Meanderings

Easy, inexpensive way to keep track of your time

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As a freelancer, it’s essential for me to keep track of my billable time, and to be sure I’m billing the proper client for the appropriate time and expenses. In addition, I like to keep track of the time I spend marketing (i.e., Social Media), playing my cello, and–of course–working on my current fiction novel.

OfficeTime

I’ve been using OfficeTime since 2015 and can’t recommend it highly enough. This is just SOME of what you can do with it:

  • Use it on a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Watch
  • Track time and expenses by client, project, and category
  • Invoice directly from the software, but only if you want to
  • Program the software to run timers for multiple projects at the same time, pause them automatically, and round times up or down
  • Download the software to multiple devices (but you can only keep it running on one at a time)
  • Sync the software between your devices
  • View reports, by date, week, month, year, or any customizable period
  • Export reports for download to my computer
  • Backup the software automatically

photo credit: http://www.OfficeTime.net

One of the things I really like about OfficeTime is that it’s a time and expense tracker. Meaning it isn’t complicated, it isn’t designed for teams of people, doesn’t entail a large financial commitment to purchase, and doesn’t require a monthly subscription fee.

When I first began using the software, it was free. Now, the cost is $47 –a one-time cost … and it’s WELL worth it. However, a 21-day free trial is available if you want to try it out before committing to buying it.

Although I downloaded a free version in 2016, and was able to continue using it indefinitely, I opted to pay the one-time $47 fee and upgrade to the newest version. The developer is working on an even more enhanced version, which is still in BETA, so more good things are coming. (Yes, I’m using the BETA version, too.)

And that’s another good thing about the software. The developer is accessible. If you email him, he emails you back quickly. (Note: he’s in the UK, so you need to be aware of the time difference.) He also has a support Facebook page where other users post questions and he answers them right on the Facebook page.

http://www.OfficeTime.net

Now, you need to check it out for yourself. OfficeTime is the best investment you can make in your freelance or personal endeavors: http://www.officetime.net/

My credit card info keeps getting stolen … does yours?

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I stayed at a Marriott hotel near Boston last April, so I was very concerned when I heard about the Starwood breach. As a result, I’ve conducted a bit of research on the subject.

Marriott purchased Starwood Hotel & Resorts, in part, because of Starwood’s popular loyalty program. Unfortunately, Marriott also purchased Starwood’s cyber issues. A vulnerability in Starwood’s hotel reservation system had been allowing unauthorized access to it since 2014, a year before the acquisition between the two corporations was even discussed.

Although original estimates indicated more than 500 million guests were affected, recent estimates by Starwood top out at 383 million. Some of which may be duplicates. Phew! That makes me feel SO much better. You too?

Here are the most recent figures released by Starwood (on January 4, 2019):

  • 8.6 million encrypted payment card numbers were compromised
  • 5.25 million UNencrypted passport numbers were compromised
  • 20.3 million encrypted passport numbers were compromised
  • 327 million guests had some combination of the following types of information compromised:
    • Name
    • Mailing address
    • Date of birth
    • Gender
    • Arrival and departure info
    • Reservation date
    • Communication preferences
    • Encrypted payment card numbers

Although you may be breathing easier because stolen credit card info was encrypted, you might want to reconsider. Why? Well, it seems the encryption key might have been stolen right along with the payment card information. The bad guys had access to the system for 4 years. I wonder what other info they stole…

From what I’ve learned, hotels are notoriously vulnerable to security breaches because they often don’t use chip readers and, instead, either enter credit card info manually into their systems or swipe credit cards when guests check in. One cybersecurity expert reported that both the Hyatt and Trump hotel chains were hacked in 2016.

What bothers me is that hotels keep your credit card information after you leave–even when you ask them to destroy it and they swear they will. That happened to me last spring, when I traveled to the Kansas City on business. My client paid for my hotel stay and, when I checked in, the hotel required me to present my personal credit card for “incidentals.” I asked the desk clerk how much I would be charged and whether the hotel would keep my payment information afterward. I was told that a $25 “hold” would be placed on my card at check-in and, if I did not charge anything during my stay, the hotel would remove the hold and destroy my card info.

Well, that’s not what happened. Several months later, after a glitch in communication between my client’s booking agent and the hotel, the hotel charged $152.25 to MY credit card rather than the client’s credit card. (The hotel had not destroyed the info on either card.)

This charge was made although I had not paid the hotel anything (the “hold” was removed) and without my authorization. I called my credit card company, reported a fraudulent charge, and had the card cancelled and reissued.

This was the 2nd time in less than a year I used my credit card legitimately and, through illicit means, an unauthorized third party acquired my info and used it for their own benefit. As a result, the Starwood breach–and the cope of it–does not surprise me. I’m just glad I stopped using debit cards years ago.

Feel free to share your own stories. I know you have them…

Being Thankful

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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I’ve always had Friday off from work and love spending the 4-day weekend at home, hunkering down and relaxing. Maybe it’s because those four days will be last opportunity to breathe and take it easy for a good six weeks. Maybe it’s because, as the seasons change and the year winds down, I find myself trying to figure out how to do and be better.

Looking backward, I appreciate all the things that went right during the past year, and all the things that didn’t. I make plans and set goals … and sincerely hope to achieve them. I’ve always had this sense that it’s impossible to move forward unless we take something of the past with us–and that it’s our choice about what to take that’s the most important part of the decision.

Both my parents are gone and I find tremendous comfort in living in their house, feeling their presence with me, seeing the legacy they left behind, and the way my sibs and our families have drawn closer together.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for all the people I’ve loved and the ways they helped me become the person I am. I cherish family–whether it’s the one I was born into or the many I’ve chosen. And I appreciate being able to do exactly what I want to do, and having the physical and mental capacity to do so.

What are you thankful for? And why?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

What Kinds of Books Do I Read?

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I read all kinds of stuff, in all kinds of formats. I own thousands of books: hardcover, paperback, and ebooks on my Kindle. I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, and definitely receive a great value for my subscription.

Here’s the thing. I received a credit from Amazon that linked me to a page with all kinds of books I could apply the credit to. How does a person decide what book to buy?

I suspect I have a serious issue–okay, I know I have several of them, but I’m talking about the issue relating to my preference for some writers over others. The genre of the book doesn’t matter to me, so long as the writer’s voice sucks me in. Sure, I prefer mysteries, suspense and thriller novels, and all kinds of women’s fiction–including romance. So, why could I not stop reading the first few pages of the first two books I looked at?

Neither book is the type I’d normally read, which is why I looked at them. Stepping outside the box, you know? Here they are, you tell me why I found both authors’ voices gripping:

By the way, my favorite book of all time is the Scarlet Pimpernel. (See? I told you I had issues.)

3 Reasons to Join a Writer’s Group

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The older I get, and the longer I write, the more convinced I become that writer’s groups are an essential component of a writer’s life, success, and mental well-being. Why?

-1- Writer’s groups provide a sense of community, of belonging. Although my professional background has always been in sales and marketing, I have never felt comfortable in large crowds of people (unless I was teaching). Until I walked into my first writer’s meeting in Boston in the late 1980s. There’s nothing that compares to being in a roomful of other creative people. When I’m with other writers, even those I don’t know, I no longer feel just a step out of sync with everyone.

-2- Writer’s groups offer a wealth of information you can’t get anywhere else. Not only do the members of writer’s groups provide you with objective, factual information about the craft of writing and the publishing world, they share their personal impressions and perceptions. Let’s face it, little about storytelling and writing is set in stone. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and preferences. But listening to divergent opinions and insights, and blending the ingredients into a recipe that works for you, is an essential element of growth as a writer.

-3- Finally, writer’s groups provide inspiration and motivation, propelling you on to accomplish great things. Why? Because they hold you accountable. If you’re a member of a writer’s group, you keep writing. And that’s the most important benefit of all. I don’t care what you write, so long as you write, you’ll get where you need to be.

The first book I completed was [what I considered] a romance. A couple of mystery publishers agreed. Unfortunately, the romance publishers thought it was more of a mystery. Despite my confusion, and disappointment, I kept writing.Why? Because. It’s just something I do.

I wrote chapters that never saw daylight. I began writing magazine articles. And a business newspaper column. I wrote short stories. I journaled.

Eventually, I wrote and published a mystery novel and a non-fiction business book. Then I began writing continuing education (CE) courses in the insurance industry (where I worked my “day” job). Then, I was recruited to write insurance CE textbooks for multiple national CE providers/publishers.

My goal was always to be a published writer who supports herself with her writing. Be careful what you ask for, kids, because you  just might get it! Seven years ago, I realized my dream, and began making more money than I ever had. I SHOULD have asked to be a published fiction writer who supports herself with her writing and hits the bestseller list over and over…

Anyway, I now find myself in a position where I whittled my client list down to two, and I spend part of my day writing insurance stuff. I know most people find it boring, but I love it. I spend the rest of my day writing fiction. In fact, right now, I have a fiction novel (the first in a series) on the desks of both an agent and an editor–both of whom I met at a writer’s conference in April!

Only time will tell if I ever hit the best seller list, but I’m writing. And getting paid for it. And working from home without having to wear makeup, a suit, or–thank God!–pantyhose.

You can write your own version of what I consider my success story. Please, join a writer’s group. Write. Stick with it. Your hard work will pay off.

P.S. I’m a member of both the national and regional chapters of the following organizations: Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. And here is a link to lots of other writer’s organizations.