So I guess I'm a writer now. I think it hit me when I was doing a new bio for my website and I wrote something like "was once a United Church Minister." It also hit me when someone paid me for a magazine article. Cha ching into my Paypal account. Okay, it was only $100 but the article took me about 20 minutes to write so that's pretty good. But it's not like I can do that for 40 hours a week. But hey - woo hoo - I can pay my car insurance this month.

Besides the magazine article I've done a couple of freelance copywriting jobs. That was an interesting exercise and not too difficult - although one of them took quite a lot of research.

Most of my time has been spent on the "fun" stuff. I'm writing a script for a sitcom. The working title is "The Alex Cafe" and it's loosely based on "The Gilmore Gang" skits.

It's original material, but the premise is that Alex and her sister Katie inherit a coffee shop from their aunt. Alex is a philosophy major and wants to start a "Philosopher's Cafe" but no one shows up. So she asks her friend Alvin to bring some of his friends from university. Instead, he gathers the most unlikely motley group of misfits to the cafe. Alex is horrified but of course they stay and talk "philosophy" and thus...hilarity ensues. For those of you who know TGG, oh yes, Moysha and his girlfriend Rainbow are characters. As is Jacob (renamed "Jason") and Roxanne.

The other thing that's just awesome to write is MikeyTheBrat's blog and Twitter account. Pure unadulterated comedy in the satire sort of way. So totally fun. I'm still not used to being actually free to write anything I want and not have to worry about somebody emailing me about it or hauling me into a meeting to scold me like a school-child. I'm sure I will still get the emails mind you, but I can just click "delete" and go mwahahahaha - I don't have to worry about burying that person's husband next weekend or negotiating my salary increase with them. Freedom is a strange feeling. I still haven't fully integrated it.

I'm also working on marketing and publicity which is a TON of work. I made a whole new website. You can check it out at www.evokingchange.com It's at the same address but it's all about me and the services I offer. Alex shot all the photos.

I have also spent quite a bit of time setting up my counseling practice, and I have a few clients. That is very cool because I really want to help people who have emetophobia. I've been doing that online for years (contributing articles and advice on a discussion forum) but now I can actually work with them in person. It's awesome. My emetophobia counseling website is at www.emetophobiahelp.blogspot.com I totally revamped that a few weeks ago - also a ton of work. I'm setting up a youtube channel with videos of people puking - in ascending order of nastiness. I can only do so much of that every day. The scanning youtube for them is quite the activity - but somebody's gotta take one for the team!

Today I welcomed home my sister from her ship and we celebrated her birthday in conjunction with Alex's farewell. We're driving Alex to LeDuc next weekend and I'll be staying with her for a week before I fly home. Charlie and Alvin will drive home right away.

Watching the nastiest movie ever right now...but I have some kind of weird fascination with it. Later dudes.