Don't unnecessary apostrophes tick you off?
Teen = Angst
If you are unfamiliar with the equation, chances are you don't have any teenage children and I envy you. Every decision, every consequence, every discussion, and every relationship is fraught with angst. It's exhausting to watch.
Take my son. Well, don't really take him, he's a good kid and I'll keep him, but check out this example... He is signed up for 4 advanced courses for his 10th grade year. He came to me and said that he would like to drop AP World History.
Now, this particular course has already caused us undue stress. It is a two year sequence and the teacher insists upon using homework questions based on a textbook. A textbook that is NOT the textbook she has provided to the students. And the answers don't seem to be in the classnotes either. Last year we spent approximately 12,346 hours looking for answers to very precise questions based on text that we had no access to.
Anyway, he is going to take IB PreCalc, Honors English, and Physics. I have no problem with him dropping the class. None. I showed no resistance. I offered to contact the guidance department to try to figure out what he needs to take in place of the class from hell.
And yet... he continues to bring it up. It's as if he expected me to argue it with him so keeps stating his points. I've tried everything. So now I am just riding his wave of angst. I suppose once his schedule is changed it will end. Or he will get an ambiguous text from some girl that will redirect his angst to some intense social issue.
Maybe I'll just take a picture of him and caption it "Got Angst?"
What I Have Learned as a Freelance Writer - Tip #1
I have been freelance writing for about 3 months. The journey has been interesting... at times frustrating... but ultimately rewarding. I am constantly learning new things about this business and plan to share them here - both as a reminder to myself and to help others.
Tip #1
Find a reputable freelance site.
I currently receive most of my work through Elance.com. I scour the freelance listings online, but Elance provides tons of perks. Most jobs there have reasonable budgets. You have the ability to review the buyers' award ratio, thereby deciding whether to spend the time bidding on a job listed by someone who has listed 10 and awarded only 1. There are downsides: paying for 'connects' to bid on jobs and backend fees, but the benefits to new freelancers are worth it.
Elance offers escrow so that you know that the money has been allocated for your job and will be available upon completion. The Water Cooler forum is frequented by experienced freelancers who are willing to help out with advice as well as Elance personnel who try to respond to issues.
Elance has tons of positives and is well worth the few negatives, especially for freelancers who are new and looking for a way to learn the business.
Looking for me? I'm on Elance.