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I'm Chicken Little without the need for "attention"
I live my life like "Chicken Little." But instead of spreading the word about impending doom, I spend a lot of my time quietly putting up tent poles in order to keep everything from caving in. It seems somewhat of a responsibility and I don't like to ever rock the boat, except for sometimes when I'm overrun by a misguided idea that my confidence can carry me. And then I am always surprised that I picked the wrong time to use that.
Now, back to the Christmas shoot for the decorator:
Now, back to the Christmas shoot for the decorator:
Second day of shooting came to an end and the decorator arrived just as we were finishing up and chasing the quickly setting sun. The staff had been told to "take care of us," but decided to only do that 45 minutes before the "brass" arrived. Nevertheless, we were treated to a simple pasta dish that was absolutely delicious. My assistant had brought a book to be signed, beautiful flowers, and a spectacular bottle of champagne for the decorator. She had a very nice visit, we presented the gifts, and then
I was asked to maybe work on the social media for the company. Before
departing, I accepted the offer and made plans to visit the home office sometime in the New Year.
Flash forward several weeks. Snow was forecast on the first occasion of our meeting, which resulted in a delay. As I previously shared, we had put several days into a preparation and proposal. Business of any other kind was absolutely non-existent, so procuring a long-time social media project was imperative. We said our prayers, sat on the edge of our seats, then planned our trip, only to be dashed by a huge Nor'easter. Change the dates, I said. Reschedule for sure. And then other obligations (on their part) got in the way. It was now two weeks out and I was anxious to close a deal.
I was still preparing the invoice for the Christmas shoot. Details were short on fee amounts: we hadn't done an estimate nor been given a budget. I created an invoice, as I had for any other assignment, with a "styling"
fee -- though I did think about it and wonder if that might be called into question. At any rate, I e-mailed the invoice, got a confirmation that it was received, and then went back to waiting for our meeting to come. Did I say that our original hotel room was not refunded? Apparently a Nor'easter does not constitute a hotel cancellation unless you are on a flight and have documentation to prove that your flight has been cancelled. Okay... down and out and now officially "out" another $250. And our car - the one for long distance travel - stalls out at stop signs, so a trip to the garage with last minute repair... "cha-ching".
Back to the trip: We arrived at the new hotel that we booked. Jenny and I were both a bundle of nerves, much like the couple in the "Out of Towners" movie.
I was asked to maybe work on the social media for the company. Before
departing, I accepted the offer and made plans to visit the home office sometime in the New Year.
Flash forward several weeks. Snow was forecast on the first occasion of our meeting, which resulted in a delay. As I previously shared, we had put several days into a preparation and proposal. Business of any other kind was absolutely non-existent, so procuring a long-time social media project was imperative. We said our prayers, sat on the edge of our seats, then planned our trip, only to be dashed by a huge Nor'easter. Change the dates, I said. Reschedule for sure. And then other obligations (on their part) got in the way. It was now two weeks out and I was anxious to close a deal.
I was still preparing the invoice for the Christmas shoot. Details were short on fee amounts: we hadn't done an estimate nor been given a budget. I created an invoice, as I had for any other assignment, with a "styling"
fee -- though I did think about it and wonder if that might be called into question. At any rate, I e-mailed the invoice, got a confirmation that it was received, and then went back to waiting for our meeting to come. Did I say that our original hotel room was not refunded? Apparently a Nor'easter does not constitute a hotel cancellation unless you are on a flight and have documentation to prove that your flight has been cancelled. Okay... down and out and now officially "out" another $250. And our car - the one for long distance travel - stalls out at stop signs, so a trip to the garage with last minute repair... "cha-ching".
Back to the trip: We arrived at the new hotel that we booked. Jenny and I were both a bundle of nerves, much like the couple in the "Out of Towners" movie.
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On our to-do-list: say some prayers, post on Facebook with more prayer requests, and even meet with a contact from our former publisher for breakfast (though everyone arrived late.) We rushed to find a cab, got stuck in traffic, and arrived at this fabulous decorator's office in the nick of time for the meeting. I pulled out our presentation, ready to make a case, ready to go...knock-kneed and all... and what is the first order of business? The invoice, the total, and most of all THE STYLING FEE. My heart sinks. Jenny remains pleasant and unfazed, I am feeling that "tunnel vision' desperation and scanning the finally appointed meeting room for anything I can use to prop up the ceiling.
And what came next was surprisingly phrased...
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Three things that you might not know about me:
* I see everything in images in my head. So being a stylist and a photographer are not a stretch for me as most of the work is done prior to actually composing or constructing a photo.
*The first thing I ever baked was a jelly roll recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from the 1960's, which I filled with chocolate frosting instead of jelly. Imagine my amazement when I realized the cookie sheet we owned was really a jelly roll pan.
Three things that you might not know about me:
* I see everything in images in my head. So being a stylist and a photographer are not a stretch for me as most of the work is done prior to actually composing or constructing a photo.
*The first thing I ever baked was a jelly roll recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from the 1960's, which I filled with chocolate frosting instead of jelly. Imagine my amazement when I realized the cookie sheet we owned was really a jelly roll pan.
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My jelly rolls have come a long way in the end...but I always had this pictured in my head.
*I don't read a lot, but have been fascinated by the life and reclusiveness of Hugette Clark, multi-million dollar heiress whose life has been recounted in two popular books that I have read cover to cover.
*I don't read a lot, but have been fascinated by the life and reclusiveness of Hugette Clark, multi-million dollar heiress whose life has been recounted in two popular books that I have read cover to cover.