So, I’m cooing over snowflakes while on the food run for lunch today and I realized that there is something more out there for me. I have no idea what the hell it could be, but I KNOW there is some sort of occupation out there for me. One where I could make decent money and have control over my time and my life. And despite the horrible year it’s been, I still feel that a web based business is the thing for me. But what products? I’m thinking that maybe herbs and other supplements may be the way to go, but I’ve not done any homework to see what’s out there now. I will, though. I will. Because…
I hate the freaky, spastic, neurotic bunch of people that run this health food store where I work. To be surrounded by herbs and supplements that make you feel groovy, these people are the most wound up bunch I’ve had to deal with in a while. Talk about bullshit! If I wanted to work with overwrought divas I’d still be in the newspaper industry!!! [edited to protect the guilty]
So, that brings me back to my thoughts today of what kind of web business can I set up? Judging from the number of people who come in saying that they found info on the web, I’d say that the health food industry is going strong online. If any of you have any info about this or any links for me, please let me know.
I know I’d wanted to go for the Naturopathic Doctor degree, but I cannot afford it, so I enrolled in the Herbalist I section instead. There are 3 tiers to Herbalist: Family, Consulting and Master. I don’t know whether I’ll get any more than this one, but I’ve already paid the deposit, so ‘I’m in for a pound’ as they say. I have to tell you though, that these unsavoury people at the store have dampened my enthusiasm for the industry quite a bit. Damn them. I still find myself drawn back toward the tech sector. I find that dealing with luddites makes me miss the geeky world of the web and I really don’t think I can leave it for good. I’ve been thinking about soliciting all the various holistic centers around here for web work. I’ll just bet that many of them have no site at all and have no idea of how to get started. Deana (of centerforholistichealth.com fame) has been getting more and more hits and clients from the website, and she is giving me an advertising budget for the site, so maybe I can spin that into more work…
I know brochureware sucks, but dammit, I think that having a brochure site is better than no site at all!! When I do a site, I try to impress upon the client that I can’t be expected to create content for them, THEY have to do that, but you know, they still sort of expect me to fabricate content anyway. It’s the nature of the luddite beast, I’m afraid. Nonetheless, I don’t think I can give up my web stuff and I don’t think I can give up my current Mac clients, either. I like my clients and they like me and I sure do love the money I make doing support! I think I’m gonna cut loose the clients that are too far away and only accept any new ones if they are close and I like them. The rest can go to my friend who also does support.
I really did not intend for this to be a job related rant, but despite the post-posting editing it still is. Oh, well. In a vain attempt to rescue this Rant from the boring doldrums of work related crap, I’m going to add a little about my thoughts on authenticity. I think what ulitmately bugs me about people like the ones at the health food store and elsewhere is the lack of honesty and the duplicity that people seem to think is necessary in everyday life. Why can’t people just be honest? Why can’t people just live what they preach? I dunno, it just seems that being friendly to a client is one thing, but changing your speech patterns to seem more ethnic smacks of fakeness that I find hard to swallow. Running a store that is viewed as ‘alternative’ and ‘healthy’ but doesn’t even recycle the DUMPSTER FULL of corrugated cardboard it uses every week also seems, um, FAKE to me. And having two brand new cars that cost more than $100,000 (for both) seems a bit too consumer oriented, too. Doesn’t it? Is it just me that sees this? Am I the only person that is bothered by this??? [AND the asshole who owned the shop paid his employees in cash so he didn’t pay any payroll taxes. He probably didn’t pay taxes at all. NICE. -A Mar 2015]
I know I’m too hard on people, but you know what? I don’t feel one little bit guilty about that. I truly believe that if everyone lived life authentically and had higher expectations of the rest of society then society would rise to the occasion. The reason that there is no service in retail or anywhere else is because society has allowed it. We’ve allowed service to go by the wayside in the name of Political Correctness and it’s a cop out. It’s not OUR fault that we pay $45 a month for crappy cable and then get Shaniqua who is paid $7/hr to answer the phone and tell us that there’s nothing to be done about it, oh, NO. We know good and well that it’s us, the CONSUMERS who acquiesce and put up with it. If you don’t like something SPEAK UP. If you want honesty, demand it and DO IT in your own life. Am I going to take it in the ass from cable? NO. I’m looking for alternatives. I’m demanding better service.
Goddess knows, my friends have put up with my blabbing the truth at them and pissing them off enough through the years! I know it pisses people off, and I usually don’t mean for it to, but I can take it as well as dish it out. Just the other day I had someone comment on a statement I’d made and point out that it was too negative – and they did so in a very blunt fashion. I could have gotten pissy about it, but I listened to what the actual words were and I immediately gave that person credit for pointing out my shortcoming. I know my shortcomings, believe me, but I can take it if someone wants to call me to the carpet.
It’s too bad that most people are not that self aware and they are unable to take the slightest bit of honest commentary. It’s the pervasive influx of Political Correctness that has made our society one of wimpy little whiners who are afraid to say anything the least bit negative for fear of being seen as NOT P.C.. What this country needs is more honesty and authenticity and less P.C. bullshit.