Dear Diary,

Well I did it. And it wasn't because Kate said I should. I would have eventually decided to freelance on my own. What other choice do I have?

I put an ad on Craigslist and printed off a flyer to pin up at a couple of the local places with ad boards. Vitale Vivification. Not particularly clever sounding and horrible for folks who stutter. At least making the flyers online was pretty simple and the Vitruvian man vector was free.

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I can't believe I've been studying necromancy for six years and didn't once think to take a business and marketing class. I just assumed I would get in one of the firms.

Well, you know what they say about assume...yes, I'm an ass.

At least taking the flyers out helped motivate me to run some errands. I've been so busy with finales, I haven't done much else. I put up a flyer here at the apartment buildings when I picked up mail (mostly junk and bills). My nosy neighbor, Coral, scoffed at it. She's one of them anti-magic Luddites who thinks that all those born with powers should learn to suppress it along with sexual urges and caffeine addiction.

Caffeine on the brain, I put a flyer up at The Grind. I splurged on a Cannoli Latte and over-tipped after some Karen in front of me spent far too long asking why she couldn't get a little design on her coffee if she didn't want milk in it. Some days I wish I hadn't taken the Medean Oath to Do No Harm on the living. Some of these people could use some death and resurrection to learn how to live properly. I also picked up a bag of coffee. I'll have to make my own here at home until I get some extra funds.

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I returned my overdue library books and put a flyer up there. There were so many, I don't know if anyone ever cleans that board up or not. I have to admit, I was tempted to remove the ones for MLMs selling questionable essential oils.

Lastly, I put up a flyer at the senior center. Some nurse said it was tasteless so I can only hope she left it up.

I guess I'll have to get over my anxiety about answering the phone for unknown numbers. At least I updated my voicemail. I think I had me asking "What do you want?" on there since high school.

Now it has me with the fakest retail voice I've ever heard saying: "Hello, you've reached Bernadette Vitale of Vitale Vivification. I can't come to the phone right now so leave your name and number and I'll return your call so I can return your dead loved one."

I won't lie. It took me four times to say that without fucking it up.

I really hope this gig works. I just got my first bill from Latimer's Student Loans Office. The cherry on the cake, rent is due too. Is buried in debt one of those deaths that we can't revivify? I'll have to check Elpel's Book of Necromantic Law.

At least my phone bill is paid up. Its the only way my folks can keep tabs on me, even if I don't answer. I can only hope that my new voicemail will be able to relay how bad my interview with Crane went without my having to actually tell them. Not that they care so much about Crane but they will use it and anything else they can think of to try and add to their argument that necromancy isn't a respectable vocation for a Vitale, especially not their Vitale child. Yea, definitely not taking their calls until this freelance thing pays off...it has to pay off...right?