Chris Meistre

I’ve always belonged to Rent a Coder.  Ok, not always, but for a number of years.  It’s a website where people post their software coding and development needs, and the coders can respond to their requests by bidding on getting the work.  The buyer then views all the bids, and decides who he wants to use.  Never really appealed to me, until I started actually working it a month ago.

It’s very difficult getting your first work via Rent a Coder, but once you start and you build up a rating on there, it becomes easier and easier.  How I started was to do bid on all the smaller jobs, $10-$25 range.  It took about 40 bids before I landed my first work.  Don’t be discouraged, just keep on bidding, eventually you’ll get something.

The whole system works on ratings.  So when you do a good job, the buyer rates you and future buyers can then view these ratings and see if you’re a good or bad developer.

It’s mostly smaller projects that I target on there, because I don’t have a lot of extra time to take on larger projects right now.

Here are I few tips I believe you should employ to make a success of any freelance website:

1. Keep on bidding, even if you’re not getting jobs.  Eventually it does work out and you will start getting more and more work.
2. When you get a job, make sure to stick to the deadlines and the requirements.
3. Make sure before bidding that you know exactly what the requirements are, and that you will be able to fulfill them.
4. Ratings are king on these sites, so make sure you do everything in your power to give the best and most professional service.
5. Keep on bidding
6. Try and stick to a specific site and work it as much as you can.
7. Make sure you understand all the rules of the site (i.e. most of them you cannot ask for upfront payments)

I believe if you play your cards right, and are dedicated enough, you will be able to make a good living by just doing work you find on sites like these.  Search around, RAC isn’t the only site like this, it’s just the one I prefer.

Like a lot of people, I hate being on the receiving end of telesales phone calls.  I do understand it is the person’s job to do it, and that it is a way for the company to promote it’s products and services.  Therefore, I do tolerate it and try and deal with it calmly.

After putting down the phone this morning after another sales pitch, I started thinking.  This particular call did not make my blood boil, and when I put down the phone my blood pressure was still on normal levels.  As apposed to other times that I put down the phone being extremely angry, feeling that I will never again have back that wasted time.  In 99% of the cases I just put down the phone because a person doesn’t accept NO for an answer.

What made this phone call different?  I was told immediately what the call was about.  It was a personnel recruitment agency wanting to know if we have any positions available, I said no, and she thanked me and said good bye.  I am happy to receive calls like this where the person gets straight to the point and doesn’t try and change my answer by offering other versions of the sales pitch.

So good on you if you follow the same approach to telesales!

With all the above being said, please don’t phone me because 10 out of 10 times I’ll say no because if I wanted a product, I’ll go look for it.

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by Bernie Ecclestone and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years – canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don’t.
(2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like a lot of people.
(4) To you, they are animals.. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak clearly.

Remember – dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

(1) eat less,
(2) don’t ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don’t hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don’t smoke or drink,
(8) don’t want to wear your clothes,
(9) don’t have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children

Our doggies are like our children.  Actually, we probably take better care of them than we would children

Tux – the black dachshund

Lexi – english bull terrier

Kodi – light brown mix breed

Cache – white toy pom

Three Musketeers

The Four

Fantastic Four

Our next baby was Kodi, or like I call him The Kodester.

This was one of those unplanned babies   We volunteered to help out at Save a Pet after donating food to them a couple of times.  The day they were there they had these puppies there.  We played with them a bit just before we left, and we immediately fell in love with Kodi.  Instead of just making a rushed decision we first went home and discussed it.

Kodi, the Abandoned Puppy

We phoned them, and the next day we picked up Kodi.  From day one, he has been the most obedient dog I’ve ever seen.  It was like he was so grateful that we took him into our home.  He was just a couple of weeks old when we got him, and we still don’t really know what breed he is.  It must be a corgy crossed with something like a sheep dog.  He even has the wrangling in him.

When we introduced him to the other doggies, you could see Tux was wondering, “Why another one?”.  For a few weeks at least Tux had someone smaller than him in the house.  He has gotten to love his pal and they all play together so nicely.  When we go walking in the afternoons, you can see Kodi sort of keeps an eye on Tux the whole time.  This afternoon I actually asked him where Tux is, and he immediately seemed to start scanning the area we were in to see where he is and was so happy when Tux came around the corner.

Kodi and Tux

Kodi and Lexi

He loves running, and he doesn’t ever seem to get tired.  We try and take them at least every day to go run around in the bush and little sandpit we have here in the bush.  You can see he really enjoys it.

Kodi

Kodi