what's next

due to my vacation, there is not story of the week post this week.

instead, i will tell you a little about what i have planned for me and my blog. first of all, after flying home yesterday morning from chicago i basically spent the day roaming around new york. although i wasn't really happy with the how i spent most of yesterday (long story) it felt really relaxing and just *right* having my whole to myself. the sun was shining, the air was warm, and there were people and puppies and babies out and walking around enjoying the day.

although i think living life with nothing to do would get b-o-r-i-n-g (i had a few hours to kill yesterday and didn't know what to do with myself) there is something attractive about being able to sit in a cafe window all day or walk through a park. i know i've been hinting and saying right out loud that i want to get into freelancing, but nothing made me more sure of that than the way i felt yesterday.

now the question is, can my dream be a viable, money making option? can i live the life i want, set my own hours, be productive and still make the same salary i make now (or more, considering i'd also have to pay for health insurance on top of it).

to that degree, i've been contemplating expanding my blog, in a sort of testing the waters way. here's what i know i want from the new blog:

-a broader focus, addressing more universal themes and issues that are just not my life
-interactivity
-a new website, name, and look
-the ability to find the blog on a search like google (this blog is purposely hidden from that because it is personal)

i also want to get into ad content to see if i can make any money from a venture like a blog, but that's not something i will talk about in any great length here!

however...the one thing that's catching me up is the biggest thing: the topic/focus/name. a friend who knows me well and is hip to the blogosphere suggested i focus on my quest to become a freelancer, in the hopes that maybe someone will read it who may be a potential employer. sound cheesy? maybe a little. but its perfect for "write what you know," one of the key tenets of writing.

but i feel like the things that i know are covered in blogs already. new york, writers, writers in new york, employment/unemployment, struggling wannabe journalists dying for a place on a national magazine's masthead, current/former editorial assistants, cynics. been there, been there, over it. what do i have to offer?

but pondering the "this is my life" freelance-hunting, trying to establish myself angle, i tried to think through some ideas. of course i would have to go above and beyond to try to get there...joining clubs online and in the real world, taking classes, networking. and i would blog about it all. it could be really eye-opening and challenging, and at the very least show me that i don't want to do this, really.

in this same vein, i started to think about names. i contemplated "girl friday" like that movie. but when i googled it i found this blog of a self-employed concierge/sometimes radio personality based out of minneapolis. apparently girl friday is more assistant than reporter.

but then i read the blog a little and realized she probably makes money from it, although its something she does on the side, too. i thought to myself, i could totally do this. will people read it? maybe...maybe not. i hope they do, but if not, well i'll think about that then.

what do you think i should do? suggestions welcome.