Becky's Random Thoughts

 Hey Hey Hey!  Oh boy, oh boy! What a week. I did okay but honestly I failed at this challenge. Let's talk about where things went wrong!  First I did not stick to the schedule I set for myself. A big nope! If I had done so, I could have easily reviewed 200 calls each day. Instead we had a family vacation during this time, a home reset and three days of flu.   But I digress. Overall I did a few calls each day. I can see where the potential to do this as a money maker is there. Many people are making $40-60 per DAY and the cashout minimum is $20 per week.   I have thought out a better strategy. I will simply pick one category and not stop reviewing calls unless I need a bathroom break or food/drink. It is a lack of discipline on my part. This error of ways WILL be corrected for the next time I try this challenge. 

 Hey Hey Hey  It seems more and more as time has gone by this year, people have been abruptly let go from their positions. These are not cases of deserved complaints against the agent. Rather I have seen vague remarks about things not being a good fit or the call is handled one way that follows the knowledge base but the company/client decided to handle it another way-without updating the information.  It disheartens me to see this happen to people I network with in the various social media platforms. I am very tense at times over the lack of opportunities out there, particularly for the 1099 crowd. Among the major platforms, I have seen fewer and fewer opportunities. IC-ers have to cast a wider and wider net to find contracts to service.   Even among the employee crowd, many companies that otherwise were fully remote and dependable have turned to hybrid/onsite or a type of churn and burn. However not all of the blame goes to the company.   Some - but not a...

 Hey Hey Hey! I have finished my second manuscript (a serious one). Usually my written stuff is 10-40K in word length. These last two stories have been 70k+ in length. It is both very very scary and exciting to go with a traditional publisher (if I get accepted!). I have 8 more weeks before I hear a response back from my first manuscript.  Cross your fingers!

 Hey Hey Hey!     It is a horrible feeling to not succeed at something. Even worse when it is online. Health took a turn for the worse in the past couple of days. :(     I won't make the 1000 calls but I did work on it. I definitely feel that Humanatic is a work in progress. I am good at one category of calls.      But today's failure is about Preply. I simply cannot reconcile me giving free lessons in the HOPES of getting a paid student. I understand it allows the student to find a tutor but those lessons are often one hour long.      Gotta bow out of that one!

 Hey Hey Hey!     If there is one thing that I have learned over my year at Prolific...do not do every survey. This seems counterintuitive to making money but it wears out your welcome. I find that doing X number of surveys per day works out well for me. I rarely have a day without studies to do except on the weekends.      I set out to do the minimum. I cash out Mon through Friday at 6 dollars per day. I also do Cloud Connect and cash out there at 5 dollars per day. So I make $11 per day times 5 days which nets me $55 per week or $220 per month doing a few surveys while I work on other stuff.      Not a bad take home nest egg starter.

 Hey Hey Hey From 6/16/2025 until 6/21/2025, I will attempt to make 1,000 call reviews on the Humanatic site. Humanatic is a website where you get paid to review calls. Pay varies by call type and length. I am physically writing down marks for each call reviewed so that I keep track of it myself.  Can I do it? Comment below!

 Synopsis: Horse vet Dani Reilly moves from bustling Chicago to the wide-open spaces of Montana, seeking a fresh start and a quieter life. She takes a position at a veterinary practice in the small town of Big Timber, hoping to leave behind the chaos of her previous job and a failed relationship. Her first day on the job, she encounters rugged rancher Owen Carter, who brings in an injured mare. Owen, still grieving the loss of his wife, is wary of newcomers and fiercely protective of his ranch. Despite their initial clash, Dani feels an immediate attraction to Owen, igniting a spark of hope she hasn't felt in years. Dani's work brings her frequently to Owen's ranch, where their paths continually cross. Each encounter is charged with tension and chemistry, and they begin to learn more about each other. Owen's young daughter, Lily, takes an instant liking to Dani, further intertwining their lives. As Dani becomes more involved with Owen and Lily, she finds herself drawn i...

 Synopsis: In the heart of New Orleans, Kristen struggles with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend, Daniel, who vanished during a perilous trip to the Romanian mountains. She believes he left her to die after a mysterious attack, and she has returned to her hometown determined to forget him. However, Kristen's plans unravel when she discovers that Daniel is not only alive but has followed her to New Orleans. Her shock turns to horror when she learns the truth: Daniel is a vampire. She confronts him, demanding answers, and he reveals that he was turned during the attack and left to protect her from the same fate. Kristen is torn between lingering anger and rekindled feelings as she grapples with the supernatural forces now entwining their lives. Despite her attempts to move on, Kristen finds herself drawn back to Daniel. Her emotions intensify when a series of strange occurrences suggest that the danger from Romania has followed them. Daniel admits that another vampire, Lucian, is hunt...

 Hey Hey Hey!!!!!     I have a guilty secret to confess! I submitted a 75K romance story to Harlequin on June 5th 2025. I got an automatic notice that it will take 12-14 WEEKS before I hear back from them. Now cross your fingers guys and gals that I may have started a new literary path for me to follow in life. I need your well wishes...your good thoughts....crossed fingers and toes....whatever you got for me!

 Hey Hey Hey!!!!     Talkative today, aren't I? I just have so much I want to share with you guys.     Cambly is a platform that has two sides to it. Cambly for Adults (regular Cambly) and Cambly Kids for those under 18 years of age. Cambly is a remote tutoring platform where those who are looking to chat with native English speakers can buy a subscription and choose a tutor. I use the word tutor because a degree in teaching is not required for this site.      I do have a 120 Hr TEFL certificate that I mastered from TeacherRecord. They offer that course for free and it IS accredited online. I have uploaded it to both Cambly and Preply.      For regular Cambly, the pay is per talk minute. So you get $10.20 per talk hour for adults and $12.00 per talk hour for kids. The company pays weekly on Tuesdays. I get my pay via paypal. Paypal sometimes gets a bad rep with tutors because many of them are international and the currency conversio...

 Hey Hey Hey!     Is that sad? Or maybe just productive?     I use a planner I bought off of Amazon. This is something that I have used every day for the past year or so. I LOVE my planner. It helps me keep track of appointments, daily activities and much more. The price was very affordable as well. I think individually it was under $8 and a four pack in a greenish color was $15. I prefer my purple-ish theme though.      I also keep a journal for mental health awareness and tracking. My sleep patterns, moods, affirmations, self care and all that jazz. I share this with my peer specialist. I see her every two weeks for support. She has been helping me get a better sleeping pattern/habit. As most of you who know me, I have gone days with very little sleep. Now I take a supplement that helps with getting a good night's rest.      I love spending Sundays tutoring on Cambly. That is how I spend an otherwise very empty day. My students al...

 Hey Hey Hey     So in the last blog post, I talked about my mental health. So I am on disability for my health issues. I do work on call during "healthy" times then stop altogether during my sicker times. It is a matter of productivity. When I feel productive - whether it be hobbies, volunteering or working just on call - I feel like a worthwhile person. Being busy makes me feel alive.      I cannot make any rec'ds about what to do in anyone's situations. First, work on being the healthiest person you can be before you do anything else.      Second, if you can...try to work one half day per week. It is not about money. Even if you could use it and who could not use more money these days? It is about testing your limits. Pair yourself with a voc rehab counsellor. Or a Peer Specialist from your clinic/community center. They can give you employment support as you navigate this process and beyond.     There will be times when there is ...

 Hey Hey Hey!!!!!     So I am going to rip the bandaid off of this one. I feel it is important that I am as much a part of my mental and physical health community as possible.      I am a Type 2 diabetic (non insulin). My cholestrol is not bad but could be better. Blood pressure is the same. I am overweight! In the past year I have gained 45 pounds. Honestly I was very mad at myself. So I met with a dietician, started exercising and changed over to a Mediterranean diet. Weight loss has been happening at a very steady rate. These changes are very, very new. However I am happier with who I am more than I was a month ago.     Mentally, I suffer from Bipolar, PTSD (trauma), Generalized Anxiety Disorder and much more. I spent from my early 30s until I was well into my 40s getting the help I needed for it. Now it is mostly maintenance. CBT is a life saver! I truly feel that is made such a huge difference in my life and the way I can react and NOT react ...

 Welcome     Let us be lost in the wandering brain of this ole girlie! I love chatting with people. It is one of my favorite things to do online. The second is writing and creating content like this blog, my YT channels, my Udemy courses and much more!     So who the heck am I?!?     My name is Becky Howell and I live in the western part of Texas where random wild animals roam the outskirts of town. (No kidding!) Like many people I suffer from chronic health conditions. We will discuss it later - I promise! I live with my family and have a few hobbies that I am utterly dedicated to in the depths of my soul.     I love tutoring ESL. I am on both the Cambly and Preply platforms. I do this part time. I also create social media content whenever I am well enough.      I do diamond kits. I love them although I am very very very slow at it. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists and pain in my right elbow joint. To date, I am working on ...