A PSA for the New Year

I get a lot of e-mail. I get a lot of e-mail Asking For Things. And so when I get a letter asking me for help, be it as a private citizen or in my guise as Somewhat Known Author, I do three things:

1. I read it, to see if it sets off any of my "scam" alerts. That includes a misspelled or inaccurate use of my name, content that is utterly unconnected with me ("As you are a major supporter of Organization I've Never Heard Of" or mention of Christ Our Lord), or glaringly obvious misuses of the English language (yes, I know not everyone is a writer. But if you're going to write a Beg Letter, it behooves you to come across as a professional).

If it checks out, I go on to #2:

I determine if this is an organization or individual I have heard of, or have some connection that would indicate why they reached out to me (We follow your blog, and know that you share our interest in..."). Or, similarly, they are referred to me by a known third party.

If the letter clears that hurdle, or at least has reasonable justification, I go on to #3:

I enter their name and/or organization into a search browser, and see what comes up.

If, on doing #3, there is no mention in the first two pages of results, or -- on finding a website that connects to your organization but there is no mention of your name or campaign on it -- then the odds are high I'm not going to respond. And I am sure as hell not going to open any attachments you send with your email.

So if you sent me a legitimate request in the past 6 months but haven't heard back...you might want to reconsider your approach.

The (Not-Quite) New Austerity

I grew up with cable tv. My parents got it the moment it was available in our town -- with a family of five, it actually WAS cheaper than going to the movies, even then. I've had it for most of my life, except when I lived in dorms, and thought the cost justified. But the two years I lived in New Haven, I went down to Basic Cable (translation: the major networks and a few smaller channels that didn't have enough ooomph that Comcast thought it could get extra for them. Although I was sad not to get Food Porn or Sci-Fi or TNT, I survived just fine (visiting friends when there was something I HAD to watch).

When I moved down to NYC three years ago, Cablevision made me a decent offer for bundled "Family Plan" cable with my internet, and so suddenly I had All. Those. Channels*, and more. And it was glorious....

Until, the past year, I started to realize that I was watching a lot of repeats, bad movies that weren't amusing me any more, and only two or three shows (mainly on TNT/SyFy)that I ended up buying on DVD as soon as they were available, anyway. And yet, Cablevision kept increasing the rates. Was it worth it?

Last week, I decided that no, it really wasn't. The $500/year difference between Basic Cable and "Family Plan" could be better used elsewhere (like buying a Nook and a lot of books to put in it!).

So I am now down to the so-called "free" channels, for $15/month (and they increased the cost of my Internet connection by $5 to $49, because I no longer had a "package." Classy, Cablevision.) I'll let you know if I start to get the shakes when the new season of Leverage starts, and I have to wait a few days to see it....





*still no HBO or Showtime, though, as that would have been even more money, and I am a Humble Freelancer