one day at a time

here's where i'm at. still no real money coming in. i did get a few modeling gigs, which is pretty good in the summer. i really enjoy modeling and it's very natural for me. lately i've worked with high school grads on their way to art school. they are sooooo adorable. i really get to have the best experience with teens. they're all wide-eyed because they've never worked with a model before. i could tell they are in love with photography. once they got over their shyness, they got some really great shots.

problem with modeling is it pays $15-20/hr. in nyc, unfortunately it's not enough to live on. and it's almost impossible to get a full schedule. when i feel like i'm modeling a lot, it's only 20 hours or so.

i had a speaking gig for a women's entrepreneur group in queens a few weeks ago for my organizing biz, isimplifi.com i have another one tomorrow for the women's mentoring group i've been working with for a decade. hopefully this will lead to some organizing clients.

otherwise, just trying not to freak out every time i spend money, which seems to be all the time. sigh

homeless birthday

coming back from the gym this morning, I saw a homeless guy I often see in his usual spot. his sign said today was his birthday. all i could think was what a shitty way to spend your birthday, hanging out with a sign and a can collecting change.

i put $5 cause i'm a sucker and a soft touch, i admit it. he said thank you sweet & gentle. as i was walking away, i burst into tears. which is not usual for me at all. it was all just so rediculous. then some guy walking by asked if i was ok. i nodded yes, but it just made me cry harder.

lots more people are going to be homeless. something has to give.

wouldn't believe it if i didn't see it myself

Was just checking on some old credit cards to see rates and was blown away by this:

As communicated in our recent letter to customers, we deeply regret that all Advanta Business Credit Card accounts were closed effective May 30, 2009.

explanation: Substantially all Advanta accounts are funded by an independent trust which owns the account balances and provides funding for new transactions. The trust has stopped funding activity. The trust also restricts our flexibility to fund account activity. As a result, all Advanta Business Card accounts were closed effective May 30.

translation: we f*%#ed up, you pay.

glad i wasn't actually using this card.

i still have to pay my bills on time, but my clients don't

i noticed this when i was in the corp world and i do NOT like being on the other end one bit. when corps get afraid to spend money, they just don't pay invoices. i'm waiting for time inc to stop sending back invoices for stupid reasons and actually pay me for ONE DAY i worked March 2. i came in for an interview and ended up going over contracts for the day. they cancelled the project entirely, probably, i believe, because my keen eye showed them they simply didn't have enough control for a successful project.

that's me. smart enough to not get work!

health insurance cos do the same thing. first they ask for one form, then no, that's not the form, it's this other form. meanwhile, days, weeks, months go by.

i know if i didn't pay the electric bill, it would be shut off. and if i don't pay my health insurance, i'm not covered. what recourse do we have?

economy note

a few weeks ago, i helped a friend bring some books to the Strand. apparently, you can drop off books and get cash. well, used to be that way. they're way behind going through everything that has come in, so now it's drop off and they'll send a check in 3-4 weeks.

fingers crossed

i applied for a different credit card, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed so that i can transfer balances from my higher rate credit cards. The highest is like 10.25%, but i'd much rather be paying principle than interest. gee, think the banks will let me do this?

nahhhh. they're too busy paying back their bailouts with my taxpayer money so they can give themselves bonuses. hey, can i get a bonus? how 'bout a simple break? i still can't quite believe that 20 years of excellent credit, paying bills on time means nothing.

got a rental for next weekend, 5 days for the same i used to get for 3. that's the economy. better than nothing, but certainly doesn't make a dent in the bills.

there's always high-priced call girl. wait, i'm 45 with a belly and cellulite thighs. maybe there's a market for that.

banks won't bail me out--big surprise

i applied for a credit card today to transfer balances and get a lower rate. i was turned down because i don't have enough income vs my debt. i may have mentioned before, i have excellent credit, i pay my bills on time and have for 20+ years. i've been putting a lot on credit cards for a while now because i saw how long it was taking me to get work and i didn't want to find myself without cash. i had been debt free for years, except my mortgage. honestly, i can't remember ever being turned down for a credit card. i don't like it one bit.

i'm trying to figure out a way to pay less interest and the banks aren't letting me. ok, so when the stupid banks try to pay back MY TAXPAYER bailout, i think we should charge them exorbitant late fees, jack up their rates and deny them any more credit. bastards!!

i'm a bit of a control freak and this makes me feel like i just stole food from an orphanage. geez. i just can't find work as readily as i once did. never realized it was a crime.