sc | 
04 28th, 2006| 
What I learned today: It’s really hard to get a cat to stay still when he has a stupid paper hat on his head.
Also, the greens at Billy Caldwell are torn up because of maintenance. At least it gives my abyssmal 48 (it’s a 9-hole course) an excuse.
Apr
21
When I finished my first book, I swore I’d never do another. The amount of work doesn’t justify the royalties and time. But what about a second edition of an existing book? That can’t be as horrible, right? Of course not.
Except when the topic you’re writing about is constantly changing. And you don’t know anything about it. Well, I shouldn’t say that. I know something about it because I know a lot about stuff just like it. So because I know a lot about, say, drinking, I could write a book about distilling.
And so begins my second book. I’m struggling with chapter 1, but first chapters are always hard. This thing is supposed to be done by September. I’m offering good money that it won’t happen.
Apr
19
Trying to line up contractors for my new house has been nothing short of impossible. Calls aren’t returned, appointments aren’t kept. Being self-employed, I can’t understand how the hell these people make any money. It’s not like I’m waffling on it - I’m trying to give money away.
I just don’t get it.
End rant.
Apr
17
Tax day depression is something I’ve had to deal with for the past three years. Being self-employed, I don’t pay any taxes throughout the year, but the April dread is always in the back of my mind. Having just cut two massive checks to the IRS and the Illinois Dept of Revenue, I’m considering a career change. After all, I’m being penalized for being good at what I do.
The way I see it, I pay for about one Chicago cop a year - including bribes. And where’s that cop right now? Probably writing me a ticket.
I *hate* tax day.
Apr
12
“I actually found Naperville on a map the other day. I didn’t think it really existed.”
“Good job.”
Apr
8
After the home inspection turned up a few issues, like foundation repairs and new roof, I decided to go ahead with the deal after the current owner offered $5k in credit on the sale. The next step in the plan is hiring an architect and general contractor to get work started the day after closing.
Deciding to outsource the work wasn’t enjoyable, but I have to realize what I’m capable of - and it’s not putting on a new roof or tuckpointing a massive amount of brick. I can also get work finished much more quickly than if I did it myself. Some tiling and basic home improvement is the extent of my skills, and I still have quite a few projects to complete, including writing another book and a training class.
Hopefully I justified that to you, because I’m still trying to sell it to myself. But fear not! The renovation will be documented here. In painful detail.
