May 2012
2 posts
5 tags
On Mahjong
Yes, you read that correctly. I’m writing an entire blog post on the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong, or at least the digitalized, solitaire version of it. I first played this game as a teenager, probably in middle school or maybe the first year of high school, when a Chinese-American friend taught it to a bunch of us and we would play for hours on her dining room table. Right away it...
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On Pay Per Word
In the freelance writing biz in the U.S., there are two ways to get paid: by the word and by the hour, with the first being more common in my experience so far. The rates vary from the abysmal (half a cent/word) to the half-decent, but there’s something that has always struck me as wrong about getting paid by the word.
For some reason, in Poland (and probably other parts of Europe) the pay...
April 2012
1 post
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On Love
Note: I started writing this entry over six months ago and I somehow never finished it then. I stumbled onto it today and decided to finally finish and post it, because it still applies, perhaps even more so now.
Though this is a personal blog, typically I don’t get that personal on here. I love thinking about and sharing my experiences in journalism, freelancing, living in Poland, tech and...
March 2012
2 posts
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On Getting Stuck
It’s ridiculously easy to get stuck in one place. Human nature dictates it. Think about it - if your hunter-gatherer ancestor found a cushy spot where she could raise her children without constant fear of them being eaten or starving to death, she wouldn’t budge from that location for the rest of her life as long as that remained the case. Why venture into the unknown when the known...
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“Our time on this planet is limited. We have a finite number of days and we don’t...”
– The Top 10 Reasons to Travel Condensed Down Into 1
THIS.
This is pretty much everything I’ve tried to convey when people ask why I don’t stay in one place.
February 2012
3 posts
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On the Absurdity of Staying Put
Every couple of years or so, I like to fill out one of those stupid “where in the world have you been” maps on Facebook, partly for bragging rights, partly out of curiosity. Here’s my latest one:
Impressive, huh? I honestly don’t think so. Granted, compared to the average American, it might be on the right end of the bell curve (Though what’s average? Maybe for my...
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“Never, ever sacrifice your happiness for a paycheck. It’s better to scrounge for...”
– My 36 Jobs – The Secret Art of Choosing Well (and it’s not always wisely) | Undefinable You
Words to live by.
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"When did you know you wanted to be a writer?"
I hate that question. And I hate the way most writers answer it. “I was six years old and couldn’t stop writing stories about Superman in the red leather journal I had swiped off my father’s desk…” There’s always that level of detail that no actual six-year-old would have remembered. When I was six years old, I wanted to be wall ball champion during recess. When...
January 2012
2 posts
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Why Kung Fu is Perfect for Nerds →
More things I have written have been published on the Internets!
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Freelancing, by the Numbers: 2011
I can unequivocally say that 2011 was the most formidable and fulfilling year of my adult life. It was my first full year of just freelancing, which means it was the first year that I have been wholly in charge of my financial situation. It was also the first year I have kept a detailed budget since I had my first job at 16. It was the year I paid off my credit cards in full. It was the year I...
December 2011
1 post
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Polish Winters: A Survival Guide
This is part of my ongoing series of articles that I’ve written for Airgate magazine, one of my glamorous freelance writing gigs. This one is especially timely, considering I’m taking off for Texas in a couple of weeks, to escape the Polish winter (or at least a few months of it). Enjoy!
So, it’s your first Polish winter, you say? How hard can it really be to survive, you wonder. Or...
November 2011
3 posts
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“Since I started my big round the world trip a few weeks back, I’ve heard the...”
– Checking In On Your Big, Ridiculous Goals: Are You Walking Your Talk?
It’s incredibly sad how many times I’ve had this same reaction, whether it was after my Trans-Siberian trip, or when I went to Iceland on my birthday, or even now when I went to Morocco for three days for the hell of...
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“The speech deserves the attention it has brought. Whether or not it makes...”
– Poland’s appeal to Germany: Sikorski: “I fear German inactivity” | The Economist
It’s about time.
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“As the hierarchy of the traditional workplace breaks down, we are all gaining...”
– The Future of Self-Improvement, Part I: Grit Is More Important Than Talent :: Articles :: The 99 Percent
If I had to pinpoint the single most difficult part of freelancing, this is it. Not the occasional poverty, not the lack of regiment (which I enjoy), not the instability (also a plus in my...
October 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Back to Work! Or, How to Get a Job in Poland
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my few paid writing gigs is for Airgate Magazine, a high-brow arts publication travel rag published by the Krakow Airport. Occasionally I write quasi-interesting helpful articles for them, the newest of which you will find below.
While the summer is a time of travel and enjoying the weather (when it isn’t perpetually cold and rainy like this summer, anyway),...
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“Ignore the pessimists who say journalism is dead. It’s never been more alive....”
– Stop Crying That There Are No Jobs. Create One. | Afford Anything
I love this sentiment. And this is one of my favorite blog discoveries this year. Go read it.
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September 2011
4 posts
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On the Resurgence of Wanderlust
One thing I hadn’t really noticed since I’ve been freelance is my usually ever-present wanderlust. When I was working regularly, I would constantly dream of travel. Some of my most epic trips took place in the last few years - the Trans-siberian/China/Australia trip, Iceland on my birthday, several Scandinavian adventures. This summer I stayed relatively close to home. I only left...
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On Weather
It’s amazing how much the weather has an influence on me. I never really felt this in Texas. Sure, I bitched that it was hot, but it was ALWAYS hot, and for months and months that didn’t change. And anyway, I was always in an artificial climate - no matter what was happening outdoors, my day was an invariable 72 degrees and I was completely indifferent to the blazing heat or torrential...
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“There are about 25 million Americans who develop grotesque facial ticks when...”
– N. Killiham, The Washington Post, May 23, 1989
I don’t know how I never came across this quote before, but I absolutely love it. I also wonder if that figure is much higher these days due to the economy…
August 2011
2 posts
4 tags
“The population of the United States is more than 300 million and it includes...”
– Attention Governor Perry: Evolution is a fact - On Faith - The Washington Post
When people ask me why I don’t see myself ever moving back to America, usually I say something like I prefer the European lifestyle - living centrally in an apartment, not having to drive, having seasons, living in...
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On Turning Off
I’ve been absent from this blog for a while, and no matter how I try to rationalize it (I’ve had a lot of work, my parents visited, there was an epic wedding weekend, I had to clean up cat puke) and say I’ve been too busy living to write, I find that excuse leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Imagine me dropping dead and my obit reading, “She was doing so well but then she...
July 2011
2 posts
1 tag
“I have to admit, I’m a little dialed out of the blog world right now,...”
– Seen and Said
A sentiment shared.
(via lanipauli)
I’ll just use this to explain my absence from the tumblverse. That, and a month of nearly non-stop travel, a concert, my mother visiting, and finally some work, which I really should get back to…
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A Brief History of Kraków for Non-Poles
Last month, I posted A Brief History of Poland for Non-Poles, which had originally run in the spring issue of Airgate magazine (one of my glamorous freelance writing gigs). The natural follow-up would be a brief history of the city I’ve now lived in for nearly six years: Kraków (which originally appeared in the summer issue of Airgate). Enjoy.
While the nation of Poland had yet to exist...
May 2011
3 posts
4 tags
On That Moment
12:21 am last night. That’s when it came, that moment. It comes more or less weekly, sometimes more, sometimes less, but always when you’re alone. No television, no spouse, no distractions in your headphones. The bed is the best place - that, or the shower. But it’s always when you have just let your guard down, whether scrubbing routinely or just about to drift away.
That...
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SETI Institute: DONATE →
I know that between earthquakes and tornados there are plenty of worthy causes out there right now, but for what it’s worth, this is where I put my money.
April 2011
8 posts
5 tags
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Giving Taxpayers Choice Could Boost Satisfaction... →
This is a brilliant idea. The short summary I’ve linked above is definitely worth reading, and if I can get my hands on the original paper I’d love to read it as well, but in short, the idea is:
Well, you know when you’re filling out your taxes, you have that box that says, “would you like to contribute to a political campaign?” In Poland, you can give 1% of your...
glasgow-kiss asked: Hej Ania,
Sto lat z okazji urodzin ten-ten. --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_KB5nA9iMg
Ja za miesiąc obchodzę 29-te eleven-eleven a za rok 30-te eleven-eleven-eleven! AAAAAA! :-)
Cudownie, że miałaś okazję pojechać na Islandię. Z tego co czytam musiało być MAGICZNIE. Mam kilka pytań (jeśli nie masz nic przeciwko). W jaki sposób organizowałaś cały...
Sto lat z okazji urodzin ten-ten. --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_KB5nA9iMg
Ja za miesiąc obchodzę 29-te eleven-eleven a za rok 30-te eleven-eleven-eleven! AAAAAA! :-)
Cudownie, że miałaś okazję pojechać na Islandię. Z tego co czytam musiało być MAGICZNIE. Mam kilka pytań (jeśli nie masz nic przeciwko). W jaki sposób organizowałaś cały...
3 tags
openwings-deactivated20111018 asked: I just read your "About Me" section on your website :)
I heartily concur. Haha.
I heartily concur. Haha.
openwings-deactivated20111018 asked: I'm unsure of biological immortality, but aiming for artistic immortality is rather hubristic. The most any one of us can hope for is to find purpose within our lives, to give meaning to our lives, and contribute something to civilization. Any of the greats that have left humanity shaken: Einstein, Gandhi, Picasso, Mozart etc. were never intent on gaining immortality, they were driven by...
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On Immortality
As creatures of flesh that crumbles and consciousness that fades, we only have two roads to immortality, and one is easier and thus chosen by most, and one is infinitely more difficult and even the ones who choose it, inadvertently or not, usually fail. Some may try both, but in the end one will always be sacrificed, whether through lack of attention or logistical failings. We have two choices:...
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Polish feminism? Count me in, darling | Aleksandra... →
I’m going to apologize for my absence from this blog by declaring my continued absence from this blog until things settle down, and sharing some links.
First of all, the above article mirrors my experience in Poland so well I literally could not have written it better. Enjoy, then get pissed off.
Second, some friends and I started an ambient record label, which partly explains my absence....
March 2011
4 posts
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How to turn 28 in the middle of the Atlantic « A... →
Things I have written have been published on the Internets. Huzzah!
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Freelancing: It’s like being on vacation, but you still get paid.
February 2011
3 posts
3 tags
UK Interpreters Boycotting Applied Language... →
I’m so behind this. Not only do people willing to work for peanuts (in any profession) show a deep lack of self-respect, they ruin the market for the rest of us. I understand being competitive, but when you’re settling for half the going rate just to get that little bit of extra business, it’s no longer even profitable for you.
In places like Poland, where the...
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On Freelancing, By the Numbers*
Beverages consumed: Coffee: 2 Latte: 1 Frappuccino: 1 Green tea: 1 Club-Mate: 1 Guinness: 1 Tyskie (Polish beer): 1 Ciechan (one of my favorite Polish beers): 1 Vodka shot: 1
Pages translated: 17 Pages left to be translated: 4 Money spent: 43.50 złoty Money earned if this job is finished: enough to pay next month’s rent and then some Times Facebook checked: 7 Times Tumblr...
January 2011
7 posts
5 tags
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On Journalism
Last month, I transitioned from a “proper” job as the editor of a small newspaper to a freelancer. Now that the novelty of working at home and out of cafes at whatever hours I choose is wearing off, I’ve made some observations.
To be completely honest, what I’m going to miss most about my job, besides the people I worked with, is the press previews, free passes, and...
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The Journalist as Timekeeper
One morning a couple of months ago when I still had a job (a painful 9:15 am to be exact, about five hours before my brain tends to wake up), a colleague and I interviewed one of the trumpeters of St. Mary’s Church (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I suggest clicking the afore-mentioned link to read about an awesome legend that involves a Tatar warrior with rather...
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Freelance is not a fancy word for not having employment; it is a fancy word for not wanting employment.
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“Despite all this, I’ve stubbornly stuck to my basic plan of being an artist,...”
– Don’t Panic! | Pixiq
I have to share this as it’s damn good advice from one of my favorite photographers from one of my favorite countries.
I recommend this post (and the entire blog) not just to photographers, but to anyone in a creative field, especially those trying to freelance it....
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“Remember, someone you know, respect, and interact with every day is an...”
– Caring for Your Introvert - Magazine - The Atlantic
My New Year’s gift to you, fellow introverts.