbean. My parents and a friend have gone on French river cruises. A few of my friends have gone on Carnival Cruises. Others have gone on Mediterranean cruises. I am a huge traveler, so any kind of cruise is good with me. I just like to get away, and even sitting in a deck chair with a book and staring at the ocean is therapeutic to me. The cruises I go on leave from Florida. I haven't been on one of the  Carnival cruises yet, but I have thought of it. They have some that leave from New Orleans, and I would like to leave from there. Maybe I will end up being one of those retirees who live on cruise ships. That would be fun--you would always have a fun schedule and you would be meeting new people all the time. Carnival cruises could be my mailing address.!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Adventure Travel To Patagonia

It is hard to believe that it has been over 10 years since I had my big patagonia adventure. Four other people and I went to Argentina in 1998 for five weeks, mainly staying in the Patagonia area. What a chance of a lifetime! Some of the time we stayed in private homes and other times we stayed in hotels. We really got to know the people and the culture and improved our Spanish or really Castellano, which is a combination of Spanish and Italian.

While we were there, we were treated to a variety of patagonia tours. Patagonia is a very large place, and among other things, we got to see Ushuaia, or the end of the earth, some glaciers, penguins, the beach, and big and wonderful estancias, or ranches and farmland. All in all, it was fabulous. We started our trip in Buenos Aires, which is not part of patagonia, and then flew down to Ushaia and made our way back up to Buenos Aires. We did our travel by bus and airplane. What great memories!

We actually flew into Santiago, before hitting Buenos Aires, but we didn't get to do any chile tourism. Well, that is for another time!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Meetups Born Of 9/11

I belong to a wordpress meetup and recently also joined a wine tasting meetup, although I have not been to a wine meeting yet. I think the idea of meetups is wonderful. I would love to find a boating one and other meetups on topics I am interested in. I just have to keep checking the local website, as new meetups are added all of the time.

Scott Heiferman, CEO and co-founder of Meetup, sent out a mass email yesterday explaining the relationship between 9/11 and Meetup. He lived in Manhattan, and after 9/11, he noticed that neighbors were paying attention to each other for the first time and actually being neighborly. That people were taking the time to say hello and be nice to one another. 9/11 spawned a whole new interest in knowing one another.

Heiferman wondered if you could use the internet to get people off the internet to get to know each other pesonally.

To state the obvious, yes. He had a great idea, and it has connected people face to face in one of the best ways possible: through mutual interests.

Booking Vacations And Tours

If you were a company that was offering a bunch of different vacation packages and tours, where would you go to actually access the tours? Maybe you would visit an online tour booking conmpany. If so, that could be easier than reinventing the wheel, or lining up all the tours yourself. Starting from scratch, etc.

There are certain online companies out there that offer an online tour booking system that make offer a variety of tours and activities.  If you were going to lead a group of people somewhere, you would want to add on some activities of interest. You need to do the research and activing yourself, or you can use an established company to help you do it.

If you use an online tour booking company, you can look to see what such companies offer and then incorporate the activities into your broader trip. You want to make your company trip more interesting, and one way is to add tours or activities. Get the biggest bang for your buck. If you are a company offering a trip, make sure it is the best trip possible.

Lawsuit Settlements

Don't you just love those commercials on TV where the classical singers in costume sing about lawsuit loans? I think the ads are very creative. (But they do wear on you  after a while.)

As a new lawyer, I have not been involved in any personal injury work yet, so none of my clients have had to deal with a lawsuit cash advance. But I could take such a cash at any time, so it is good for me to be aware of the options for such clients. I can only imagine how frustrating it would be to be awarded a huge lawsuit settlement, but not to be able to tap into it for a long time.

There are many options out there such as presettlement funding that I need to learn about. All the better for clients to be able to access the money that they have won and are entitled to receive. It is heartbreaking to hear about clients who may be destitute while waiting for a big settlement to come through.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My Solo Law Practice

I still have an itty bitty solo law practice, but that's OK. I have a full-time non-law job, so I can only do so much, ya know? I would like to do more law, and maybe I will someday. But I would need to make some changes. Like let some things go in my life, so I have more time. And I need to do some more self study in practice areas. And I might need a paralegal. And to locate some good good court reporting services.

Sometimes I still feel so dumb about legal things. Like when do you have to supply your own court reporting services? I know we talked about that in moot court, but that was several years ago now. Last time I volunteered at the legal clinic, a paralegal gave me his card and said I could hire him freelance--that he had been let go. I did realize that if I had a knowledgeable paralegal, that could open the door for me to take on more cases. I will have to give that some though. Now if someone would give me the names of some good court reporting services, I might be set to go to the next level.

It will be interesting to see what my future will be like!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Getting In The Biz

Thanks to Lemuel Craft

I never thought growing up I would be so interested in real estate but when the bottom fell out a few years back I got really involved. Now all I do all day is search home listings online for the next great deal and I think I’m getting really close to finding the best house on the market in my area to buy and fix up! I did a lot of great stuff to my own house like going to http://expertsatellite.com/ to get satellite and I’ve also been thinking about hiring a professional decorator although I’ve priced that out already and I think it’s going to be pretty expensive. I don’t know that I really care, though, since I spend so much time at the office and online and soon enough I may have bought a new place that I need to worry about moving into anyway! I feel like now’s the time to strike on the market and I’d be missing out if I didn’t take advantage of this unprecedented buyer's market, you know what I mean?

Nashville's Exit/In Music Venue Celebrates 40th


Lordy, lordy, look who is 40! Forty years ago, Nashville's Exit/In opened up on Elliston Place, which by all accounts started the local live music scene in Music City. And what a run it has had. Those playing there over the years include The Police, Steve Martin, REM, Johnny Cash, The B-52s, The Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Linda Ronstadt, The Allman Brothers, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Cheech and Chong, among many, many others.

I hate to admit that in my many years living in Nashville, I have only been to Exit/In a few times. Yes, I know that is terrible. I spent too many years just concentrating on the music on the radio, and missing the good, live stuff right here in Nashville!

In the past few years, I have been more interested in hearing live music, particularly in smaller venues. When I heard that Exit/In was having a series of concerts this week in honor of its 40th birthday, I decided to go to check it out. I went tonight and enjoyed it tremendously, and may go back this week for some more shows. At $15 a ticket (standing only) it is certainly a bargain. The price for table seats is more. And all the proceeds go to Musicares,a foundation that provides housing, addiction recovery, emergency financial services and other services to musicians in need.

The schedule for the 40th birthday celebration is listed below. All music starts around 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 6:
Buzz Cason, Barefoot Jerry, Mac Gayden and Skyboat, Dianne Davidson, Tracy Nelson, and Marshall Chapman.

Wednesday, Sept. 7:
Cowboy Jack Clement, Roger Cook, Lee Clayton, Denny and the Jets, Ballhog!, and Ranch Ghost.

Thursday, Sept. 8
The Babushka Brothers, The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, Old Union, Alex Harvey, Tom Kimmel, and James Talley.

Friday, Sept. 9
Matthew Perryman Jones, Drew and Ellie Holcomb, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes, Griffin House, and Daddy

Saturday, Sept. 10
Walk the West, The Cadillac Black, The Weeks, Buffalo Clover, and New Pleasure.

There are also some rumors there will be special guests. Come out and participate in the fun. I know I am going back this week!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Bidding For Merchandise Online

I have an Ebay account and have bought and sold a  number of items. I started buying my law textbooks online this way, when I got tired of paying full price for them, and I realized it didn't really matter if I got the latest edition or not. I have also gotten a number of Christmas gifts by bidding and some other odds and ends. And when I got out of law school and passed the bar exam, I put a number of my books up for sale as well. It is always so much fun to see your item up there and to see how many people have looked at it, and what the bids are.

I have tried to sell some other things as well, including the final edition of a hometown paper. I did not get any takers for that, so I pulled it down and will put it back up at some time. I also used half.com to buy a lot of my textbooks too.

There are some other sites that have popped up in recent years, not all bidding sites, but unique sites were you can either bid on items or get group discounts. Groupon.com, socialliving.com, dealfun.com are just a few of them. A good deal is always a good thing!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

I Miss My Twin Niece And Nephew

My sister brought her twins to town recently, and we had such a good time. They are almost a year old, and have gotten so much personality. We played in the pool, played patty cake, and just smiled at one another until I though my cheeks would freeze in that position! Now they have gone home, and I miss them so much. Wish they lived closer. Before they left, I bought them some gifts, including clothes, baby toys, and some things like what I hear is the the best baby video monitor, Not sure if it is really the best, but that is what I have heard it is called. I hope they can use it. I am sure they will like some of their other gifts better however.

Heart Health

I am two years out of law school, overweight, don't exercise, and still eat things that are bad for me. I need to lose 30 pounds asap. Even though I am healthy and feel good now, I am concerned about my health longterm. I have lost a few friends recentlly, who died in their sleep, and that is reallly creepy to me. I used to be so healthy and pretty and I want to get that back. Do I need an ekg and all that jazz? Probably not, but but I need to get my act together and getting moving to make sure I have a long and healthy life. Starting tomorrow!