The Visitors Who Wouldn't Leave

When life gives you lemons, blog about it.

Have you ever heard the expression, "A Good Deed Never Goes Unpunished." That saying did not carry any meaning for me until recently. For the past fourteen months, my boyfriend and I have been housing a family of three. We met the Clark family when they were living in an apartment a few miles away from our condo. At that time, the husband/father did not have a job, and the wife/mother was preparing for the third and last round of surgery to correct the nerves in her feet. As a result, they were on the brink of losing their place due to lack of funds for paying the rent. We took pity on them and said that they could stay with us for a few days which turned into weeks-months-one year. We should have gotten a clue when they started bringing bags and boxes of belongings into our home.

After five months of hemming and hawing and empty promises of finding work, the husband landed a job at a local service station. That job lasted for a few months until he was fired for not showing up to work on time. He then filed for unemployment, which turned out to not be a substantial amount of money. On July 1st, I put my foot down and said that they would have to be out by August 1st if they could not come up with enough money to pay for one month's rent. You might think I was being too stringent; however, they were notorious for not paying us rent. Every so often, I would receive bits and pieces of money from them totaling about $200-$300 a month. Some months, I just received empty promises of intentions to pay.

This is a family that thrives on pity from poor saps like us. After lodging with us for several months, they managed to garner sympathy from a neighbor of mine, a few doors down from my condo. It was their cute little Chihuahua that drew her into their web. She was in the midst of losing her third dog, so she took a strong liking to their little pooch. That turned into giving the family food and gifts, money, and transportation.

As of this date, neither the husband nor the wife have procured employment. They still pour out empty promises of upcoming interviews and potential jobs opening up for them. Back in the summer when I told them that they would have to leave my home for lack of rent, they exclaimed with much angst that they could not go to the homeless shelter because of the bed bug epidemic. Another warning sign that my beau and I should have heeded was that the husband's mom lives a few miles away, and she would not let them move in with her. Apparently, she and her son (the husband/father in our home) fight like cats and dogs.

It is unfortunate, that our kindness has come back to bite us in the -you-know-what. In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall," he wrote  "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. " The moral of the story is to show kindness with parameters set in place so that the recipients of your kindness cannot take advantage of you.

There are people out there who legitimately go through hard times and need a "hand-up." I am will and able to help people in these types of situations. However, people cross the line when they demand "hand-outs.

Do you remember the movie "Betelgeuse." The ghost couple were trying to drive the live residents out of their home.  Their plan to scare them backfired because the people did not take their attempts seriously. Out of frustration, they resorted to calling out the name Betelgeuse three times in order to get some help with driving out their pesky inhibitors. 

Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse where are you? I need your help. Hey I can choose to laugh or cry about the situation. I'd rather take the humorous approach. 

Is Water More Precious Than Gold?

Is Water More Precious Than Gold?

California residents might think so. The drought has dried up many of California's lakes and creeks, and restrictions have been put in place to reduce water usage. 

In Los Gatos, a nudist colony, residing at Lupin Lodge, was raided by rangers because of their method of obtaining water. They connected a three-quarter inch hose to tap water from a nearby reservoir. The Lodge's water source comes from a waterfall located in the reservoir. The owner of the Lupin Lodge property claims that they need water to fill up their two wells and swimming pool in order to protect them against fires. Their plan is to keep the swimming pool full of water for as long as possible. 

Local sheriffs were called out to the property in order to keep the peace between the nudists and the rangers. What a sight that must have been! They coiled up the hose, and left it on the Lodge's property. At this time, the Lodge residents have not received any citations.

I have a suggestion to resolve the pool issue. Turn the swimming pool into a clay-mud spa which is full of minerals and nutrients that keep the skin healthy and glowing. 

My latest creation

I did this in Paint which I don't use on a regular basis. I think it looks awesome!

This is the latest article that I have written.

“Give Me 3!!!”

This is truly the case of where the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” On September 16, a new law will come into effect which requires automobile drivers to give bicyclists a three foot clearance on the road. “Give Me 3” was the term adopted by the California Bicyclists Coalition. The official title is Assembly Bill 1371 which was originated in the City of Los Angeles because of the numerous difficulties bicyclists were having traversing the roads as well as the countless number of bicycle-related accidents and fatalities that have occurred. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The estimated number of bicyclist injuries, in 2012, was 49,000, nationwide. An estimated one-third of cyclist-related injuries are due to being hit by a car.

Assemblyman Steven Bradford, from Gardena, authored this bill which is now labeled the “Three Feet For Safety Act.” The City of Los Angeles started the “Give Me 3” campaign in 2010. When the bill was initially submitted, Governor Brown vetoed it due to concerns generated from Cal Trans and the California Highway Patrol. After submitting the bill in 2011 and in 2012. a huge breakthrough was made in 2014. Governor Brown finally agreed to sign the bill.

Currently, the law states that drivers should maintain a safe distance when passing bicyclists on the road. The language in the new law says that drivers, who are passing cyclists from behind, need to keep their vehicles at a three feet distance. If traffic and road conditions prevent the driver from giving the bicyclist a 3 feet clearance, drivers are required to slow down to a speed that is “reasonable and prudent,” and only pass when the cyclist is out of harm's way. Drivers who violate this law will be fined up to $154, and, if the cyclist is injured, the motorist will be fined $220.

Defining the distance between drivers and bicyclists is encouraging, and hopefully the fines imposed will deter drivers from doing the tango with bicyclists. In this writer's humble opinion, the fines should have been significantly more than what the new law dictates. Also,there should have been a defined speed limit for drivers who pass bicyclists on roads that do not allow for a three feet clearance.

This article was submitted by me on behalf of Dynamic Electric Vehicles in San Luis Obispo, California.

Here is a link to their site: Dynamic Electric Vehicles

Halloween Project is Ready to Take OFF!!!

This is one of the latest and greatest projects that

 I have conjured up in my cute little head. 

Below is the short poem that I wrote in order to attract prospective customers. 

I am looking forward to exercising my imagination and creativity to the fullest extent possible.

I know that last part sounded a bit dramatic, but that's OK. 

Twas the night before Halloween
Creatures were stirring, especially the counts
They sharpened their fangs and ironed their capes
Anticipating the gala that would soon elapse
Ghosts, goblins, witches, and ghouls  form the ends of the world will gather around
The wolf-men will howl an eerie tune
While the witches stir up their frog's breath stew



This is the sales pitch:
Hello fellow Halloween lovers. That time of year is quickly approaching. 

If you are looking for a spooky or kid-friendly Halloween poem or short story,  Halloween themed brain teaser puzzles, fun games, trivia questions, ice breakers, spooky party invitations and riddles, then you have come to the right person. 




My rates are the following: 

• Creative poems are $5
• Short stories are $10
• Games, puzzles, party invitations etc...range from $5 to $10 depending on the quantity ordered

Making Connections to Grow an Online Business

Making Connections (Networking) is imperative when starting an online business.

 

So far I am doing assignments on Fiverr. It's ok, but I would rather make more money for the time that I have invested for each assignment.

I'm on level two training with Wealthy Affiliate. My website via Wordpress is up. It still needs some content to be added and photos too. I am learning about keywords. WA recommended using Jaaxy to look for keywords that do not have much competition (other businesses using the same key words), and you want to find keywords that have a bit of traffic. You can get 30 searches free before you have to pay for their services.

oDesk was recommended to me by a fellow WA member. I'm in the beginning stages of getting my profile completed. 

My mom told me about Job Quote. I am also in the beginning stages with building my profile. 

 One of the big advantages for subscribing with Wealthy Affiliates, oDesk, and Job Quote is that you can set your rates. oDesk does take 10% of what you earn for each assignment. In order to receive more support and perks, Wealthy Affiliate members need to become Premium members which costs $47/mo. The big allure for Wealthy Affiliate is the awesome video tutorials. They offer the best tutorials I have seen thus far. Also, they have a strong community which provides members the opportunity to  make connections and receive support, if needed.

I don't know enough about Job Quote yet, so I will share more info as I become more involved with them.

Oh, I forgot to mention Linkedin. I have been becoming more involved with the groups that are relevant to my occupational interests. I find that there is more activity there than posting on my home page. 

Top Ten Jobs In Danger Of Becoming Obsolete

My dad came home this afternoon and said that he heard on the Jillian Barberie and John Philips show that journalism was one of the top 10 jobs to become obsolete in the near future. Immediately, I went to the computer and listened to the podcast of today's talk show.

The gentleman they were interviewing said that people who are employed by the newspaper industry are in danger of losing their jobs because a lot of people are reading magazines and newspapers online. I don't feel threatened by this since most of my work is done online. I'd like to see a robot write as well as I do And with my personality and life experience HAHA!

What a busy day I had yesterday

Boy, I was really hustling and bustling yesterday. I had three assignments to complete on Fiverr. One was web content for a roofing company. Another one was entering 25 points of interest on guidelet.com, and last one was editing a manuscript. With the manuscript, I learned a great lesson. Always do a word count before you get started. I assumed the people who ordered the assignment knew my rates. They were expecting me to edit over 4,000 words for $5. So I was concerned about how to approach the buyer about the subject. I didn't want them to get upset with me and give me a bad review. So I delivered a portion, 1,300, words that I edited for them, and left them a message about my rates. I wrote please do a word count of your manuscript, and pay accordingly. Thank goodness they seemed to be ok with this. They added four additional assignments to complete the editing process. Whew! That went well.

Now I have eight assignments to complete, so back to work I go. Also, I am writing a tour guide of Santa Barbara. I love going to that train station because it's near the beach.

How do I create a story?

I am in the process of writing two books. One is for children and the other is science fiction. When I am conjuring up a story, I think of it as watching a movie. I see my characters become 3 dimensional..  Their physical features and personality come alive in my mind. I see them interacting with people and their environment. For example, in my science fiction novel, I developed a male librarian within a few minutes. I saw him as a well-dressed man in his forties. He is calm and composed and detail oriented. Also, I envisioned him walking around in the library and interacting with customers. Maybe some of the ideas about his character stem from watching Giles, the librarian, on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. My librarian is not an exact replica of Giles. For instance, my guy is Hispanic; however, he does reflect the conservative and professional image of Giles.

The development of my story line came from an article that a gentleman posted on Craigslist. He was looking for someone to help him develop a fiction book in which the main character would be a middle aged male who becomes an amateur detective. He decided that he wanted to go in a different direction with his story, so I decided to keep working on my story. As I continue to write this story, my mind constantly conjures the content for me to write down. One of the areas that I need to improve upon is pulling out the three dimensional story from my mind onto paper. Sometimes I struggle with describing the scenes in my head. 

That is where reading other books come into the picture. The author's setting descriptions help trigger my creativity in using the best adjectives to incorporate into my story.

Exploring Wealthy Affiliates

A member from one of the groups I belong to on linked-in recommended that I check out Wealthy Affiliates. I have only been a member for a couple of days, so I am still learning about all the services that are available. It is free to become a "starter member." For the first seven days, you have all the privileges that a "Premium" member has. The one thing that I really like about this company so far is the step by step training videos that they provide. First, you start off with creating a profile, and then you learn how to create your own website by using Word Press. That is where I am right now. There is also an option for blogging, and they encourage you to interact with other members in the Wealthy Affiliate Community. I asked Kyle, on the owners, a question, and he responded to it almost immediately. I will keep my blogger fans posted as I continue to go through this process. Oh! The most important component is that the goal is to make money from your website. They call it finding your niche. I am planning to advertise my freelance writing and editing business on this site.

It's not easy working with family

My mom and I have been working on revising her business website. We have been going back and forth as to the content that should be on each page, especially the services page that includes the fees for different types of dog training. I told her in a loving manner that she is the most difficult client that I have ever had. After pondering upon this for some time, I think that it is harder to work with someone who has a dual relationship with you. When I am doing my freelance writing for other people, I can keep it strictly professional; however, it is hard to do that with the person you are living with. After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, we have finally come up with web content that we find appropriate. Whew! What a relief.

The squeaky keyboard gets the grease!

Last week, I sent in my complaint about Fiverr to the Better Business Bureau. Today, I received an e-mail from Susan from the Fiverr support team.

Susan (Fiverr Customer Support)

Jul 08 00:07

Hi there,

We would like to apologize for the delay in our response. Your account has been restored. There was a mistake in reviewing your account with our Trust and Safety team. We will review that matter internally to help improve our process. As a token of your patience in this matter, we are adding $20 to your account on us to purchase Gigs of your choice.

All the best,

Susan

My account has been reactivated.  I am still waiting to hear about the $20 I earned last month.

Here is the response in regards to the money I earned in June 2014.

Susan (Fiverr Customer Support)

Jul 08 04:20

Hi there,

You're very welcome!

I checked and $4 have already cleared and $16 are still in awaiting clearance.

Fiverr has a 14 day clearing period since the day of completion to ensure buyer satisfaction. If your funds haven't cleared by then please let me know and I'll be happy to look into it for you.

All the best,

Susan

Dream Job

For the past seven months I have been exploring working from home options. At first, I was willing to take any form of employment as long as it did not involve working in an office with a supervisor breathing down my neck. Today, my mom and I were discussing what would be my career path of choice. So I sat down with a pen and note pad and wrote the following:
1. I want to build up a freelance writing and editing business that produces a steady income for me.
2. I want assignments that are interesting and challenging.
3. I want to create a schedule in which I can work at a reasonable, non-stressful pace.
4. I want the flexibility to be able to take my lap top and work from anywhere that I choose, so I can spend more time with family and friends.
5. I want clients who are happy with my work.
6. I want clients who will gladly pay for the time that I have invested in their project.
7. I want to receive joy and satisfaction from the assignments that I accomplish.
8. I want to enjoy the learning process and the knowledge that I gain from each assignment.

Fiverr: Adding Insult to Injury

Here is a good example of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. Before I was blacklisted by Fiverr, I had an assignment to complete by July 2, 2014. Fiverr sent me a warning e-mail in regards to not completing the assignment by the deadline. Since there was no way I could access my account, how was I supposed to complete the assignment. Then they sent me another e-mail saying that the customer cancelled the order. Wow! They sure no how to make a girl feel good.

Here are the e-mails:

Fiverr: Warning! You are late in delivering order FO42EB7623F5.

Fiverr <noreply@e.fiverr.com>	Jul 2 (2 days ago)
to me

Dear michellemason,
You missed your estimated delivery deadline for order FO42EB7623F5, 'provide writing and editing services'.
Note: If you fail to submit your completed work within the next 24 hours, certified83 will be entitled to cancel this order.
Thanks,

The Fiverr Team

Fiverr: Order FO42EB7623F5 was cancelled - late delivery.

Fiverr <noreply@e.fiverr.com>	Jul 3 (1 day ago)
to me

Dear michellemason,
certified83 cancelled your order 'I will provide writing and editing services for $5'.
Review the reason for this cancellation here: click here.
Thanks,

The Fiverr Team

NEA funding idea

Ever since the whole "Fiver incident," I have been thinking about an idea to pose to the NEA for funding. It would be nice to have a similar site that is non-profit, so they won't take a dollar for every five dollars you make. This would be a spring board for budding artists, writers, poets, graphic designers etc... to get their work recognized; so they can make a living off of their talent.

The Keys Are Mightier Than the Sword

Thank God for blogs. They provide a great place for people to vent and express frustration with life, work, whatever. Life is had, and it's comforting to know that there are other people who are going through the same struggles that as we are. The key is not to get discouraged and to keep on tapping on those keys and let your words be seen.

I sent a complaint against Fiverr to the BBB and RipOff Reports.
We cannot let companies like Fiverr bully us hard-working, everyday folks who want to make a little extra money from working at home around!!!

Fiverr Scam

Since the beginning of May 2014, I have been exploring writing and editing opportunities through online resources such as craigslist and fiverr. When I joined Fiverr, I almost immediately started receiving writing assignments. A web development company asked me to write two articles for them. The first assignment was to write an article on Ruby on Rails technology. This was quite a challenge for me because I am, not what you call, a seasoned techie. So I started searching researching resources online that would hopefully explain to me what Ruby on Rails was in layperson's terms. The second article was on Mobile Apps, especially iPhone apps. Well, I thought to myself, "Now here is a subject I can write about." I have about fifty apps on my iPhone and iPad. A while back, I went app crazy. For example, I shop at Vons. "Cool! There is an app for that. I'm going to put it on my iPhone. Every store,restaurant, and companies that I do business with is represented by an "app" on my iPhone. That's all great and well, but now it takes so long to swipe to the app that I am looking for. Great! "Good thinking Michelle."

Every day I was eager to go on to Fiverr to find out if I had new assignments. It was like, "Michelle. Here is your mission for today. If you are up to the task, then go to this link. "
Unfortunately, I have been labeled a "bad girl" on Fiverr because they said that I violated their terms and conditions by trying to get two evaluations from the same person. Wow! that is not what I was trying to do. With these types of business, you better not make any mistakes because they don't want to know or even care what happened. You are just "Blacklisted." So I sent them an e-mail explaining that I had e-mailed a customer and asked them to rate my services. They said that they never got a message from Fiverr, so I wrote an inquiry to their tech support company. Big Mistake!! A little while later, she informs me that she did find the message in her "To Do" category, and she rated my services, and I rated my experience working with her. I thought, "Problem Solved." So I figured that when  their tech team e-mailed me back, I would tell them that the problem had been solved. Another Big Mistake!!! Big Fiverr does not like that!!! They assume you are "Guilty" and that's it. See what happens when you can't actually talk to a person on the phone and explain the situation and resolve the problem.

Sometimes, I think that technology has consumed the "humanness" out of people. In my opinion, they receive "no stars" in customer service. Oh yes, and I have my earnings. What happened to my money? So I guess they figure, "Well since you have been blacklisted, you don't get paid for the hard work that you performed for those customers. WHAT A SCAM!!! Shame on you Fiverr for taking advantage of people like me who are trying to get to know how your system works. I wonder if they purposely black list sellers, so they can keep their money for their pocket books.

I do need to make a correction to this Blog. At the bottom of Jay's e-mail, they mention that if they do not receive further consumer complaints about me, I may receive my earnings in 45 to 90 days. First of all, I had a five star rating. No one was complaining about me with the exception of Fiverr who readily assumed I was masterminding some violation of their terms and conditions. Also note, there was only ONE set of ratings sent in by me and that particular customer NOT TWO.

Here is the e-mail from Jay:

Jay (Fiverr Customer Support) Jul 01 13:07 Our system has brought to our attention some irregular activity originating from your electronic location. After further review, we've permanently disabled your account for violations of our Terms of Service, we don't allow users to compromise the integrity of our feedback system by boosting their own ratings from multiple accounts. If there are no other complaints from your buyers that come in after the safety period of 45-90 days from today, whatever revenue that is legitimately yours (if any) will be available to you to withdraw after a verification process.

Closeness

I was sharing a story with my family today about porcupines. It was the dead of winter, and a cluster of porcupines were shivering. they were trying to figure out a way to stay warm. one porcupine said, "Let's huddle together and use our body heat to keep us warm." The others thought that was a great idea; however, they noticed that as they drew their bodies closer together, they experienced great agony. Their quills pierced into each other's flesh. The porcupines shrieked and proceeded to move away from each other. Then they started to become cold again. In an attempt of desperation, they maneuvered their bodies in order to avoid being pierced by their neighbor's quills. At last, they found an adequate distance in which they could enjoy the heat from each other's bodies without experiencing the painful pokes from the quills. 

When we open our hearts and minds in order to become closer, we are taking a great risk. Their is a good chance that we will get hurt in the process as well as hurting those closest to us. Our greatest strength comes from learning to work together and to love each other in good times as well as hard times.

Sweet Remembrance

As I've been going through the boxes in my closet, I found a tape that I had recorded of my grandmother recalling her early childhood years. It has been quite a few years since I've heard her kind, soft voice. 

In 1991, I found a job in Anaheim which was about a half an hour away from where I lived. My grandma would drive me to work because I was not able to drive due to my visual impairment. When my grandma would tell me stories about her past, she would conclude by saying, "I should write a book someday." So, one day, I asked her if she would mind if I recorded her telling stories about her childhood. We were both eager to get this started. In the mornings, on the way to work, I would turn on the tape recorder and she would start relaying her stories. I am thinking seriously about starting another blog entitled "The Adventures of Pauline." This was her middle name. If she were alive, she would probably kill me for using this title. Actually, she would probably flash me one of her famous grimaces and express her dislike for the title. As of yet, I have not heard any protests from her :) , so that is going to be the title. 

As I sit here now listening to this tape, I am feeling a warm smile in my heart, and I'm missing her greatly. 

                                             The new blog is being created in loving memory of 

                                                            Vickey Pauline Wilson

                                                                  1934 - 2000

Guardian of my mind

In grade school and in church, I would hear such phrases as "Garbage In" "Garbage Out" or "As a man thinketh so is he."

I have been making a concerted effort to be careful as to what I expose myself to. There have been occasions where someone has told me a bunch of negative information about an individual, and I leave the conversation feeling soiled with negative energy.

Uplifting music, positive social interactions, exercise, and reminiscing on happy occasions usually help uplift my spirits. There were be more blogs to follow on this subject.

Family Unity

As I mature into my adulthood years, I have come to realize that interpersonal relationships are vitally important for happiness in this life. Reconnecting with my family has become a priority for 2014.

After my grandparents passed away, I discontinued interacting with my uncle and his family. In order to protect myself from being hurt any further.

                                                         Twelve years passed.

I believe that God and my grandmother are responsible for the changes that have taken place in my heart and thoughts. A strong inclination came upon me to reconnect with my family. Initially, I was nervous and apprehensive because I did not know how they would respond to my reaching out to them. Much to my pleasant surprise, they accepted me with open arms.

Last month, I spent three weeks with them. I enjoyed reminiscing with them about the past. We shared funny stories about grandma and grandpa and accounts of when my cousins and I were growing up. Even though this was an awesome experience, I felt a twinge of guilt for letting anger and resentment consume me for so long.

Today, I continue to make an effort to not let anger and resentment well up in me. There are times when an anger provoking memory rears up its ugly head. I can feel a wave of hostile emotion well up in me. When this occurs, I pray and focus on more pleasant memories.

Since I've returned home, my mom and my uncle and aunt and I have been having a daily devotional Bible study in the mornings.

At present time, there are forces that are trying to break up our family unity. One of my cousins is really struggling right now. Her husband has been playing games with her mind to the point in which she tried to kill herself. Unfortunately, she has bought into his lies, and she has become consumed with hatred for our family. My prayer and hope for her is that she will realize that she has a family who loves her dearly and that anger and resentment are stealers of precious time that she could be spending with her family making happy memories.

I don't know why I have been chosen to help bring our family together. I am not sure what I can do to restore the unity other than continue to seek help and guidance from the Lord.