Over the last couple of months, after deciding to step back from the blogging race, I’ve accepted more magazine work from the publication I’ve been writing for. Since the start of the year, they’ve added around four magazines for me to write for, which is good because aside from the financial gains, I also like stretching my brain cells a bit more than figuring out where Dora is heading next.

I’ve just calculated how much money I earned from this for March and it blew me away. I knew I was busy but looking at how much I got from it really emphasised just how busy I was. I’ve never earned this much before and I’m really hoping to keep this going.

I’ve gotten the reputation of delivering the goods when it’s needed – even with very short notice (and I mean very short) – like when one of their feature stories fall through during printing week. Although it ends up being stressful when it’s a really tight deadline, I kinda like it. It reminds me of my old work and I seem to thrive under pressure. I also like the fact that the head of the publication specifically asks the editors to contact me for urgent stories. I want to maintain this relationship with the publication because I don’t want to go back to regular work after MiniMe goes to school, and if I can do this long term, I’d be very happy.

I know I might say I’m doing this part time or freelance, but it’s been feeling like a full time and full on role. I’m juggling so many things in the air – plus the fact that I’ve just started getting addicted to crochet (addiction is the right word in this instance) and I want to leave my nights free for it.

So because of all the balls in the air, something’s gotta give. I’ve hired a weekly cleaner. Why not do it all myself? Because I don’t like it. I can do it all but I get extremely cranky. Between having a cranky wife and spending money for the chores, hubby preferred the latter. I’d rather be under pressure doing what I love doing than be under pressure hating what I’m doing. And I hate chores. I was trained to do my job but I was never trained to do chores (it’s a culture thing, it’s cheaper to hire help in the Philippines). I get depressed when I do chores I detest (like dishwashing because our bloody dishwasher can’t fit in the kitchen). I don’t mind the ones I like though, like ironing or folding the laundry, because I can watch something while doing them at the same time.

But I digress.

Writing in these magazines is stretching my mental abilities. These are trade magazines in different industries – industries I have no background on. None whatsoever. For instance, my most recent challenge was writing a story for an automotive magazine. And this is not just about cars, it’s a magazine that caters for mechanics. I’m writing about car specs – blowers, nitrous systems, injection systems and engines and stuff like that. It’s like alien speak to me. The only thing I know about cars are the visible parts – you know, doors, tires, windows and windshields. Thank god for a semi revhead husband, and a totally revhead brother in law!

I do love the challenge though. I’m writing about things I have no knowledge of and so research is very important – which means I’m learning new things with each story. But at the end of the day, my head does feel like a zombie’s – I just want to eat other people’s brains to add to my own.

Brainzzzz…