Uber and Lyft and Bears Oh My!

So, in case you had not guessed by the title I have decided to do driving part time during this fabulous year I have decided to try to make my writing and publishing company work.

I had a weird thing happen as I set myself up for this endeavor. Reading a lot online I decided to include water, hand sanitizer, gum, barf-bags and a small trash bag as part of the features of my car.

I also made sure to re-scotch-guard my seats just in case.

The weird thing was that I was nervous about starting to drive people around. This is totally not normal for me. I have almost no fear when it comes to being in public. I have acted on stage, done conferences and spoken in -front of thousands of people and yet the thought of someone getting in my car kinda freaked me out.

I was lucky. A very good friend of mine needed a ride to the airport. So, I was actually able to pop-my-cherry, so to speak, with her which for some reason made the whole thing easier.

She also recommended that I get some business cards so that if people needed to arrange rides with me they could. I ordered them that day.

So, I have driven for two days now, about 10 rides in total and it was fun.

I haven’t any truly interesting stories yet, but I am sure I will.

I had a mother and son (he was about 7) that I took to the airport. He wants to be a pilot and told me all about it on the ride. She ended up giving me a 5-star and compliment. Yay for me.

I also picked up a gentleman that needed to get a money order from Wal-Mart, asked me to wait for a min, then requested and Uber and I drove him back home. Bonus!

Mainly however, they were people needing a ride home from work. I remember when having a car, riding a bus or taking a taxi were the only options. This made me appreciate this service I was providing even more.

So… If you follow me, I promise you will hear many more tales from behind the wheel!

~ Erika

 

Broken Computer – Life is over

So… as I started out my amazing 2018 with the decision to see if I could make writing really work I was met with a potentially disastrous situation: My computer wouldn’t connect to the internet.

I know, I know, total freakout.

Now before you think I am an idiot that it a wrong button, or let a virus in, I can assure you that wasn’t the case. It was a registry issue that one of my dearest friends, and a computer god within his own right, helped me to resolve.

My life was also not over. Far from it.

The reason that I am sharing this is because, when the main tool you have, and use, for something is no longer available to you, it is interesting how easy it is to have your world rattled and slide into ‘panic mode’.

What this forced me to do while waiting for the fix, was to find and use other tools to get the job done. Did I mention I had a story due for a contest? Well I did.

It also reminded me that no matter what happens, you can choose how you handle it. Yes, an impaired computer isn’t the end of the world, but no matter what the problem is, there is a solution. It just might take some time, help and very creative thinking to get there. But you can win.

I know I intend too!