Reviewing "LiveWork"

Most are unaware when signing up for LiveWork, the company is somehow connected to Live Ops. Let me be clear, I have no information on the company by that name.
I did attempt to pick up some work using the Live Work platform. When signing up back in September 09, there were only 4 jobs listed. After applying for them all, nothing was heard from any of them. Fast forward to November 09, out of the blue, an email arrived, declining me for one of the positions. Now this provider is very active on a forum, and clearly stated what qualifications she looked at before hiring anyone for her team. Having none of those, so, it was not surprising to get a denial email. Here is the funny part, the very next day, here comes a welcome to the team email. Same provider.

Curiousity got the better of me. Went into the website to see what is was all about. The project is answering questions from the public, off a popular search engine. One answer pays you .28. The project calls for you to answer at least 100 of them per week. Ok, lets give this a shot. After searching around quite a bit, and some mass confusion as to how to get started, I found the actual questions quite easy to answer, with very little research required. My first 100 were submitted in about two days.

The person in charge of this project sent emails, forum messages, and also in a chat room, to attend her conference calls. She has these about every day, however, no toll free number. Voicing my displeasure, I dialed in. There was no new information, lots of distraction on the providers end, with chasing a pet out of the room and other awkward breaks. The main information shared was read from emails that were sent out. After about thirty minutes of that, I hung up. They do provide a link to the recorded call, and from here on, that is what I choose to do. The others I listened to , were the same material. Waste of time.

After working two days to answer the required 100, suddenly there is another project this provider is hiring for. This project pays .68 per answer. Of course I wanted to switch over. NOPE. If you were working on the other one, the only way this provider will put you on the new one was to be in what she called , top providers.  Hum, the qualifications for this seemed to be answering not 100 per week, but, double that per batch. Yep, suddenly this provider wants you do answer 200 queries per batch, and there are at least two batchs per week. So, um, wait a minute. When signing up its 100 per week. It says right there on the qualification page.

Well, let me tell you, this person running this project, now seems to have 500 people working on 3 or 4 projects, and micro managers every tiny detail. I have worked in a call center with less employees than this and let me tell ya, Micro managing will not work for long. I see a train wreck on the tracks.

Now, here is the deal and why I resigned.
A. I ask to be switched to the higher paying project, she would not allow it.
B. Come payday, we find out, that paypal fees are passed over to us. Example my 28.00, was reduced by 1.05. About equal to five questions answered.  The project manager believes they have no control over this, that its paypals policy, however, if you check closely, there would be no fee if the company paid out of their bank account or funds from paypal itself. Sorry, I don't pay anyone for the priveledge of working. PERIOD.

I have great symphathy for those doing this gig, who only have this as income. Those are the ones who will take all the crap jobs out there and be so happy to have any income at all. They are also the ones who will scream the loudest when anyone points out the flaws. Such as, if we worked in public, we have to pay gas, and dry cleaning and blah blah blah.  Well, I suppose you could if you wanted to. I don't own anything that needs drycleaning personally, and um, nope, my car would only use maybe one gallon of gas a day getting to and from a Brick and Mortar. Far, Far , from eating up much of a min wage jobs pay. Come on, it took me two days to make 28.00. Maybe five hours total. What is that like 5.25 per hour.

All thats left to say to that is, "SUCKERS"

Working from Home as a Writer, pays very little.

What makes a writer?

We are aware that there are those that have college degrees in Journalism, or the English Language, here. Those who will step in with comments stating a perfectly formed sentence will receive better marks, than one presented with either a missing comma or grammar problems.

My line of thinking is that is true, for the type of work we are doing here. However, to be honest, a true writer is someone who can put a story together. A story should keep your attention from beginning to end.

So let us be honest. Not only are we writing here, but we are also required to do the job of editors for very small payments. If we all had English Degrees, why would society need editors?

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms. The word is almost synonymous with author, though somebody who writes, for example, a laundry list, could technically be called the writer of the list, but not an author. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images, whether fiction or non-fiction.

Editing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video, or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media. A person who edits is called an editor. In a sense, the editing process originates with the idea for the work itself and continues in the relationship between the author and the editor. Editing is, therefore, also a practice that includes creative skills, human relations, and a precise set of methods

How to Overcome Your Nicotine Addiction

Boy, smoking is a huge political target in today’s society. One looks at a smoker with such disdain and repulsion, they are to be avoided at all costs and lord forbid your children come within their personal space.  One can hardly wait for those lawsuits to start appearing. 

Nevertheless, face it, you know you do want to quit. You have for years; however, the will power required is more than you have now. Maybe after the news is posted about the job promotion, or when the approval comes through on you new home purchase. There is always something going in your life that keeps you from taking that first step. No one can make the decision for you and as long as you are still coming up with excuses, you are not going to quit. 

Many people are recommending stop smoking aids, being it in the form of prescription drugs or over the counter patches or gum. To be honest, you need to research those options, however, there are so many dramatic side affects from these, you should only consider these if you have seriously tried and failed using your own will power.

One thing you can try is to use visualization. Just picture it in your mind. You are smoking your very last cigarette. View yourself puffing away, picture the smoke rising into the air, take a deep breath, and exhale completely. Watch as the cigarette burns down to the filter, and the ashes you flick away. As your extinguishing the last of the butt, and throwing it away, picture in you head, giving yourself a high five, while saying that is the last smoke you will ever enjoy.    

This is one of the methods a hypnotist will suggest as the means to put those cigarettes down. Yes, you will have periods of time where the urge is so strong, you have to have that nicotine right this minute, however, it’s your choice how to diffuse this. One method is to carry a small bit of baking soda with you. When the symptoms appear, simply, wet your finger and stick it on the soda, and return a bit of the powder to your tongue. This helps your body to reduce the acids that retain the nicotine. Getting rid of that stored nicotine is imperative in getting rid of the habit. This soda can also be mixed into a glass of water, several times per day, however, you may find that putting a bit directly onto your tongue, will help fight off that need for a smoke.

It is also true to avoid places where smokers hang out. Those bars and casinos are chock full of temptation for the former nicotine addicted personality. There are former smokers, some that have quit as far back as twenty year ago, who still just love the smell of cigarettes and know, that smoking just a single one, and they are hooked yet again. 

In closing, one also needs to consider the substitute habits that some will pick up in avoiding nicotine. Of course, we are referring to food and the weight gain associated with that. Yes, you are creating another issue, which will need to be addressed, however, without the smoking habit, you will be in a much better position to hit the gym, you will have much more energy and ability to walk further with out running out of breath. Your lungs actually start to heal themselves from the moment you take your last puff!  

Why women often gain weight when they are in a committed relationship

Coming up on the 25^th wedding anniversary, one may ponder all that has taken place of the last quarter century. Do you wonder if there is any way your body would fit back into that wedding dress? How about those tight fitting jeans that got the attention of your spouse in the first place? Most likely, the answers to those questions are a giant NO!

Unfortunately, after being in the relationship for a few years, your priorities will change dramatically. Gone will be the days of you looking into the mirror wondering if he will like that new dress or better yet, how good your body looks in that dress. This time will be spent instead of wondering how to pay the bill for the hot  water heater that you had to replace or running your children to and fro from various sporting, school, music, and who knows what all else activities. That is right. Once you have married and you have children, there is no time in the schedule for yourself. Your family becomes your number one priority, your reason for living, your reason for working. A Woman wants more than anything does for their children to have happy pleasant memories of their growing up years, and she will go way out on a limb to achieve that.

 

This will start with the moment of birth. Making sure everything in the nursery is just so. Birthday parties have to be top notch with all family members in attendance. Preschool ages bring the beginning of a sports career or music lessons. It all just balloons from there. There is absolutely no time in the day to schedule exercise, to plan healthy meals or worry about getting ones hair done. Gosh at this point, getting a haircut itself is a luxury

Before long, your running around in sweatpants so much, you do not even notice the additional inch that your waistline grew. When shopping for clothing, your grabbing what is comfortable without so much as a thought as to how tight the waist was the last time you wore your jeans, and at the same time, you’re grabbing the next size larger.  

Another item that comes into play will be the relationship with your spouse. Yep, after the honeymoon period is over, there may still be a few years where you both cannot keep your hands off the other. After that, its more like when your both so exhausted at the end of the day, you find your actually going to bed at the same time for once.  At this point, who cares what they look like; you just put in an eighteen-hour day. From then on, you really do start to take for granted that your spouse do not care what you look like and give up on yourself as well. 

Seriously, in the end, as long as you are healthy, energetic, and provide your significant other with the support they need, gaining a little weight is not that serious of an infraction. The children will be grown and gone soon enough and your finances do tend to improve at that point as well. One finds plenty of time on their hands at this point in life and are free, able and ready to join a gym, take a healthy cooking class, and finally start dating their spouse again. Yes indeed. Go get that trendy haircut, buy that new dress because Momma, it is all about you, again!

HeliumWhy women often gain weight when they are in a committed relationship

Oh Please Give it a Rest

You know what they say about the soap operas.  Watch once per year is all that is required and your caught up on the story line.  Honestly, its true.  Let us take a look at one that I have been watching since the 60's.  Day of Our Lives.  The writers of this show, have made these story lines so predictable, that its laughable. Once again, Bo and Hope have split up, and they are bringing in a former love of Bo's to complicate the matter.  One can only yawn as the storyline progresses.  As a regular viewer, we are so sick and tired of Hope playing the self rightous bitch, and oh, poor me.  The Actress who plays this charactor does not have many lines to memorize anymore.  They are all the same lines, whine and moan.   One can only pray the writers give this chick some backbone soon.

Then there is the storyline of Nichole.  Jesus H Tits.  Seriously, have you ever seen anyone talk to themselves so much that you honestly believe this person should be in a mental ward somewhere?  The only people you really come in contact with who does this, is homeless people wondering the sidewalks of large cities.   This character is also lost in the whine and moaning  world.  Oh poor me, why can't I catch a break, why am I also caught up in my own lies.  Um... talk to the writer of the show.  Sure wish a viewer had that ability.

We can say Thank you for giving the viewers a break on the Sammy Brady whine fest.  It seems as though the writer is finally giving this character a break along with a little maturity.   Of course what choice did she have after they took Marlena and John out of the picture.  Matter of  fact, most of her support system are rarely seen on the show.  Grandma Caroline Brady, has she been cut?  None of the characters siblings are available, and her Daddy, Roman Brady, may get one scene a week.  Guess you could say, Sammy had to grow a backbone!

There is one character that is getting less and less lines these days.  I do wish to thank the writers and producers for that.  Stephanie.  Who dresses that girl anyways.  Those freaken dangling oversized earrings are such a distraction, seriously.  I have changed the channel to watch Judge Joe Brown before, cause I was wanting to yank them earrings out so bad.  Along the same lines, this viewer, was gagging at the love scenes that included her and Philip.  YUCK! They had zero chemistry between them, at all!  Hard to describe how uncomfortable that made me.

In the Dark of Night They Come

We get up early. Very early, according to most of the Family.  

Hubby leaves for work around five. About 4:15, the alarm clock buzzes.

This has become the normal time for us to be awake.

We can tell you, we see them five times per week, sometimes more. They come down our road, with the lights turned off but you can hear them. When they slow down to drop off their partners, you can see the brake lights.  

A few minutes later, the same vehicle returns, lights off, to pick up who ever it was they dropped off.  

So this morning went as normal. I grab a cup of coffee and head to the enclosed back porch for my first smoke of the day. I hear the Valve spewing. Look out the window and sure enough, the toxic chemical is being sprayed into the air. Thank goodness, the wind is out of the North today.  

Not much later, I see one of the Sheriff Deputies' cars. Headlights on, and he is wondering around the lot with a flashlight. Better late than never I guess. As I am going on about my morning, at 5:35, I hear six gunshots. Holly shit! We have been here for many years; this is the first time for that. As I peer out my window, I observe the sheriff's car is now pointing his headlights to the West. At this point, I have no idea if the gunshots come from the Law or criminal side of the situation. I then see who I believe to be Law Enforcement, get into his car and leave!   

Now let me tell you, I am shaking like a leaf. It is still pitch dark outside, and the direction of those headlights, would mean he was shooting in the direction, just north of my house. Hell, there are houses over there where he was shooting. They are on the other side of the now empty wheat field. Why in the pitch dark, did he believe he had clear enough vision to empty his six-shooter?

By now, all the porch lights of my neighbors are on and the county commissioner, who lives on this same road, is pulling into this now empty lot. Then just as casually, pulls back out and as far as I can tell goes back home. Later this morning, during business hours, I did see a deputy’s car down there at the COOP. In the time it takes for me to put on some shoes, he had left.

It does me no good to call the Sheriff's office when this happens. The thieves have scanners and know where the deputies are at before striking. They know when someone has called them in and can get in and out of the area very quickly. In over twenty years of living here, they may of caught two of the thieves, and that happened by pure luck.  

Here is my rant on this issue. The state has already made over the counter medications, ordered locked up. One has to show a drivers license to purchase them. Then you can only purchase a certain amount. I am talking about medications like Sudafed. This has helped some with the meth problem in our state, but not enough, apparently. They now want to make these drugs, available by prescription only. Now why in the hell, if I need Sudafed, should I need to get a Dr's written order, when, These COOP'S do nothing to secure those tanks of Anhydrous Ammonia? Those tanks are just sitting there, out in the open. Very easy targets. I want something done about that. The more the other ingredients are regulated, the more times the COOP is ripped off. It will not be long I am afraid to say, that someone will be hurt. Thank God, it was not today! 

Making a few bucks on the side.

There are a lot of women out there who are trying to stretch their dollars.  One way of accomplishing this it to find freelance writing gigs.  These may require you to simply rewrite a title, make sense of perhaps and overseas website, or even post blogs. 
Currently, I am signed up with two companies.  Both of these compaines pay via paypal, and have very good reputations.  It will provide me with some spending cash for holiday shopping or allow me to quickly buy something on sale over the internet.  I am one of those people that has a very limited income, and it seems that as soon as it hits the bank account, the bills consume what little there was. 
One of the companies I work for pays daily, the other monthly.  I will continue to search for one that pay weekly!