My time management sucks lately

Peterson and Powerpoint
Originally uploaded by bridgeportseasoning.

Has it really been a month since I checked in here? That's what it says on blogger, and they can't be wrong.

Anyway, I am alive and still getting used to this whole "freelance" thing which, when slow, smacks heavy of "unemployed and not looking." Thankfull, as long as I keep a byline coming, the landlord knows that I'm not intentionally squatting.

The dance card filled up rather quickly last week. I had a deadline for a Day of the Dead cover story I'm working on for the Sun-Times food section that came together at the last minute. I managed to pitch two more stories to the Sun-Times for November, as well. The Centerstage venue write-ups keep coming and adding up, and with Margaret Lyons settling in as the new full-time editor at Chicagoist I'm finding some renewed energy to the food and drink beat. Back when I accepted the beat editor post in February I wrote a long-range editorial plan for how I'd like to see the beat being covered on the site. I'm finally able to actualize that, with the two new features we launched this week in addition to "Beer of the Week" and "The Friday Buffet." Now if I can just pick up the restaurant and bar reviews.

I even scored some publishing house contract work this week. It's nice to have editors who trust your work enough to have you on their short list for these types of things. And the pay is decent, to boot.

All said, the one thing I've had the most problems adapting to working from home is the sense of being cooped up all day. I don't have a notebook computer, so I don't have the luxury of packing it up and heading someplace where there's free wi-fi, just for a change of scenery. Working from home works out fine for the dog; Emmy's begging more than usual to go out and have a round of fetch these days. So when I landed a job interview this past week, I was surprised. Especially since I didn't follow the instructions in applying for the position (write a few paragraphs about myself, etc.), I think I just sent a link to my content at Chicagoist and hoped for the best. I tend to stutter and break out in flop sweats at interviews. I also woe a vest and tie-dyed necktie to the interview while my interviewers were dressed business casual. But the interview went well; it turned out that the Gothamist LLC cachet reaches farther than I imagined. There's no final decision yet, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested.

This week reminded me of a discussion Courtney and I had around the time HotHouse was closing, just as I was starting to get some freelance work. I was worried that I would have had to start looking for another bartending gig immediately. She assured me that it appeared I was on the right path and all I had to do was persevere. Nothing's ever certain.