... And This Time It's Personal
I really dislike making this post, but I'm trying to convince myself that it's not that bad.
My life has been tricky lately. I'm on a long-term temp assignment while trying to find permanent employment. I'm living at home, but have to move out fairly soon due to Reasons, and so I'm trying to make the new permanent (or semi-permanent, or temporary - I'm not too picky) employment be in the same general area as new lodgings, and all that to be in the same area as some museums, so I can volunteer without having to spend lots more on gas - extensive volunteering being pretty much a necessary step in getting a job in museums, as entry level positions are rare. I recently had to spend a chunk of change replacing the brake rotors on my car, which was very sad but I was all stoic about it, standing up to adversity etc. But now the CMOS battery in my laptop, which has been going for a long time (it regulates the computer's battery and clock, so when it's dying it can make the laptop a) shut off when the battery's three-quarters full and b) think it's January 1, 1600 when it comes back on, which really screws with a lot of programs), is truly dead. The internet led me to believe that I could replace it myself, as it's basically a watch battery, but it turns out that's only true of new computers, and when you buy the cheaper-because-they've-just-become-obsolete lines you run into troubles like this. Nope, it's soldered to the underside of the motherboard, and the only way to replace it is to get a new motherboard, which costs as much as a computer anyway. (Which, in the cheaper-because-they've-just-become-obsolete lines, costs as much as brake rotors!)
So - what am I trying to say. I don't want anyone to feel like I'm pressuring them. I'm on an hourly wage but I do make more than the minimum; I have money saved up in the bank and I'm not choosing between a computer and food or gas or rent; I will be buying a computer regardless of all this, because I need one and the old family desktop on an end table is not cutting it and doesn't have what I need on it. I'm especially not holding blog posts or my ~future pattern books~ hostage - I've gotten the important stuff (= fashion plates and half-finished fantasy/historical novels) off my computer, anyway, so I can keep posting the plates even after I run through this buffer I'm working on.
I would love to go all out and make lots of great things to sell to help defray this cost, but unfortunately my job tends to siphon away my energy and make it hard to sit down and hand-sew chemisettes on spec, let alone the sewing that I've previously committed to. All I can put in my Etsy shop are a couple of already-made white cotton things, some of the same as custom orders, and a larger number of antique/vintage books, with more of the latter going up tomorrow/this weekend. I can't bring myself to ask for straight-up PayPal donations when I'm not in actual dire straits - but if you want to help me out a little, I can give you a book you're probably not interested in in return. Or a chemisette/pair of ruffles, if you're willing to wait a bit.
| Here's a creepy picture from an 1861 Godey's to distract you from my awkwardness |
My life has been tricky lately. I'm on a long-term temp assignment while trying to find permanent employment. I'm living at home, but have to move out fairly soon due to Reasons, and so I'm trying to make the new permanent (or semi-permanent, or temporary - I'm not too picky) employment be in the same general area as new lodgings, and all that to be in the same area as some museums, so I can volunteer without having to spend lots more on gas - extensive volunteering being pretty much a necessary step in getting a job in museums, as entry level positions are rare. I recently had to spend a chunk of change replacing the brake rotors on my car, which was very sad but I was all stoic about it, standing up to adversity etc. But now the CMOS battery in my laptop, which has been going for a long time (it regulates the computer's battery and clock, so when it's dying it can make the laptop a) shut off when the battery's three-quarters full and b) think it's January 1, 1600 when it comes back on, which really screws with a lot of programs), is truly dead. The internet led me to believe that I could replace it myself, as it's basically a watch battery, but it turns out that's only true of new computers, and when you buy the cheaper-because-they've-just-become-obsolete lines you run into troubles like this. Nope, it's soldered to the underside of the motherboard, and the only way to replace it is to get a new motherboard, which costs as much as a computer anyway. (Which, in the cheaper-because-they've-just-become-obsolete lines, costs as much as brake rotors!)
So - what am I trying to say. I don't want anyone to feel like I'm pressuring them. I'm on an hourly wage but I do make more than the minimum; I have money saved up in the bank and I'm not choosing between a computer and food or gas or rent; I will be buying a computer regardless of all this, because I need one and the old family desktop on an end table is not cutting it and doesn't have what I need on it. I'm especially not holding blog posts or my ~future pattern books~ hostage - I've gotten the important stuff (= fashion plates and half-finished fantasy/historical novels) off my computer, anyway, so I can keep posting the plates even after I run through this buffer I'm working on.
I would love to go all out and make lots of great things to sell to help defray this cost, but unfortunately my job tends to siphon away my energy and make it hard to sit down and hand-sew chemisettes on spec, let alone the sewing that I've previously committed to. All I can put in my Etsy shop are a couple of already-made white cotton things, some of the same as custom orders, and a larger number of antique/vintage books, with more of the latter going up tomorrow/this weekend. I can't bring myself to ask for straight-up PayPal donations when I'm not in actual dire straits - but if you want to help me out a little, I can give you a book you're probably not interested in in return. Or a chemisette/pair of ruffles, if you're willing to wait a bit.
That's all terrible news! I hate that "when it rains, it pours." I've shared your Etsy shop on Facebook, so hopefully you get a little umbrella money flowing soon. Best of luck with everything! Keep your chin up! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteI hope things improve soon. (Especially the things that prompted the "Reasons.") I will get off my @** this weekend and put up a post extolling the virtues of my chemisette and link to your shop. Meanwhile, stay awesome and look forward to all the good stuff you'll enjoy after the inevitable expenses: fun times with the new computer, decorating the new Casa de Beguile, and decadently slamming on brakes at every intersection in town.
ReplyDeleteThat would be wonderful, thanks! I need to create a listing for a custom one of those frills, too.
DeleteDear Cassidy,
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to contact you privately through Etsy or in some other manner? I'd like to help in some way: am a sucker for books of all sorts, and may have some to donate to the cause, too. Certainly understand your predicament, as my first job, back in the close of the age of the typewriter, was at the Met Museum in NYC, typing for $13k, and trying to live on what remained after taxes.
Very best,
Natalie
I think you can send PMs on Etsy, but you could also email me at cassidy.percoco@gmail.com. That's very kind of you! It must have been difficult, trying to get by in New York - as much as I liked it there, I'm sort of glad I left.
Delete