Music Monday: Dawn Of A New Era

Today has been good to me, folks. How about you? Of course, this is mostly because I got off my ass and got some stuff done. It feels nice to be busy on my own terms, you know? I've started writing what I like to call 5 Minute Movies. You can reach the first of my posts by clicking on the last tab under my blog header. The easiest way to read it seems to be enlarging your page view until you get a good look at it. Let me know what you think!

I've also taken some pro-active steps toward meeting new people and hopefully making some new friends. I signed up for GirlfriendCircles.com, GirlfriendSocial.com and RentAFriend.com. And, today I got matched on the first service to meet a group of ladies in my area later in May. Yay!

Also, the crazy new resume I sent out a few weeks ago has netted me a nifty job interview this Thursday. I know! I haven't had an interview in a while, largely because I let myself rely solely on my freelance income for the last year. I'm nervous (It's one of those new-fangled group interviews. I have no idea what to expect.) but also excited. Wish me luck!

Let's enjoy some nice music now, shall we?

Expansion Wednesday!

I did it again! I did something new and different last night; I went to a writer's group.

Remember last week, when I went to my first networking event? Well, I said I was going to another one this week, and though this wasn't strictly for networking it was nice to get out and get some EXPANSION accomplished.

I had signed up for another networking event, but when I was looking at Meetup.com, I saw that there was a writer's group having a meeting last night also. It sounded like there was going to be some good info dispensed, and part of the reason for the networking is to get to know other writers, so I opted for the writer's group.

It lasted for about two hours. Our leader is a business woman/consultant who's (obviously, I suppose) written some books on business and a bit of fiction. She reminds me of Amy Sedaris: tiny, fit, blond, tanned, talks a lot and kinda fast, and she likes to joke around.

They meet every two weeks and I believe I'll be going back. Afterwards I talked to one of the other writers who had come in late with a book on screenwriting. I was nervous to strike up a conversation, but I couldn't not talk to another person interested in writing movies, right?

EXPANSION, HO! (That's like "WESTWARD, HO" not expansion is a ho...Get it?)

Expansion Is Awesome!

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Look at me internet! I did something new and scary this week. Friends, I finally went to a networking event!

I know this may not sound like a big deal to many of you, but the idea of throwing myself into a room full of strangers and talking about myself is, horrifying? Alarming? Sweat-producing? Vomit-inducing? Yeah, all that and more, trust me.

I almost didn't go. The two previous nights I'd gone to bed past 2 a.m., so I was seriously sleep-deprived. I also needed a shower and was in an assy mood (because of the no sleep thing). But? But, I pulled myself together in a couple of hours and went anyway! Yes, dammit!

Every time I considered not going I felt really disappointed in myself. Which is a far cry from the other times I'd vaguely planned to go to a networking event and then crapped out on myself. Normally, I decide to stay home (sometimes for actual reasons, but mostly for chicken-shittery) and that's it. I ruminate over how I should have gone for about two minutes and then forget it.

This time, though, when I've been talking about EXPANSION this year and haven't actually done much of it, I could tell that I would really hold this not-going against myself. If I didn't go now, when the year is half over, I figured I never would. The very least I could do was go and see what happened, right? I figured if I got there and it was really an animalistic orgy I could always leave early.

Of course it wasn't that bad! It wasn't the most fun I'd ever had, or anything (due to the terror), but I didn't embarrass myself, either. So, Yay! Plus, I got some leads from a couple of the other networkers that could really help me out vis-a-vis more freelance work.

I'm planning, again and for real, to go to another event from a different networking group next Tuesday. I'll let you know how it turns out!

What was the last scary task you completed that you'd been meaning to do forever?