Plaid

My website is now on the front page at Google, I know you’ll be relieved to hear. I’m #1 at Yahoo, but we all know that Google is the big dog in this business. They have a level of power rivalling that of Wal-Mart. The only reason I don’t hold it against them is that they use their power for good, not for evil.

At least so far. We know what power does.

I have three hours on the clock today, and a dinner party to attend tonight. Still, I think that I can fit some sewing in, or at least planning and cutting. So here are some plaid wool things.I’m hoping that they will help me visualize the outcomes well before I actually cut anything, because after that it’s too late.

I’m thinking that I should probably check the fabrics against what’s in my closet, since I actually have some things in my closet these days, so I can see whether they’d be more likely to fit into my wardrobe as jackets or as skirts. Or variations on those themes.

In fact, I should probably go ahead and plan a SWAP around one or more of these fabrics, rather than wantonly sewing things at random and hoping to find something to wear with them later.

Then I’ll read all the advice in my sewing books on how to match plaids. And do my pinning and cutting with great care.

This doesn’t sound as fun as just jumping in with scissors, but it is more likely to lead to success, I think.

Yesterday I taught class (where one of my students brought me some novels by Nicholas Sparks, since, as she put it, “Everyone has read these except you, including guys”), worked on a post I hope to put up at SEOmoz, did a quick assignment for The Computer Guy, and communicated with several of my clients.

Then came rehearsal of the choirlet.

We talked politics at some length.

Several of the women there like Sarah Palin a lot.

They think she’s sincere and authentic.

They think that all the others are just alike: politicians. They’re thinking only of themselves. Palin, they feel, is the only one who won’t make decisions based on her own political best interests.

I just listened politely.

They brought up Palin’s lack of knowledge or experience themselves, but were unconcerned. No one, they felt, really has any relevant experience when it comes to being president or vice president. They just have to surround themselves with knowledgeable people and pick things up on the job.

They thought it was sad that people look down on Palin for being a hunter.

I didn’t have the impression that hunting was what made people look down on Palin, but I could be wrong.

I asked them whom they’d choose if it were a job interview rather than an election. That is, if they were leaving political views out of the equation and just hiring someone based on their qualifications. No one answered that question. One woman said that you couldn’t compare the presidential candidates at all. They had nothing in common. Another said that McCain was a liberal anyway, and practically a Democrat.

I didn’t watch the debate, since I was at rehearsal, but #1 son did — for extra credit in anthropology class — so I’m looking forward to a report.

Later, I talked with my husband about business goals. I definitely need some better goals. Initially, my goal was to replace my salary while I looked for a job. Then it was to find a job before my luck ran out. Then I got around to thinking how to keep my luck from running out and find a way to continue doing the work I was enjoying so much.

These are not bad goals, if we’re on the survival level of Maslov’s hierarchy, but they’d make lame mission statements.

My husband thought I should put working less on my list of goals. I see his point, but again it’s not much of a goal.

My basic statement of what I do has always been that I gather and disseminate information in such a way as to help others reach their goals. Currently, it could probably be phrased as something like bringing the power of the internet to businesspeople who need some help to be able use it to best advantage.

I probably ought to have in there something about consistently providing an excellent product and great ROI, or keeping my skills and knowledge up to date or becoming a productive member of the SEO community.

And then I need to add something like, “Invoice $XXXX per month” or “Maintain a slate of XX clients” or something equally quantifiable.

There should be smaller business goals as well, like really learning how to use my accounting software, or even just actually using it, and reaching a particular level of traffic at my website. Acquiring all the software I need — and #1 daughter recommends a laptop as well. Improving my XHTML and CSS skills, maybe, though I think that it makes more sense overall  for me to stick to English and leave the coding to the people who really enjoy the pointy brackets.

Then I can add in getting to the gym every day, becoming a Zen Computer Guy rather than a schlub-type Computer Guy (see previous discussion on Janet Evanovich and seeking better role models), and sewing on Fridays if I feel like it.

That may still be a lame mission statement, but I think it would be a step up from where I am right now.