My First Proposal

That would be freelance writing proposal, just to set all you clever, if somewhat dirty-minded people straight right off the bat.

 *** DISTRACTION ALERT! ***

From whence came that particular idiom? I figured that it was from baseball but had to find out. Wikipedia comes through for me again with its entry for, "Glossary of English-language idioms derived from baseball." Fifteen, count them, 15 mouse wheel scrolls of American literal and metaphorical baseball references. Including, for you aforementioned lovers of sexual innuendo, "In interpersonal relations, an individual who can't get to first base with another person is unable to achieve some initial goal or to establish a relationship. A kiss might be first base in a romantic relationship." Mercifully, neither Wikipedia declines to define either second or third base in similar fashion. 

Somehow, in some previous yarn ball unwinding distraction, I came upon a website called Elance that connects clients to freelance writers. I put together a profile and filled in the other recommended information, including signing up for a daily email containing Latest Job Recommendations For You. Every time I see that subject line, I hear the end of an, "As Only Seen on TV," ad - "But wait! There's more! Order now and you get two of these probably worthless devices...."

Clearly, focusing is an issue for me this morning. So. Back to Elance. I rapidly developed for myself more filters; lenses, if you will, through which to distinguish what scares me and what does not. For instance, working for someone on a distant shore, whose cultural values I know nothing about, appeals to me not at all. Nope. No Nigerian princes for me.

I found a job yesterday that appealed to me. Blog writing. I kept the tab open for 24 hours, as I often do for potential jobs, to let my reptile brain process the possibility. This morning, I went for it.

The site has you make a proposal. Slightly intimidating to a life-long bureaucrat, even one who has many friends in consulting. So it took me a couple of hours to construct what I'm guessing a viable proposal looks like. So satisfying to hit, "Submit."

Now it is time to stop thinking about fixing the bathroom wall and do something. It is going to be too hot to play outside, anyway, much as Merlin enjoyed watching his Shorter Mama and me Sawzall pruned branches into green recycling bin friendly lengths.