Update 21/6

It's been a weird day.

I've just lost a client, but am not upset. The fact I'm not upset surprises me, but thinking about it I feel a sense of relief. He made me feel uncomfortable. Not every encounter, but enough that my red flag radar would go off a couple of times a month. Last year he went very over the top about a contract offer I had from abroad, talking over me and dismissing me what I was saying. Apparently I am so like him I wouldn't like it and wouldn't go (I am nothing like him). I found that insulting. He was pleased when it fell through and I really didn't like that.

Anyway, this time he was very passive-aggressive and didn't want to pay extra for extra work. Just not possible when you are a freelancer - you can't not charge for writing. I guess that eventually familiarity breeds contempt. Just to show how passive-aggressive he is, he didn't bother to send me notice that he didn't need my services any more - just kept quiet until I contacted him about the week's column then gave notice. I pointed out the value of what I provide hasn't changed just what he can afford and left it at that.

I intend to charge him for the last three columns though, which for a while I felt guilty about as he had provided me with a reference for this part-time job. Then I realised this was silly. He agreed to do the reference before this matter had sprung up and had given me testimonials before. I had to think how I was going to get around this, so in the end I decided to ask the Office Manager over there to withdraw that reference and ask a standby contact that I had provided last week. In all conscious I can't accept a reference from someone who is no longer happy working with me. At the same time that I wrote this email to the Office Manager, I was copied in on an email from my standby reference. He had been asked last week to do a reference and provided one of the most glowing testimonials I've ever seen.

Then, within 10 minutes of getting his email, I get a call from a lovely gentleman in London who wants me to write a sales letter. Cost? Just shy of the same amount I was getting from the ex-client. The universe works in weird ways. I really do feel good about things at the moment.

Meal plan
I haven't been shopping for food yet this week so the meal plan is bit up in the air. Tonight I can throw together an omelette and chips I think and I will make up some dough tonight for pizza tomorrow night. After that though, I'll have to sort a meal plan and some shopping.

I've had a NSD so far