How I Started Freelance Writing

 

I am constantly asked how I became a freelance writer. In fact, I would say it is a question only beat in frequency by people asking if my boobs are real. Everyone wants to know, though funny enough few actually go through with it when I get them started. Even when I give them everything they could possibly need to begin.

There are two explanations I have for this. One is that they want immediate gratification and so don’t like that there is actually work involved, and sometimes more than if you were working a 9-5 job somewhere else; and two, you have to be driven enough to work your way from the very bottom in order to make it.

Because I am tired of explaining it, and also because I want those interested to know how to get started themselves, I thought I would write this brief post of how I became a freelance writer.

Giving Up Soda: The Second Week (Killer Headaches)

I am continuing my journey to give up soda and eventually all high fructose corn syrup. But this week I had a bit of a problem: headaches.

Castor Oil: Does It Get Rid Of Scar Tissue (FINAL UPDATE!)

You might remember that in early September I began using Castor Oil to attempt to rid myself of embarrassing scar tissue. I have had the scars for years, from various injuries, and every time I am out in public I am very aware of them. Since I am steadfastly against hiding them – I am not ashamed of my past, after all – I thought I would make an effort to lessen their appearance. Or at least eliminate the raised puffiness of a few of the scars caused by burns.
I read an article that claimed Castor Oil was a miracle cure for skin deformities, and scar tissue in particular. So I decided to give it a shot and see how it went.

Giving Up Soda: The First Week (Hell Week)

Normally I would have posted once or twice between this post and the last one, where I explained why I was choosing to give up soda. I definitely thought about it, and I have a ton of post titles sitting in draft, waiting for me to write. Including a final update on the use of castor oil on scar tissue that will be coming sometime next week.

So, why didn’t I update? It’s simple: I couldn’t focus.

Giving Up Soda: The Beginning

When you visit my blog, you might notice the little subheader under the blog title. For those of you who are blind/and or uninterested in minute details like that, the header reads: A chick, a mission and a whole lot of Diet Coke.

Diet Coke has been a full blown addiction for me for a long, lone time. I used to take my lunch money every week in middle school and ration it out to one Diet Coke from the vending machine per day. A habit that left me crashing by sixth period, as I also didn’t eat breakfast.

But I am not completely ignorant, I know it is terrible for me. No, really…I do. In fact, I know it is bad enough that I have been slowly cutting down how much I drink. So that “whole lot of Diet Coke” I mention in my header has been cut down to two – three cans or glasses (12 oz) per day. An amount a lot of experts recommend as a safe range.

The thing about soda is that it has been linked to weight gain again and again. Even diet drinks can stimulate appetite and cause a reaction leading us to eat, some experts believe.

This is not the big worry, however. The biggest problem is a buzz word that has caused debate for years: high fructose corn syrup.

Adding Local Foods To My Life

Like so many other people, I am terrified of Monsanto. Seriously, how I could I possibly not be frightened by the idea of a single company that literally has a hand (and often owns) 90% of the American food supply. Or be nervous when I see the far reaching influence of the company in how they are bowed to by politicians, or supported through actual lies by the media. I won’t even get into the GMO side of things. It isn’t an issue I know that much about, and while I recognize the importance of the study showing massive tumors and liver damage in lab rats fed GM corn, I am going to keep out of that debate for the moment.

What it did bring up for me is the desire for the last long while to begin shopping more locally, at least on a small scale. I figure that even a week per month of buying local produce and meat can make a huge difference. But it isn’t something I have ever actually set out to get started.

In the spirit of starting a new life, I am going to make that commitment now. I will start out slow, and just see where it goes. My initial goal is to buy one weeks worth of groceries per month from my local coop. Which also comes with other commitments, such as eating less meat and learning to cook with some vegetables and fruit I may have been unfamiliar with if it is in with the produce share.

Wish me luck!

Low Cal, Low Fat Salsa Chicken

Lately I have been cooking a metric fuck ton of chicken. Why? I guess a couple of reasons: it is cheap, it is easy, it is low fat and it is delicious. Which is a surprise, to hear me say it is delicious; I have never been a big fan of chicken in the past. Especially after a memorable summer working in a Harmon’s deli, where I thought I would die if I ever had to smell raw chicken again. It is quite potent…and slimy.

But years later I have rediscovered my passion for it and I have been experimenting a lot. One recipe I badly wanted to adapt for my diet was Fiesta Lime Chicken, a dish served at many restaurants. It is usually full of calories, fat and sodium. In fact, the Applebee’s version has more than 1,200 calories and 47 grams of fat in the ridiculously sized dinner portion. That just ain’t gonna do it for me, folks.

So I have been tinkering with it, trying to get the general taste right. While my version isn’t exactly the same, I would say it is just as good. Plus, it is a fraction of the nutritional no-no’s that the original is.

My Favorite Pinterest Posted Recipes

I am a Pinterest junkie, plain and simple. I cannot just spend a few minutes there; if I get started, I won’t be able to stop until I the time has piled on and I have wasted a part of my day.

Of course, I don’t really see it as waste. For however much I have fiddled around, I have also found a ton of useful things on there. Especially for one of my great loves: cooking.

I attribute a fair amount of my 40 lbs weight loss so far to the fact that I got back into the kitchen and started to experiment again. I love finding new ingredients, trying new dishes and even adapting old ones to be more healthy. I have a talent for making something taste next to the same with hundreds of calories and dozens of grams of fat less.

Pinterest has been a boon for this, as there are tons of healthy recipes to check out. Or unhealthy ones I can play with. Here are some of my favorites that I have pinned there.

The Truth About Weight Fluctuations

It is a common scenario I have experienced over the course of this process many times. I will have been pumped all week about the weight I have been losing, only to get on the scale one day and see a three pound increase that seems to have settled into my body overnight. It is one of the downsides to me breaking my own rule of only weighing myself once a week, a guideline I blatantly disregard despite knowing the negative impact it can have on my mood.

This happened to me again this morning. I was four pounds down for the week (two more than my set weekly goal), and I was wondering if the trend would continue. After all, I was only one pound away from a forty pound overall weight loss. Which meant a mini reward for me, for my efforts. I was stoked!

At least I was, until I got onto that little demon machine. According to the scale, I had gained two pounds. Overnight. UGH!

For those of you who don’t know, this phenomenon is known as weight fluctuation. Quite often, the number on the scale goes up through the week, and even through the day. It is not uncommon to see as much as a five pound upward difference between your true weight, and a weight fluctuation.

But is this an accurate number to go by?

Castor Oil: Does It Get Rid Of Scar Tissue? (UPDATE!)

It has been a week since I began using castor oil daily to get rid of my scars. I thought I would provide a quick update on how it appears to be working so far.

To be honest, I am not seeing any difference yet in the visibility of the scars. They are still just as bright against my skin, and touching them I feel no difference in the way they are raised. Of course, it has only been a week and I am sure it would take more time to see a difference for anything I used.

I have noticed some things, though. Mainly with how soft my skin has been. Castor oil is a hell of a moisturizer, and I am loving the way my skin kind of glows a bit more. I have also been using it on my face, and it is clearing a breakout I had and moistening the skin. It is much less dry, also.

All in all, I am mixed on my review for castor oil so far. But I will keep you posted on what happens.