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well then
Talked to parents about The Great Escape last night; it went both better and worse than I expected, but the best part is that it's over and I don't have to think about it (or panic about the bit where I have to talk to people on purpose about a specific thing, which sends me into fits of terror no matter how benign the subject or how intimately known the people). Most of the "worse" was me not being nearly as eloquent or sense-making with my mouth as I was in my head, and my body's inclination to start crying before someone's even had time to drop the proverbial hat. All that to say -- I almost have a plan. I think.
So: parents largely supportive, if somewhat taken aback, I think. Dad is going to teach me to drive, and start investing in the small economy car we've been talking about getting for the last year (cannot learn on Mum's car for it is broken; cannot learn on Dad's car for it is a hippie van of hugeness). I am going to study the driver's manual, and make up catchy songs to make me remember everything if I have to. Apparently one can learn to drive and get one's license in a few weeks if one is diligent and learns well? I was always under the vague impression that it took months. I think having bicycled on main roads so much will be at least a little helpful -- cars are entirely different, of course, but I've internalised a lot of rules and knowledge of how things work.
I am also seeking out-of-the-box ideas for making money; Dad suggests I have at least a thousand saved. This is laughable with my current job or lack thereof (stilllll on the payroll! but aside from my name being on it you couldn't tell I worked there), hence the rather mad ideas I am coming up with, including but not limited to selling plasma to the Red Cross (you can get about thirty bucks in a week) and donating my body to Science. Which, um, sort of appeals to me, actually, in an Adventure sort of way. There's nothing right in town, but I'm looking into Pittsburgh and State College next. Dad did some of that years ago -- he had to wear some kind of patch for some drug they were testing; I don't remember anything else -- and, you know, I'm young and healthy and weird side affects aren't going to be hugely problematic to my life at the moment (I mean, unless they make me go insane or break out in giant puss-filled boils, or both), and I have the time and freedom to stay at a hospital or some such for several weeks if there's a sleep study or some such I can participate in. It is quite possible that this could take care of all of the necessary money in one go: and, as I said, it kind of appeals to me in a weird way. I like new experiences, helping scientific advances is nifty, and money is pretty nice. So, yes, that's what I'm looking into at the moment.
Haven't talked to the other parts of the plan -- relations and Susu -- yet, so we'll see where that gets me.
Am I really doing this? I must be mad.
So: parents largely supportive, if somewhat taken aback, I think. Dad is going to teach me to drive, and start investing in the small economy car we've been talking about getting for the last year (cannot learn on Mum's car for it is broken; cannot learn on Dad's car for it is a hippie van of hugeness). I am going to study the driver's manual, and make up catchy songs to make me remember everything if I have to. Apparently one can learn to drive and get one's license in a few weeks if one is diligent and learns well? I was always under the vague impression that it took months. I think having bicycled on main roads so much will be at least a little helpful -- cars are entirely different, of course, but I've internalised a lot of rules and knowledge of how things work.
I am also seeking out-of-the-box ideas for making money; Dad suggests I have at least a thousand saved. This is laughable with my current job or lack thereof (stilllll on the payroll! but aside from my name being on it you couldn't tell I worked there), hence the rather mad ideas I am coming up with, including but not limited to selling plasma to the Red Cross (you can get about thirty bucks in a week) and donating my body to Science. Which, um, sort of appeals to me, actually, in an Adventure sort of way. There's nothing right in town, but I'm looking into Pittsburgh and State College next. Dad did some of that years ago -- he had to wear some kind of patch for some drug they were testing; I don't remember anything else -- and, you know, I'm young and healthy and weird side affects aren't going to be hugely problematic to my life at the moment (I mean, unless they make me go insane or break out in giant puss-filled boils, or both), and I have the time and freedom to stay at a hospital or some such for several weeks if there's a sleep study or some such I can participate in. It is quite possible that this could take care of all of the necessary money in one go: and, as I said, it kind of appeals to me in a weird way. I like new experiences, helping scientific advances is nifty, and money is pretty nice. So, yes, that's what I'm looking into at the moment.
Haven't talked to the other parts of the plan -- relations and Susu -- yet, so we'll see where that gets me.
Am I really doing this? I must be mad.
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Hm, selling blood plasma to the Red Cross, I wonder if I could do that. You know, despite the fact that even getting a couple vials taken, at least at the wrong time of day, makes me want to pass out. >_< And don't forget to look for psych and econ experiments too, whether at Pittsburgh, State College, or there in town; as opposed to medical trials, they'd probably pay a lot less, but they'd take less time, too (a couple hours once, say). Aaaaand don't forget trying for an online job. No really. Yes I am a broken record why do you ask. Also you should look into publishing some of your poems, and any OF you might have finished, which...probably isn't much, but I could see your apocalyptic piece being picked up. Ralan's (http://www.ralan.com/index-f.htm) might be a good place to look for market listings, despite its...uh, less-than-professional appearance. Lots of spec-fiction listings. Apparently that Turkshido coffee stories book isn't available as a HIT anymore, which is sad, but keep checking MTurk, too. And you might want to add Magpie (http://www.be-a-magpie.com) even if it's a little annoying; if you can get some decent "per view" ads, it can add up.
And good for you talking to your parents; the bigger a deal something is, the harder it is to talk about logically.
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Ha! Donating oneself to science is definitely adventurous, and I've thought about it too except, well, I don't know if I'd necessarily like to go through weird side effects, but if I was working toward a financial goal and I felt at peace about the clinical study, I wouldn't see much of a reason not to do it. (Neat story: My dad was actually on the board of judges in the eighties to test the flavor of this new drink called Mountain Dew; all the judges were given different samplings, some sweet and some horribly awful, and they had to rank them on scale. Dad made money and also helped to make history. :D)
In the same predicament with the car driving, though I'm hoping to start working on it soon. We have a minivan which I'm not really excited about learning to drive with, so I'm hoping I can acquire a small car. But, hey! If you learn to drive a hippie van of hugeness you can pretty much drive anything (sans: 18-wheelers and oliphants).
I'm really excited for you! :)
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EDIT: Also, what do you think of this? It's actually a Rammstein cover of all things, and while it's a little eerie...
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Any vague ideas of a timeline for this?
And I say, selling plasma (and supposedly one can sell blood too? separate from blood drives, obviously) and such to the Red Cross is something I had heard of and found intriguing in a strange way. Pass on any info you find, would you? It seems to me a good way to make some extra cash, and it really appeals in the science fiction, (isn't this like black market vampire stuff?) adventurey sort of way. One probably has to be eighteen I suppose, but as I only have a few months until then...
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I guess what I'm trying to say in my tl;dr way is: these ARE real ways to make money, and I survived doing both(I donated plasma for several months, if I hadn't moved away from the donation centre in DeKalb [and the only one I know of] I'd still be doing it) with no ill effects.
Is it possible for you to get ahold of the school papers of local universities? I know I found the advertisements for both the plasma place AND the scientific study I participated in the NIU school paper -- college students are the prime targets for these things as they are young, healthy, and very, very broke, usually.
A thousand sounds like a good buffer; and you'd be surprised how quickly that can evaporate. (Although maybe I'm just bitter because I just watched my paychecks disappear in the usual beginning-of-the-goddamn-month way. =P )
You have some good, solid ideas on how to earn money; the hard part will be implementing them. The current state of the economy doesn't really help much, either. =/ But there's not much you can do about that.
You're a canny girl, I'm sure you'll be able to learn to drive, no problem. You'll find the hardest part is getting an adult driver to find the time to coach you. Are there any large, empty parking lots near your house where you can practice? Have any friends over 21 you can bribe with baked things? (I don't know what it's like where you live, but in IL the person helping the driving learner had to be over 21 and with a license of their own.)
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