Happy Birthday Tootie

Wow, I was offline for a few days trying to get caught up and I come back to a post like this. Yikes.

Well, first of all, I've posted a few times that I was sick with pneumonia right before Christmas. As a result, I'm way behind. I am not currently accepting any new clients until I get caught up, which means I have no income. I can't believe how far I can get behind just being sick for a few weeks! It's not the easiest thing to run a business by yourself, especially one like the design business, because I have no one to take over the work if I get sick.

I have also posted several times that I am NOT going to be online on ICQ and I will also NOT be able to check my e-mail every single day. The day after I got back online to get to work I had so much e-mail and so many ICQ messages that I spent 7 hours responding to them and I got NO work done. That's not doing ANYONE any good.

I HAVE to get caught up.

Something that I have realized lately is that all these designers that just suddenly seem to "disappear" off the face of the earth.. perhaps some of them don't do it to scam, maybe some of them just get behind because of illness or something and they just can't seem to get caught up so they run away because the don't know how to deal with it. I mean, when you're a solo act, a one-man or one-woman operation and you get sick or have a death in the family, you have no options. And of course everyone has the attitude that no designer ever REALLY gets sick and it's all a bunch of excuses so we can run off an party in Tahiti or something, but I have a family that I care about and I don't have that luxury. Getting sick is something I PRAY won't happen, because I can't afford to get sick.

I could do that. Run, I mean. I have NO money and NO assets, so it's not like anyone could take anything from me if anyone caught up with me. But I'm not a scammer, I'm not a liar, I'm not a thief. I am a VERY responsible mother who loves her children dearly and I am a business-woman who cares VERY much about her business and her reputation. So while I could run away and hide and never come back, I have a family that I have to support and a conscience that wouldn't let me do that anyway.

That said, I am really, really far behind. I can't stay in constant contact with everyone, it's costing me several precious hours a day that I should be spending designing and getting caught up. I've made some good progress lately and I'm not about to give up now. I'm going to continue to be mostly unavailable until I get caught up because I HAVE to. I don't like to do this. I would like to stay in contact with everyone. But I just can't. Even sending out one five minute e-mail a day to everyone who contacts me is a time "luxury" at the moment. I do still have a house and children to care for daily in addition to working so hard to get caught up.

Now, Brad, I was told by you last week that you wanted me to have your sites completed by the 18th. I had a couple of clients in line before you, but since you were so adament about the deadline of the 18th, I pushed you ahead of the line and I told you that I would not be able to keep in contact with you if you wanted the sites done by then because I would need to stay offline and work on them. I have been working on them and I do still expect to have them done by then. I have received a couple of e-mails from you telling me that I have missed the deadline, but according to my calander it just turned the 17th a few hours ago. I'll be heading to bed in a few minutes, but I still have some time before your deadline has passed and I've already made so much progress.

Actually, I just looked at the e-mail you sent again, and it appears that you said "Friday January 18th 2004". When I received your e-mail I put Jan. 18th down as the deadline and I didn't notice that it is neither 2004, nor is the 18th on a Friday. But that would be why you haven't received your sites yet, because the deadline you gave me in the e-mail was indeed January 18th, even if in the year 2004 (when I didn't even know you.)

It's just a typo and a miscommunication, and I'll have the sites done for you by the 18th, just as the e-mail requested.

I don't have all that much left before I am caught up, but for the next few days until I'm caught up on my list, and I stress this because I've said it several times recently and people don't seem to be seeing the message, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH ANYONE. I'm so, so, SO very sorry that my illness has caused any of my clients any grief and I AM going to get caught up and back to business as usual, but I implore you to all be patient just a little while longer. Pass this on to anyone you see asking for me. Let people know that I have NOT disappeared and that I'm working so very hard to get caught up and I will be soon. I just need some patience for a little while longer.