Northport, Alabama

Things I learned about myself as a freelancer today:

I’m a multi-tasker. I managed to fill the sink with dish water, brush my teeth, throw laundry in the wash, make up the bed AND coat the kitchen floor in aforementioned scalding water, forcing inspiring me to mop away mystery goo in front of the refrigerator that has been attracting the kitties like flypaper and removing chunks of hair from their butts.

I’m a nature lover. When a brilliant green lizard walked past my doorway this morning as I was writing story proposals, I didn’t hesitate to sacrifice my time for the higher cause of communing with one of God’s slimier creatures.

I can go with the flow. So what if the lizard I was following disappeared? I poked around in the bushes for an hour until I found another one. A bigger one. A better one. (A faster one too, which makes this photo damned near brilliant.)

I can hold my breath without passing out while hanging my head upside down. Lizard — fast. Hydrangeas — thick. Photographer — old. Macro lens — manual. I’d say more, but the memory is making me dizzy.

I support the local labor force. I checked the mail at least 75 times so that the mail lady wouldn’t be disappointed that she drove all the way here and I wasn’t home. I kept the construction crew at my neighbor’s house from being bored while on their lunch break, patiently allowing them to catch my lizard over and over, denying me the pleasure of touching his scaly body. And I won’t even begin to tell you about the UPS man — I mean, it’s not MY fault he ran screaming for the safety of his truck. Some people just aren’t social. (Then again, maybe yesterday’s FedEx guy warned him. I still contend that it is TOTALLY not my fault that dude wrecked his truck in my front yard. I can’t be held responsible just because he wasn’t paying attention. I do sort of regret the coffee I snorted up my nose when I laughed at him though. )

I’m organized. The ingredients in my refrigerator have been color-coded and arranged in ascending order by expiration date. I draw the line at alphabetizing the cabinets though. That’s just obsessive.

And last but not least, I’m tenacious. I spent almost 20 minutes chasing a red dot on a screen FOR NO APPARENT REASON. (Thanks, Sparrow, for discovering this resume-worthy job skill.)

Who said freelancers had an easy life? That person should drop by sometime. Really. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll even make coffee. That’s just the kind of girl I am. 🙂

Music: Wasteland by Ten Years (lyrics)

Posted on April 14, 2006 by Carmen K. Sisson tagged Alabama, green, Northport, writing