Day 13 - I Do Pro Bono Work

Pro bono publico - (usually shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning “for the public good.” The term is sometimes used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment as a public service.

^ as defined by Wikipedia

I’m not sure what I consider myself currently, as far as employment goes.

Ideally, I like to think of myself as self-employed. Like I don’t need to be working in an office and somehow have everything I need and want. But this little scenario is not really the case.

At other times I reluctantly consider myself unemployed. However, there are times when I can realize that this isn’t 100% true because I do work, freelance, etc. and make a few bucks here and there.

So while this little problem will not be decided on for some time I’m sure, I have managed to come to one conclusion. After agreeing to do more writing for free (because I need to have as much writing experience as possible to “make it.”), I realized that I am writing for roughly 3 or 4 publications free of charge. So now, I am choosing to say that I am a pro bono writer.

I mean, really, I do my work all for the good of the public, like a lawyer or doctor would.

So it’s decided.

And while this may seem all glamorous and relaxed, it is so not like when Val worked from home, starting her own company and wasn’t making any money.



^ Couldn’t find any pictures of Val when she started her business from home, but here is one where she is trying to get a new client. Plus it has Lauren in it and I definitely need to get into more situations like Lauren…highly awkward ones, but totally funny ones.

Val never had to worry about money when she was working at home. Plus she had a totally awesome loft and even a sort of office area. My laptop is next to my bed on a tiny table. Not quite the same.

But my pro bono work will continue. It’s my way of giving back in the best way possible. Sure I may not save any lives, but I just might recommend a TV show that someone ends up loving and isn’t that better than saving a life.

On a side note: For those of you wondering from yesterday’s post if Legal Eagle did take her bike out of the dumpster when she was a child…yes, she did and she continued to ride it.

Day 12 - Bikes Lost Forever

I had no idea if I was going to write today, but then some funny little stories all came together about bikes.

My oldest sister had her bike stolen in a way last year…well, it sort of disappeared and we thought we knew where it went, but it was all very confusing. However, this is not the point. Today I received a call from her saying she thinks she saw her bike. Although she wasn’t sure and was trying to get a closer look, I have reason to believe her. Her bike was maroon and kind of that old style of bikes (which is not common to see in Chicago).

So she isn’t sure it was hers, but how out of a movie is that - so oddly poetic. You know, some little artsy movie where she sees her long-lost bike and all these memories come flooding back.

Well, for me only one memory came back. When I was much younger, my dad and maybe my sisters and I went riding and my dad was riding the maroon bike and I remember him getting heckled by some little teenage boys who thought the bike looked funny or looked like a girl’s bike. I doubt anyone else remembers this, but for some reason it is the only thing that bike reminds me of.

Told Legal Eagle about my sister’s bike, which then brought up her own bike story. When she was younger her bike was stolen and then about 2 weeks later they found it in a dumpster.



^ This is the closest thing I could find to a bike in a dumpster…I do like that it is a little girl’s bike, although it doesn’t quite fit the image LE has set in my mind. And now I am wondering if she took the bike out of the dumpster or if it was a lost cause…will ask later.

The final bike story is the best, although right now I am having a bit of trouble remembering all the details. When my dad was little he used to ride his bike to school. One day it was stolen. Not funny yet? Well, his house was only about a block away from school and yes, he rode to and from every day. We once drove past his school and old house on a family trip where he recounted this story. I’m pretty sure he still misses that bike. And if you were to ever see a picture of my dad when he was little, this story gets even funnier because he quite simply looked like a funny, little kid.

While Holly and Val don’t have any stolen bike stories, Holly did get Val’s car towed once and had to lie and say it was stolen. Although at the time I think she thought it was stolen and then later they find out that it was towed.



However, this is one of the episodes I am not crazy about. Mostly because Henry is in it and I was never a huge fan of his. In fact, the Henry episodes are probably some of the worst (if it’s possible for this show to have bad episodes).

Completely different note: Kara Saun from one of the Project Runway seasons was a costume designer for WILAY during the last seasons, which makes total sense if you think about Holly and Val’s clothes. Think about it!