Last night's Blog entry caused QUITE the stir!!! And I would just like to say: it was all worth it. Not only did I regain my self-respect, but I gained the respect of several other people as well. And...I got paid!
The IFS contacted me this morning. Both the owner/promoter and his freelance associate were very cordial and respected my reasons for leaving. They also appreciated my giving them the articles and notes. They were polite, respectful, and--best of all!--they paid me for the one article that was published.
We're square and there are no hard feelings. So, if any of you were still thinking to boycott the event on my behalf--there's no need. Please, feel free to go and enjoy the show. The tie-breaking final "rubber match" between Baxter "One-Armed Bandit" Humby and William "The Bull" Sriyapai is bound to be a good one and I wouldn't want any true fight fans missing out because of me. :)
I also held up my end of things and promptly went to the Post Office and mailed them back their tickets:
They should be receiving their package tomorrow.And, they've already hired a new writer! Best of luck to LISA, the new IFS writer/publicist!
And THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO SENT THEIR LOVE AND SUPPORT MY WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really, really meant a lot to me. I was surprised and very happy that I not only got love and support from my friends and family (who kinda have to...jk), but from strangers as well! Everyone (except for that one guy--and he, literally, was the ONLY one) really rallied behind me. Thank you all, again, so very much. If I can ever do the same for you someday, please, just let me know.
Whew!
I'm glad that mess is over and done with!!
Let's get back to the usual Lauren nonsense. Check out how big this egg was:
Ramiro and I were making breakfast the other day and were surprised to find a HUGE egg in the carton. You can see how big it is compared to one of the normal-sized eggs. But here's a picture of it in Ramiro's hand for even more size comparison:
And--here's the best part!--when Ramiro cracked it open...
...it had two yolks! TWO!! Twin yolks. How awesome is that?!In other news, we replanted our loquat tree (it was potted, but it finally got big enough to be put into the ground) and we'll be harvesting our potatoes tomorrow. The cats dug up one of our potatoes today and it looked pretty good, so we thought we'd see what else was down there. Those of you who remember my potato-related blog entry from a while back will recall that we planted 43 potatoes... I'll be sure to keep a tally of how many those turned into when we dig them up tomorrow.
We also, finally, got the trap to capture Rebel from FixNation. FixNation has been so busy that it took several weeks for a trap to become available. Ramiro managed to take some pics of the cats on the deck:
Ziggy, Rebel, and Robert
Ziggy and Rebel (see? they aren't the same cat!)We also got one of FixNation's new brochures. And we were surprised to see this:
ROBERT!!lol. Poor Robert. They took a picture of him on the worst day of his life. He peed and pooped all over himself and looks just terrible. I guess they thought having a really pathetic-looking "feral" cat picture would help their cause. And I hope it does!
Okay, that's all for now. I've gotta hurry and post this. A lot of people are waiting for this entry...
Because everyone wanted to see an egg with twin yolks. ;)
--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com
Edit (3/4/11): It has been "suggested" to me that I take down my last Blog entry. I don't want to. It was a good lesson for me and I think it could help other freelancers as well. It taught me not to stray from my "Deposit up Front" policy! A policy that I clearly outlined in that entry for future clients. And, as I said in the entry, if future clients are "threatened" by that entry, then "they probably aren't worth working for anyway."
However, I've been told that I should make something more clear: The IFS did not pay me because of this Blog (or so I've just been told) but because a board member stuck up for me and pushed for me to get paid. Which I greatly appreciate. And I'm happy they were able to find another writer so quickly.
There were mis-communications and mis-understandings on both sides. And this could have happened with ANY company, not just the IFS. And I would have gone though the exact same course of action if it were any other company! Those of you who remember this old blog entry from last July will recall that I don't just send out letters of complaint, but letters of praise as well. I'm quick to point out the bad things, but I'm also quick to point out the good--which is why I wrote this entry. I didn't have to. I could have taken their money and not said anything! But I didn't. I went online immediately after they paid me to thank them and praise them.
And, if you scroll up, you'll see that I also encouraged people to go to the IFS' upcoming event! And I meant it. I was at the Press Conference. I've seen the fighters, I know what's coming, and I honestly think it's going to be awesome. If you're a fan, you should definitely go!
Muay Thai in the United States is a rare thing. And there are some great people involved in it. It should be supported.
And, as I've said, the IFS and I are square now and I have absolutely no hard feelings and bear them no ill will. AS I'VE ALREADY SAID. Honestly, why do people even come to my Blog if they don't want to actually read what I have to say...
I am not without fault. If I hadn't been panic-stricken and desperate for money to pay off my never-ending stack of bills, I wouldn't have taken the job in the first place. I should have known better than to stray from my payment policy. And I think that should be a lesson to other freelancers. As I said, issues like this could happen with ANY company--ANY client--and we, as freelancers, need to remember to protect ourselves. NEVER STRAY FROM THE DEPOSIT-UP-FRONT PAYMENT POLICY!! And read all contracts very, very carefully.
Again, and I feel I have to say this because apparently people only skim my entries rather than actually read them (maybe if I say this enough times, people will actually see it?), the IFS and I are square now and I wish them the very best. I have nothing against them and I love the Muay Thai community as a whole. I think it's a great, exciting, sport and that it is filled with wonderful people!
If my stance on the matter STILL isn't clear after all that I've said then maybe I really am a terrible writer. Personally, I think that I've made myself VERY clear.
Now, please, can we all just move on?
Thank you.
Edit: If anyone is interested, The Science of 8 Limbs heard about me/my Blog (word travels fast in the Combat Sports circle) and stated their own opinion on the matter here: http://thescienceof8limbs.com/2011/03/04/ifs-and-the-tale-of-the-delay-paid-writer/
