From: feath@agora.rain.com (Feather)
Subject: Rainbow report  *>
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 00:48:00 GMT

 
Feather is at the bar when she hears a soft squawk from the
rafters.  To the Callahaners, she says "Excuse me" and then
flutters off to see what her RL friend is up to.
 
Some time later, Feather flutters down to the bar again, and
orders something hot to drink.  The small gray avian, who is not
used to taking charge, then faces Callahaners with the latest
report on the Rainbow Crow.
 
"Ok you guys, most of you know the troubles that the Rainbow Crow
have been going through, the lack of motivation, the inability to
go out and do something about her own financial situation.  I
don't think we can do much about her depressing past, but at
least the present is quite changable.  Rainbow Crow knows this,
and being a practical sort of bird, she is just trying to do as
much as she can for the moment.
 
Here's what the Rainbow Crow has been up to this week:  
 
On Monday, she bought a copy of "Wishcraft" by Barbara Sher, a
fantastic book which should give the R-Crow some good ideas.  R-
Crow had read it before, but never did anything about it.  This
should give some inspiration.
 
Today (Wednesday the 27th) she went to a place called the Job
Opportunity Bank (J.O.B.) which served as a networking place for
jobseekers.  This non-profit place has classes in jobsearching,
plus resources of all kinds, and membership is only $15 per year. 
Rainbow Crow knew about this place for several months, she just
did not bother to take advantage of it before.
 
She has also bought a big calendar to write her appointments on.
This calendar will also be a place to write any accomplishments
she might make, so that in itself would be encouraging for her. 
Maybe the accomplishments she had achieved could be written in a
different color of ink than the things she must do, and give her
a sense of perspective.
 
Another thing R-Crow has created is something she calls her
"Dread List."  Arrrrrggghhh!!!   All these things she must do
that she dreads.  Like apply for federal unemployment
insurance... that is due in about a week after her state benefits
run out.  Fill out the membership application for this J.O.B.
place.  Finish an essay/press kit that she promised to do for a
certain non-profit outfit...(that one is so overdue that she
can't charge money for it anymore, but she needs the
reference)...  go network with a professional women's business
communication group... (all those power suits and fancy titles
scare the HECK out of our blue-jeaned and t-shirted Rainbow
Crow!!!)... go check out temp agencies... (R-Crow HATES temp
agencies)...  etc. etc. etc..  Stuff like that.  Not fun having a
"Dread List" staring R-Crow in the face, but at least she is
facing it.  Sort of.
 
The idea of having to work for another person again is giving the
R-Crow absolute freakin' panic attacks.  Her cure for THAT is to
hide in her room with her computer!!!!  We are going to have to
talk about this problem sometime later...  I want to see just how
bad it gets first...
 
Tomorrow, Thursday, R-Crow gets to face a counselor at Portland
Community College.  This WON'T be fun...
The situation here is that six weeks ago, R-Crow went to this
counselor to see what she should do about her unique combination
of skills.  
 
Problem:  R-Crow does not seem to fit anywhere.  She has an
associate degree in Graphic Reproduction (prepress) which used to
qualify her for a job in the printing industry.  She bombed out
trying to join the printing industry after she graduated in 1985,
and things have NOT been great ever since.  She has been through
a whole myriad of horrible @#$% jobs - plus worse gaps between
each job - all guaranteed to squash any self-respect she could
ever feel in THAT department.  HOWEVER, since getting her
computer a year ago, she has found that she loves writing,
editing and desktop publishing.  Combine these skills with
someone who knows the difference between a double-black duotone
and a subtractive plate (printing industry tech jargon) maybe
there is a place for her???  Somewhere???
 
The counselor took a look at the writing/desktop publishing work
that Rainbow Crow had done on her own and suggested she get
creative with it.  Take these skills to non-profit organizations
and see about getting contract work doing their newsletters and
promo materials.  Start a freelance business.  Non-profits always
need ways to save money, and with the R-Crow there on contract
and saving them money by NOT being on the payroll...  That was
pretty intuitive, for R-Crow does have a sort of background and
an interest of working with non-profit corporations anyway.  Plus
this woman is inherently allergic to working for one person...
she never could fit into any job or place she has tried. 
Contract work is probably the best thing for her.  So Rainbow
Crow - in her characteristic way - wasted no time designing
herself some fancy business cards.  Then she made an appointment
with a business counselor about this new idea, and received lots
of advice.
 
Then R-Crow chickened out.  She never did go out and research her
idea.  Time went by.  Now she is up against the financial wall,
and she knows it's her own fault.  It is NOT going to be fun to
go back to that counselor and admit that she had flaked.  Deep
sense of shame and hating herself there.  
 
However if she is going to get anywhere, she will have to make
herself stay with this counselor from week to week and make
herself report on her progress.  "What non-profit has she talked
to this time?" would be the question at hand each week."
 
Feather shakes her small head and sighs.  
"I do not envy the R-Crow her position here...  heck, if _I_ were
her (Heck I _am_ her in a sense; what am I talking about!) I
would go hide in her warm room and just stay with her computer
too.  That Crow needs a warm and fuzzy place in her life to hide
in.  It would make things easier to cope with, seeing as how
having to cope with all of this real-life stuff is giving her
fits of something between panic and depression.  This is because
of some serious hell she has been through before in trying to get
herself properly employed.  But that's real life for you.  
 
OH, well.  She HAS had six months of just being able to stay in
her room and being happily creative."  Feather shakes her small
gray head.  "Not a fun thought, having to face the world again."
 
Feather suddenly notices that she feels a bit cold.  Off to the
fireplace she goes, and warms herself by the flames.  Then she
suddenly stops, blinks and stands there as if to realize
something quite surprising.  An x-window opens, show the Feather
of a few days before, covered from head to toe in frost and
completely unable to feel or react to being an icebird.  
 
The Feather we see now has had normal unfrosted plumage since her
report started.  The surprise is in how she was able to FEEL even
a little bit of the cold this time.  Slight but significant
difference.  Feather blinks again and gives an intrigued "Hmpf!"
at the thought.  Then she continues speaking:
 
"Well...  ANYWAY...
If there is one thing going for the R-Crow, it's hoping that her
own efforts with her own writing will bear fruit.  
Waiting in the future for her is the possibility of being able to
do a writing/editing/desktop-publishing project for - believe
this! - a very special musician who R-Crow has been a fan of for
the last eight years!  Mr. K (as R-Crow had nicknamed this great
artist) has recently learned of Rainbow Crow's abilities, and
heck, who more qualified to write about him than R-Crow?  Very
few!  She knows his history, and understands where he comes from
musically almost more than anyone else.  She knows quite well
what other fans would want to read about him.  
 
You can imagine what it's like to have THE Mr. K on R-Crow's
side.   THAT, of all things, is helping very much to keep her
strong.  AS soon as Rainbow Crow is finally finished with a
creative project of her own, she will be free to work with Mr. K
on HIS stuff.  Wish her luck on this... I just hope Rainbow Crow
can make this deal work with him before her money runs out..." 
Feather smiles at the memories of the warm positive conversations
that R-Crow has had with her musical hero in the recent past.  
 
She then calls for three tiny glasses of Brandy Alexander to be
delivered to the chalkline.  In quick secession she drinks them
one at a time and tosses them into the fireplace.
 
"To Rainbow Crow's efforts in getting her life back together..."
<CRASH!!!>
 
"To the man behind the brown-tinted glasses, his fantastic music
inspiration AND his positive strengthening encouragement of R-
Crow...
This is for YOU, Mr. K!"
<CRASH!>
 
Feather turns to the Callahaners and stops.  She then speaks
quietly.  
 
"This last one is for you, my friends, for giving caring to me
and the Rainbow Crow when we needed it.  I am saving your
responses on file from the last time I was here at the chalkline,
and they are helping to make me and the Rainbow Crow feel strong. 
This one is for YOU, the Callahaners and this Place..."
 
With unerring PK ability, Feather sends the tiny glass looping
around the room.  For everyone who ever responded to Feather/R-
Crow with a message of support - the glass orbits each
responder's head from one to the next.  The last one is Thyra,
who sees the glass whirling so fast so many times around her that
it probably makes the feline's head spin.  Then the glass orbits
within the whole room, picking up speed, faster, faster and
then...
 
 
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