Well, I have big (good) news ... I have a new job! An honest-to-goodness, permanent job with benefits and the whole shebang. So glad I can finally let my hair down at work and start being a bitch to everyone instead of being so freakin' nice all the time. ... Kidding, I actually am pretty nice, except to people who do things like walk over and stand right in front of me at a concert, as if I won't notice that I'm now looking at the back of their head instead of the stage, and if you think I'm too mature to start pulling your hair successively harder until you move away you are wrong, big head lady.

Ahem. But I haven't run into any of that at work ... no one is really jockeying to get in your way when you're about to edit a story about institutional investors versus individual investors reaction to the Fed's decision to pause rates, though honestly that was a pretty interesting story ... so I think my thin veneer of civilization will hold firmly in place.

I will even be doing some work on this Internet thing that we've all heard so much about, though I think it really might be a fad and any day now several generations will discover the joy of getting their fingers all smeared with ink and having to paw through several sections of irrelevant news before getting to the sports/comics/gossip/escort services ads they were looking for.

I am very happy, and feel a weight has been lifted from my shoulders that I didn't even notice was there until it lifted when I heard the words, "We'd like to offer you a job." Truth be told, I like the fun parts of freelancing -- working in my pajamas, frequent breaks for dog walking and kitchen-grazing and watching Ellen ("Let's have a little fun to-day!"), seeing my name in certain cool publications -- but the rest of it, the whole uncertainty and salesmanship aspect and constant striving and did I mention the lack of certainty? I didn't like that very much. I have come to understand that I really like structure, a lot. Rules and complex office hierarchies? Love them! Enigmatic authority figures from whom I can win approval and/or learn to hate with an obsessive passion? Fabulous! Count me in!

I hope to keep freelancing, so as to keep my options open in the carefree, pajama-wearing, sipping-Starbucks-in-no-hurry-at-2 p.m. kind of world, and also 'cause I like seeing my name in print in big fancy publications. Also, uh, for truth and justice and journalisticy goodness and all that good stuff too, yeah. But as I bounce on the trampoline of journalisticy daring, I feel I will soar even higher knowing the safety net of regular paychecks is guarding me from a hard tumble to the depths of financial- and identity-crises. Also, I'm hoping I won't run into this problem, described in the pages of Canada's national newspaper.

In conclusion: Opa!