Ugh. Manager is out of town, so the weekly conference call has been half bitching session. Which is fine, but they're two hours behind me, and I'm hungry. And now the meeting is running long, mostly because of the bitching.
You know, I just... I woke up, and I looked in the mirror, and I thought, hey, what's with all the sin? I need to change. I'm... I'm dirty. I'm, I'm bad with the... sex and the envy and that, that loud music us kids listen to nowadays.
Buffy ,'Lessons'
Natter 71: Someone is wrong on the Internet
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Dana - May 15, 2013 2:30:09 pm PDT #22531 of 30001
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
NoiseDesign - May 15, 2013 2:30:34 pm PDT #22532 of 30001
Our wings are not tired
I feel guilty about charging people for talking to them
You shouldn't. They are paying you for your expertise, which does have a lot of value.
but also makes me feel guilty about how much I have to charge.
Again, don't feel guilty. You have stated you are having issues making ends meet. You can set how much you want to charge to make it worthwhile for you. If they don't want to pay it then they can make the decision not to hire you.
I see this quite a bit, people don't want to assign monetary value to their work. You shouldn't be afraid of doing this, or feel guilty about it.
In my field, I know that my personal hourly and daily rates are not cheap. In some cases they can be up with what a lawyer will charge per hour. Some people decide not to use me because of that, but the folks that do hire me are happy with my work, my attention to detail, and the resources that I can bring to bear on a project. I can do all of those things because I am charging a rate that makes it possible.
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox on this one. It's a thing for me.
Sheryl - May 15, 2013 2:36:03 pm PDT #22533 of 30001
Fandom means never having to say "But where would I wear that?"
Timelies all!
I'm sorry, Suela.
Great news about your mom, Dana.
Liese S. - May 15, 2013 3:00:15 pm PDT #22534 of 30001
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."
Yeah, I absolutely agree with ND here. Expertise, work ethic, competency...those have actual, honest to goodness, monetary value. Then there's the market. Not to be all capitalist on anybody, 'cause all y'all know I ain't, but there is a price the market will bear, and if that is so, you should be able to charge that price for your services. Your services are not somehow not worth what you can charge for them.
le nubian - May 15, 2013 3:00:18 pm PDT #22535 of 30001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."
a wasp flew in my office and flew up to the ceiling corner. I cut off the light, closed the blinds, opened my hall door wider hoping the thing would fly into the hall!
After 2 tense minutes, it found its way out! YAY.
Matt the Bruins fan - May 15, 2013 3:07:46 pm PDT #22536 of 30001
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
See, in that situation I would have spritzed it with household cleaner and then stepped on it when it fell to the floor. Wasps get no mercy from me, though I've gone to ridiculous lengths to get a trapped bee back outside.
The moral of this story is that maybe if wasps were less stingy and more with the pollinating and providing honey, they'd get treated better.
Calli - May 15, 2013 3:10:49 pm PDT #22537 of 30001
I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul—Calvin and Hobbs
Yay mom-of-Dana!
Consula, I'm sorry about your mom's possible stroke and associated doctor disagreements.
le nubian - May 15, 2013 3:12:43 pm PDT #22538 of 30001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."
The wasp was up at the ceiling and my ceilings are probably 10-15 high. I couldn't get it to hit it. I prefer that such things fly out of my space if I can help it.
Matt the Bruins fan - May 15, 2013 3:15:56 pm PDT #22539 of 30001
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
Ah, yeah, that's way too high unless you have one of those long distance hornet killer cans.
Juliebird - May 15, 2013 3:19:43 pm PDT #22540 of 30001
I am the fly who dreams of the spider
I think what I need is to firm up what my baseline charge is. So I can spout it off without hesitation or guilt. The woman that I did flowers for, when I tried to discuss rates, rushed out "I trust you" when I was all "I don't trust ME!". And when her check failed to come in until two weeks later, I was certain she'd decided to stiff me (not to mention I was out 200 of my own change awaiting reimbursement on top of my fee). Seed money is goooood.