The title won’t make sense until the second half of the post…except for the rambling part 😉

So, I guess I went missing online for a little while, at least of the blog. I’ve been pretty busy working on my new novel and also some short stories.

I also started a new job, which I’m very excited about. As some of you know, I am a former special ed teacher that had to drop down to a substitute because of chronic illness. Subbing is not nearly as satisfying as actual teaching. You’re just a warm body in the classroom to keep the kids from (sometimes literally, depending on the type of class) killing each other. I miss teaching.

So I found a job where I homeschool students that can’t go to the public schools for various reasons. I get to actually teach, and it’s on a 1 to 1 basis, where as I special ed teacher, I excel. That it’s twice as much as I make as a sub is pretty nice too. Right now I am only doing 5 hours a week, but I hope to bump that up eventually without triggering my illness. I’ll find my balance, and everything will be okie dokie (I hope).

I am also looking into an amazon ad campaign for The Watchmage of Old New York. Other writers have told me that it works well if you know what your doing, but it takes experimentation to get it right, and that costs money. Maybe with this new income coming in, I can make that happen. It takes money to make money, so they say (and it’s true).

Here’s where the title starts to make sense

Hmm…If it takes money to make money, does that mean that people with no money can’t make money? Kinda. It’s certainly more difficult. But I’d also say that people with money can lose that money. So while the adage and it’s inverse are mostly true, they’re not completely true. There aren’t many “rags to riches” stories out there, but there are plenty of “riches to more riches” stories.

Yet we worship those riches to more riches types. We admire them even though most of them started out with the proverbial silver spoon. We aspire to be like them, even though they had every advantage going in. It’s not an even playing field.

I think I’m going to aspire to go from “rags to decent clothes and maybe be able to take a vacation now and then.” How about “rags to an apartment where my living room isn’t my dining room, kitchen, and bed room.” Or “rags to not having to decide between paying bills or paying for my medicine.”

I don’t want to be rich. I just want to have enough to live.

But being rich would be kinda nice. I could give a lot to charity.

Does that make me strange? The things that I fantasize about when it comes to money are a bigger apartment (or a house, dare I dream), an occasional vacation, and giving money to charity.

And not being in rags. That’d be cool too.