While I was taking my recent leave -- of my senses -- I actually got into a regrettable scrape with one of my freelance clients. I'd done work for them before, always for a flat fee. Watch out for that flat fee, boys and girls; it is seldom a good deal. Nevertheless, I liked the people and the work, so even though they didn't pay that well I was willing to take the job again, cleaning up copy.
Well, everything went wrong. You see, they were no longer using the same writers as in the past, and the new one was terrible. This caused me to spend about twice as much time on the project as in the past. We know time is many things, including:
- fleeting
- relative
- of the essence
But most important, time is
- money
So when they told me I had to go back and make changes in part of the job I'd already returned, I lost my temper. These changes were caused by stylebook decisions they'd recently made, something I had forgotten about, and I argued that they had pushed me to minimum wage already and I was about to sink below that. They responded that they were sorry I was unhappy and it was best if we part ways.
The next day I sent an e-pology, and wished them luck. I do not like blowing my stack and take no pleasure in it. But I wouldn't work for them again even if they'd have me, which they wouldn't.
So that was one client down.
This week has been a whole other kettle of crap, but I'm glad that the memory of regret for letting my anger get the better of me is still fresh. I'm way too old to expect anything good to come of tantrums.
5 comments:
Out of idle curiosity, I typed "time is" in my google search bar, and one of the first autocompletes that came up was "time is a flat circle" which led me down a rabbit hole.
Did you ever see the HBO series "True Detective"? Season 1 is epic, starring (and produced by) Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey's character is named Rustin Cohle and he's this dark, quiet, mysterious and enigmatic guy who is a perfect foil for Woody Harrelson's character, who is a glib, cynical, chatterbox.
Anyway, at some point in the last episode, Cohle says “Time is a flat circle. Everything we have done or will do we will do over and over and over again—forever.”
A critic has pointed out that this comes from Nietzche as an expression of his "doctrine of eternal recurrence".
Well, anyway, the show is super creepy but highly entertaining. Second and third seasons were OK but first season is pretty gripping.
From the sage Red Forman...
Eric, work is work. You don't show up late, you don't make excuses, and you don't not work. If it wasn't work, they wouldn't call it work. They'd call it super, wonderful, crazy fun time. Or skippity-doo.
IMHO you did right, Fred. When I was doing websites, I had a couple of flat-fee clients, one of whom called & e-mailed me many times a day, sometimes with small changes, sometimes with a change that would require a complete re-do. You've got to know when to say "No! Enough!"
I'm glad you're back in the slot.
Time is money, and work brings money. Does that mean work gives us more time?
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