STATUS UPDATE: SUMMER HIATUS

Good morning, everyone! I’m back after a bit of an unintentional hiatus. These past few months have been very busy for me. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the original reasons I launched Ivan’s Insights was to write about topics related to my areas of expertise. Though I published book reviews from the beginning, this site wasn’t a bona fide book blog until later. I had and still have trouble finding work even though I’m not a slacker, I’ve never been fired (let alone reprimanded), and I don’t apply to jobs that I honestly can’t do, like a doctor’s assistant or a junior marketing specialist. The field I’m best at is information technology. I’ve been a software and website tester as well as an IT aide, but those jobs were temporary. And unfortunately, my computer technician skills have become rusty from lack of use (managing my tech and my parents’ tech is nowhere near challenging enough) so I’ve been searching for other kinds of work.

Over the past few months, I’ve been freelancing as a food delivery driver for DoorDash and Uber Eats. I was aware those existed, but they didn’t seem like ‘real’ work to me. I wanted a regular W-2 job, not a contractor position or freelance job. My financial stability was precarious, so I signed up for those apps. I was a little apprehensive at first, but eventually I fell into a routine. I’ve read online that apps like Uber and DoorDash don’t quite pay contractors well (and a lot of customers pay meager tips). Despite that, I made enough to cover my bills and a small bit more. It made me wish I could drive passengers, though. My car is just not recent enough.

Apart from that, I’ve also been reading as many books as usual. I just haven’t written that many new reviews. My writing time has been taken up with the novel I’ve been working on since last year. It’s slow going; I haven’t even finished the first draft yet. I think it’s good, though. It’s strayed a bit from the outline I made, but I like how it’s turning out. I can’t wait to be able to reveal more about it. All I’ll say for now is that it’s a sci-fi thriller.

That’s all for this morning. I’ll see if I can stick to my regular Wednesday book review schedule again. Not that I have run out of them; I still have plenty even though I’ve barely written any new ones. I’ve just been rather consumed by my freelance work and my novel. Oh, and I’ve been gaming a bit as well, but I’m disciplined enough to only schedule myself two hours a day for that. Anyway, have a good day!

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