Raven’s Range
Blather around a virtual range

On Saturday we left the Stockton area and found ourselves in Sacramento for the night. The heat has become vicious, hitting 107F/42C today and predicted at the 100-103 degree range for the next week, even up in Trinity. We got done what we needed to at the storage shed and headed merrily back home. It was all very spontaneous and fun. :)

So was meeting Katster. Since I knew she lived along our route I got in touch and she came right over. We had a fun chat and it was lovely to hook up with a friend.

It’s been a week for museums. On Saturday I went through Willows (after an abortive trip to Williams, which two cities I am always mixing up, thus making it the first time ever I went snarfing in the wrong town) and found several new historical markers plus a museum. Ended up chatting to the docent and his friend for an hour at least. Then the same thing earlier today; called in at tiny Tehama for two historical markers, found five, and along with another patron got a guided tour from a truly knowledgeable and friendly docent. I like small museums.

Markeroni once copped criticism from a small-town historian for being all about “the numbers game”–as in, he was insulted that I turned historical marker hunting into a fun activity. ;) At that stage I added museums to the site, and I am pretty sure that anyone who looks for markers ends up visiting more museums, too–and leaves donations.

I hung out with Amber earlier in the week and we mopped up a few more historical markers around Stockton between visits to coffee shops and the like. ;) Aside from that it’s been about hating the heat and working on the computer and generally getting our projects done so that now I can say:

I officially launched Gentile Writing. :)

Tonight we are in Redding, using up a hoarded free-night’s pass at the Redding RV Park, and we have the a/c on full blast. It is the first time we have had camping with hookups in a month, and oh, it is GOOD.

Apply to 10 jobs on various job boards

It’s job application time! I have been looking through ads on Craigslist and a dozen or so job sites with RSS feeds. Today I applied for some. Tomorrow I will apply for some more, and will also be cold-calling/emailing some potential clients who don’t know they need me yet. ;)

And onwards we go…

Announce that you are now available for freelance work.

Gentile Writing is open for business. I am looking for clients for whom I can write blog posts, articles, newsletters and other copy. I have particular interests in the non-profit sector, as well as the travel, rv, heritage/history and motorcycle industries.

In return you will get great writing, tailored to your company’s voice and message, and an enthusiastic can-do attitude.

I took the plunge and am on LinkedIn now.

See here for more information.

(more…)

So, just for a change, we are in Lodi. Still. The week has unfolded in a series of projects: Book signing, going to the post office and seeing the clerks’ eyes get a little larger as they lift each 33-pound box, fixing a little electric cart that someone had lying around, and excavating the furthest bowels of the shed enough to extract the rear cylinder head so that once again we can ride two bikes side by side, until something else breaks.

And then, of course, there are the virtual projects. I got Gentile Writing and Raven’s Roads up and running, and now find that having successfully made RR look wonderfully pretty, I can’t log in at all, which is very annoying in that very understated British kind of way. But at least I can get into Gentile Writing. And both of them look pretty. And I am putting out feelers for work.

I like the energy of learning curves, so long as they’re the learning curves I choose and not the ones that are thrust on me. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, and self-educating. I love the energy of new projects. And I am looking forward to doing work that pays me commensurate with my skills.

Start working on portfolio item #3, add item #2 to your portfolio

Today was the day to fine-tune the website and get it ready for primetime. I had a number of samples set aside and have now placed them up there. I consider the first public incarnation of Gentile Writing to be up and ready. Any and all feedback would be much appreciated.

Tomorrow is the day I go live! (more…)

Sign up to job boards relevant to your industry and subscribe to their RSS feeds

I opened 39 tabs and visited 39 tabs and now have 17 feeds in a nice new Bloglines account. Don also set me up an email for writing jobs at Craigslist (it needs expanding to the entire USA). I guess I have a new every-day task. :)

For all the time I’d spent at New Hogan Dam, I never really thought about there being an Old Hogan Dam.

We found it.

Campfires are a nice way to end a day. We usually grab a beer and some nibbles, and just sit and watch the flames. This one’s at New Hogan Dam, near Valley Springs.

Create free portfolios and profiles wherever you can

So far I have set up a profile on LinkedIn. It’s not complete because, to be honest, the real-name social networks bother me in ways I have yet to really figure out.

On the one side it makes sense for my business, but the ideologies of the people who run Facebook, for example, give me a sour taste in my mouth.

Have to see about this. I can see how it would be useful, ultimately. But, still. (more…)

There’s a possibility of there having been a bird in this photograph, but if so, I don’t see it. Fortunately, it’s still a pretty, blue sky.