Busy Busy!!

Hey, Everyone!

Short post today. Too busy!

In the meantime, check out this e-book:

FACEBOOK FAN PAGES FOR BUSINESS AND PROFIT

It's from WP Pro Business (that company I write articles for sometimes) and it's actually surprisingly good! Well, not "surprisingly"--they're a good company, so we should expect good things from them--but you know how e-books can sometimes be uninformative and/or a bit sleazy? Not so for this book.

If you're interested in making a business/fan page on Facebook and have no idea where to begin, then I highly recommend this book! :)

More next Monday! (And be sure to check out my Pro Blog on Wednesday!)

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

Fear of Success

Hey, Everyone!

Well, this past Saturday (5/7) was Free Comic Book Day! Unfortunately, we didn't get the huge haul that we did last year. Restrictions were put on how many comics we were allowed to take apiece: Three each.

Ramiro's face when he heard "Only 3 Comics Per Person"

Well, naturally Ramiro and I joined forces to optimize our comic intake. We made a planned attack so that we wouldn't end up with any duplicates.

I snagged:

• Top Shelf Kids Club (which was Owly, Korgie, Johnny Boo, etc.)
• Bongo Comics Free-for-All 2011 (Simpsons...)
• Disney's Darkwing Duck/Disney's Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers

Ramiro grabbed:

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Baltimore/Criminal Macabre
• Nancy/Melvin

There were a couple other comics I was interested in, but I think we did pretty well. And, if we could only get 6 comics total, I think we got the best of the bunch. You can see what ALL of the comics that were available HERE.

Then, since PayPal is SUPER SLOW at transferring money (I was going through the "I have money, but I can't get to it"s), Ramiro and I decided to raid our piggy bank for some food money. And Robert was VERY INTERESTED in what we were doing. So, Ramiro showed him the piggy bank up close... and Robert FLIPPED OUT!! I'm talking full on hisses, claws, bushy tail, standing-up-fur-ridge-on-his-back FREAK OUT! He was SCARED!

"Look into my face and know fear," says Mr. Pig

My best guess is that the smell of coins smells similar to blood...and blood tends to freak animals out. Ramiro thought he was just scared of the pig itself. Either way, we hadn't seen Robert that scared of anything since he saw the "ICE CREAM AND CREAM AND CAKE" commercial from Baskin Robbins when he was a baby.

We also joked that "maybe Robert has a fear of success."

Well, NOT ME!

A few of you know that I've been vying for a writing position. It would be a great opportunity and have regular hours and everything.

...and I got it!

Starting Monday, I'll be working from 10am-2pm from Monday-Friday. So don't bug me during those hours. Seriously. If you bug me, I have to clock out...and you will be costing me money...and I will be sore with you... >:( So please, don't chat with me during those hours. I know it will be tempting (especially since I have to be logged into my Chat programs for my job), but please don't. You can have me from 2pm onward. :D

As of now, I can't really talk about who I'm working for or what I'll be doing, but I'm super happy to have a nice steady job.

I'll also be continuing my work with WP Pro Business and some of my other gigs that I've been doing. Because I'm hardcore like that.

For those of you who liked that article I did on traveling with your dog, you might also be interested in this:

The Beagle: Number Five with the AKC, but Number One in Our Hearts!

It's a profile on the Beagle. I also did profiles for Chihuahuas and Rhodesian Ridgebacks. So keep an eye out for those.

Then, I got so into writing about dogs that I made a Squidoo lens about Wolfgang (my parents' dog):Wolfgang: A Good Dog

Wolfgang is a Keeshond. He's my parents' third Keeshond. Here are some pictures of me with their original Keeshond, Max (and their Afgan Hound, Shekinah):The Internet loves babies and dogs. Right...?

Anyway, I also created a Squidoo lens on how to raise pinkie mice, but I've been told it's a bit of a downer (Spoiler: I raised the Pinkie into adulthood, but he was not the undying magic mouse of fantasy tales). You can read it if you want.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...that's about it!

See you next week!

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

Steff & Paris

Hey, Everyone!

It's Monday again!

Robert has recovered nicely from his surgery last week. Thank you, Lord! He's doing really well. We're so relieved.

Also, I have more articles up at WP PRO BUSINESS.

I have some other things in the works, but nothing I can talk about just yet...

But, since you (my sweet, loyal, Blog reader) bothered to check in, it would be a darn shame if that's all I had to write. So, in an effort to keep you entertained, I'm going to turn the spotlight on a couple of my friends! The first is:

STEFF TURNER

It was Steff's birthday last Thursday (April 14th) and, for her birthday, I created a very fun Squidoo page/Lens for her! Click here to view HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW STEFF TURNER?

The other friend is:

PARIS MATIC
Those of you who frequent my Blog probably recognize Paris as the friend I went to the tea party with a while back.

I've gotten Paris hooked on Squidoo! She just started an account yesterday and she's already a Level 8 Squid and has two lenses. To view her account, CLICK HERE.


That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

The Good Old Days

Hey, Everyone!

I had a very nice weekend. My friend Steff came up (from where she lives) to see me. Good times.

I'd also like to draw your attention once more to WP Pro Business. I wrote some more articles there recently and I really like how they turned out.

Of course, the main focus lately has been on Japan. Fortunately for me, the people I know over there are safe and sound in Osaka. Unfortunately, that isn't true for everyone. And I'm very sorry if anyone reading this lost someone they love...

There have been a lot of disgusting/stupid people on the Internet saying "That's what they get for Pearl Harbor." Excuse me, but I believe HIROSHIMA is what "they got" for Pearl Harbor. Not to mention that what we did to them was way worse than what they did to us! (Death toll for the attack on Pearl Harbor = 2459 people; Death toll for the attack on Hiroshima = 80,000 people directly and then more later due to the radiation). God, people are so enraging/stupid sometimes. Even as a "joke," that's in very poor taste; especially under the circumstances.

There's also been a lot of people longing for the "good old days." People talking about how much "worse" things are these days... Don't get me wrong--I understand nostalgia (and am not above it myself sometimes)--but I think that saying that one decade was "better" than another is a bit ridiculous. I think that people's "Nostalgia Goggles" are blinding them a bit.

Let me show you what I mean:

The 1940s...

What people remember:Sure, there was a war going on, but it was a war where we (Americans) were the Good Guys! There was great hair, great fashion, great music, yadda yadda...

There was also:Oh yeah. That... Forgot about that, didn't you?

The 1950s...

What people remember:I abhor the movie Grease (I think the ending is a terrible message and that Sandy is an idiot), but I know that that's what a lot of people (especially people my age or younger) view the 1950s as. Again...fashion, music, "innocence," and so on.

There was also:
The Korean War (or, as I like to call it, the war everyone forgets!), the Cold War, fear of communists, increased nuclear testing, and a whole bunch of other stuff that wasn't very good.

The 1960s...

What people remember:
Again, fashion and music are a big part of what people remember. Woodstock... So on and so forth.

There was also:
The Vietnam War. As well as the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and John F. Kennedy. The Manson Murders took place during the 1960s as well!

The 1970s...

What people remember:
Peace and love, Mannnnnn... Again, music and fashion. "Free love." All that jazz. And Star Wars. Can't forget about that.

There was also:The Gas Crisis, the Energy Crisis, the Watergate Scandal, and--oh, yeah--the Vietnam War and Cold War were both still going on.

The 1980s...

What people remember:Fantastic music and movies. An all-around good time for everyone involved.

There was also:
No...I just can't do it... I can't point out any faults in an era that gave us Back to the Future... Oh, all right...

AIDS first showed up in the 1980s. John Lennon was assassinated. There were a lot of nuclear/terrorist threats. It wasn't all good times.

The 1990s...

What people remember:
I grew up in the 1990s. This is the era that I have "nostalgia vision" for. It was very bright and colourful!

There was also...
Need I say more? Before we had Clinton, we had that guy. There was also the Gulf War (among other wars), the Riots, the Oklahoma City Bombing, and a whole bunch of other stuff that could definitely be classified in the "not good" section.

All that and I didn't even mention all the NATURAL disasters that have taken place over the years!!

I think what I'm trying to say was best said by Billy Joel (in the song "Keeping the Faith"):

"The good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

I know things are difficult right now--there's no denying that--but don't lose heart. EVERY era has had bad to go with the good. So, don't worry. We'll get through the 2000s just fine. <3

Until next time...

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

I do not own any of the images I used. Credit goes to whoever credit is due to.

Letter of Resignation

Hello, Everyone

I've sent in my letter of resignation to the IFS (International Fight Showdown) and shall not be working for them again.

Below, my letter of resignation:

Dear members of the IFS:

I've been putting a lot of thought into this and I've decided that I cannot work with you.

I realize that this puts you at an inconvenience. To help, I've attached the two articles I'd written (for you to have your new writer re-work) as well as the interviews I conducted and the contact info for the amateur fighters. The latter document also includes some short notes/thoughts of mine for potential story angles that, again, might be useful to your new writer/publicist.

As for the tickets I was to sell "on commission," I shall be sending those back to you by mail. And I will be sending them with delivery confirmation so I know for sure that you received them and there are no mix-ups.

As people, I like you all just fine and have no hard feelings. As businessmen, I'm dissatisfied, but will chalk it up as a learning experience. I now know not to stray from my usual payment policies, no matter how good an offer seems at the time.

Again, I wish you all the best. Thank you.

--Lauren*

And the series of events that led up to this?

• After going to the IFS press conference, I was told to write 5 articles; and to have the first one done by the end of the week. Being the over-achiever that I am, I turned in not one, but two by the end of that week. All was right with the world.
• As per my contract, I was to be paid 30 cents per published word. I was then told that it was up to me to get the articles published.
  
• That same night, I was told:"I would like for you to submit the articles to Muay Thaimes, Muay Thai Authority, Science of 8 limbs, My Muay Thai, there are many, please google search and see." Again, always aiming to please (and really, really wanting to get paid), I contacted all of the publications mentioned (and 15 others!!) that very same night.
• US Combat Sports published the first article right away. Paul Fladten, the editor, loved the story, saying, "I just wanted to tell you that the two articles you published were excellent. I posted the one today and will post the other tomorrow. Great job and couldn't be happier!"
• Shortly after US Combat Sports published the article, five other publishers wrote back, interested in publishing the stories as well.
• The next morning, I get a letter from the IFS telling me to "wait." Overnight they changed their minds and decided that there were some re-writes that needed to be done to the articles. I explained that I could tell the other publishers they needed to "wait" (even though it put me in a very awkward position) but that USCS had already published the article and it was already getting some attention.
• The IFS thought that was great. Yay for published article! Getting published by USCS was perfectly fine. And, since that was the case, as per my contract--since I did get the article published--I was to be paid 30 cents per published word. I mentioned this to the IFS. And then...nothing.
• Hours later, I'm told this by an IFS member (the same one that told me to publish the articles right away): "Yes I think its fair that you get paid for US combat sports but since we jumped the gun consider the rewrite for the other publications at the republishing rate which is 50%. If US combat sports publishes your rewrite later please consider it as it has been paid for from this payment. I think this is fair." Fine. So long as I get paid. Fine.
• The next morning I get another e-mail saying that, no, I will not be paid. And to get the article un-published right away. Suspecting that they were only having me un-publish the article in order to get out of paying me (as there would no longer be "proof" posted online that I had ever gotten it published in the first place), I took a screencap of the article before writing my embarrassing letter to the editor asking him to take it down:
• From there, I was told that they would be sending me a pre-written "intro" to add to my articles as well as additional pictures. Which I never got (even after reminding them several times).
• After that, things slowly got worse and worse until I decided that it just wasn't worth it.

And why did I choose to write about this in such detail? Because a source from Science of 8 Limbs told me, "If it helps and it may not, you are not the only publicist/writer that has this payment issue [with the IFS]."

As a freelance writer, I felt I owed it to my fellow freelance writers to tell them my story. If I had gotten that warning beforehand, I wouldn't have worked for the IFS in the first place. And seeing as, since I just submitted my resignation, the IFS will be looking for a new writer, I thought that whoever they choose should at least be well-informed of what could happen; rather than go in blindly as I did.

As I mentioned in my resignation letter, all this has taught me to NEVER again stray from my usual payment policy:

Payment due 10 days after project completion.

50% deposit due at beginning of project.

Turn around times will be specified clearly in the proposal, All agreed times will be adhered to.

No other Business Terms Necessary. I only accept projects that I know I can complete with excellence.

I would also like to take this time to thank one of my best clients (who always pays the FULL amount in advance!), Adam W. Warner. I've been writing 2 articles a week for him, which can be seen here: http://wpprobusiness.com/author/littlezotz Adam is a man of high integrity and is really onto something with his easy-to-understand WordPress courses.

I would also like to thank Rick Zotz for adding links to my webpage on his official website at http://zotz.com Thanks, Rick! (We "Zotz!" folk gotta stick together, right?)

That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for tuning in!

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

Edit (3/3/11): After making this entry last night, I was given a LOT of support (even from the IFS themselves!--as I said, they're not bad guys), but I did get ONE angry comment from someone I'm guessing would like to remain anonymous:

As a journalist I would think that you would appreciate the privacy of your potential employer. Posting a letter of resignation for the public to see bashing the IFS is in very poor taste and you should be ashamed! Think about the message you send to all future employers, now they have to fear public attacks by hiring you. Trust... don't forget how important it is for people to trust you in your line of work.

He then decided to block all messages from me. Which means he missed out on this, what I WOULD have told him:

Interesting opinion. As a former champion and as someone who currently has a fighter entered in the match, I can see why this struck a nerve with you. You have a lot invested in this company. And maybe you're right: maybe I just "didn't deserve to be paid." Could be. I respect that opinion. However, I'd like to address a few things:

a.) I decided to post my actual letter of resignation because I DON'T TRUST THEM [in business]. I wanted to make sure that they couldn't say "We never saw your letter." I also wanted the public to see how I was going to be sending back the tickets. I was covering my ass. Which is exactly what I was doing when I took the screencap of my published article before they asked me to have it taken down. Proof. I wasn't just holding the IFS accountable for their actions by posting that letter, but myself as well. As in, the IFS now has proof that I told them I'd be sending back their tickets. It protects THEM as well as myself.

b.) Think of me less as a literary journalist and more of a literary mercenary: I write whatever people PAY me to write. That's what freelancing is all about. It's just a coincidence that quite often I'm paid to do journalistic endeavors.

c.) If I WERE strictly a journalist, in my opinion, the BEST journalists are the ones who report the TRUTH--even if it's not something everyone wants to hear. Which is what I did.

d.) I could have easily kept my stories, notes, interviews, and contact information; but instead I returned everything to the IFS. I could have given all of that information to someone who WOULD pay me. But I didn't. Not only did it lack integrity, but I respected the people in the IFS enough to consider the information "theirs." And they can use it however they see fit.

e.) People who actually KNOW me will tell you that there are few things that mean more to me than money. But one of those things (on a VERY short list that includes "Ramiro," "friends," and "family" and not much else...) is self-respect. I'm prone toward Depression and one of the main things that triggers an episode is when I don't respect myself. In my opinion, the IFS didn't respect me/my job as a freelance writer. And therefore I couldn't respect myself while working for them. The IFS was not only bad for my wallet, but bad for my health.

So, no, I will not "be ashamed" of myself. And if any employer is threatened by my Blog entry, then they are probably shifty and not worth working for anyway.

IFS Press Conference & Tea Party

Hey, Everyone!

On Saturday (2/19) I was at a Press Conference for the International Fight Showdown. As a member of the Press!That's a picture of "The Home of the IFS" (where the Press Conference was being held) just before everyone showed up and things got crazy. I'll be going back there again on April 9 for the weighing and match-ups and then I'll be headed to Pico Rivera on April 10th to report on the actual fights. Speaking of which...

IF YOU WANT TICKETS TO WATCH THE INTERNATIONAL FIGHT SHOWDOWN ON APRIL 10TH IN PICO RIVERA, CONTACT ME. I'M SELLING TICKETS AT THE PRE-SALE PRICE OF $30 (they'll be more at the door!--if there's even any left!!). E-mail me at littlezotz@gmail.com if you're interested!

I rode up with David Huey ("the voice of Muay Thai"), Gary Finnerty (WMC board of directors & ref), Jonathan Atkinson (pro photographer & motion capture guy), and Kenn Scott (Raphael in the first two TMNT movies). Great guys, all of them.

I also got to interview Baxter "One-Armed Bandit" Humby, William "The Bull" Sriyapai, the 2010 IFS champs, and several of the amateurs fighting for the 2011 championship. I don't want to talk TOO much about that though because then you'd have no reason to read my upcoming articles!

Then, yesterday, I was here:

Weatherwolde Castle. The home of my friends William & Tara. My other friend, Krista, decided to have a tea party there.
That's Krista on the left.

Anyway, I took my friend Paris with me!

That's Paris on the left.

There was a bunch of food (that I couldn't eat) that looked really pretty/good:

And the tables and place-settings were amazing too...

And lots of fabulous/fun ladies...

Mom, Me, Tara, Cynthia, and Lucia

Lauren, Lucia, and Paris: youngest ladies at the party!

It was a lot of fun. And the first day I wasn't working in over a week! (Ladies, if any of you are reading this: I have more pictures. E-mail me if you want them).

In other news, if you haven't been checking, I have more articles up at WordPress Pro Business!

That's all for now!

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

Edit: The IFS website is both http://ifsshowdown.com and http://ifspro.com Sometimes one works better than the other!

Tufted Ears

Hey, Everyone!

My schedule is getting pretty crazy and I know I'm going to have a lot to blog about. So rather than doing it all in one overly looooooooooong entry, I'm going to try to break down what I'm up to into smaller entries. That means more updates than usual in the upcoming week.

Check this out:I got a picture of Rebel from the front! (You're welcome, Paris!) She/he has such pretty tufted ears. It's a shame that one of them is going to be clipped once we capture him/her to get neutered at FixNation. :\ At least we'll finally know what sex Rebel is...

I've written some more articles for WP Pro Business. I'm particularly proud of this one. It talks about successful business women. I hope that you'll check it out!

On the other hand, you won't be seeing any more US Combat Sports articles from me. At least not until I can afford to work for free. Rather than have me try to explain why, check out what my "boss" there wrote to me when I brought up that I hadn't been paid for my work:

In the first quarter of 2011 our plan is to see which reporter's are willing to immerse themselves in their local scene's community and be able to provide enough content to be a paid member of the team. Your first two articles were excellent and got you off to a great start. In the first four months to a year we want writers to make their names known to their local gyms and the online community. We couldn't be happier with your start and hope you want to keep upon the path of being promoted and eventually becoming a paid USCS member.

...

Bummer.

I told him very politely that being paid "eventually" didn't jive with me where payment for my work was concerned. [I do NOT work for free--I (literally) can't afford to!]. There are no hard feelings. And I'm still involved with the Combat Sports community. Another opportunity has opened up in that arena already. (This time with someone who WILL pay). I'll talk more about it as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I've got WP Pro Business, other freelance gigs, and I've been selling scarves again!

Photo credit goes to Sarahe.

I had knit a bunch of them, but then the warm weather hit and kinda killed my sales...locally at least. I just sold a bunch of them to someone on the opposite side of the world!

Anyway, as I mentioned, I'm going to be very busy this upcoming week. For instance, on Wednesday, I'm going to be returning to my high school to talk to the Publications/Journalism class(es). I used to be head writer for my school newspaper back in the day... My old teacher found my website online and contacted me and invited me to come speak to the kids (since what I do now is pretty much what I did then, only for money).

Well, it's just past 1:00am and I barely got any sleep last night (up 'til past sunrise!), so I should log off now.

Until next time...

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

Superbowl Sunday 2011

Hey, Everyone!

Just to be clear right off the bat: I'm not watching the Superbowl today. Not even "for the commercials." The title is mainly for me, so that I can retrace my steps and find this entry/day again later in life. haha.

Anyway, look who came to visit today!!

Robert's Mom!

She's doing really well. She looked really healthy and had her winter coat (that's why she's so big/fluffy!). When we came home from grocery shopping, she was hanging out with Robert out on the deck. She still loves her little boy.

In other news, I'm going to be writing two Blog entries/articles a week for WordPress Pro Business. You should check it out! Or, if you're just interested in the articles that I write, those can be found here.

That's about it for this week!

One more picture:
Robert's Mom, Rebel, and Ziggy.

Until next time...

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com