A contradiction of traditions?

I don’t like costumes and masks. Or magicians. It’s all a summation of trickery, and I don’t like to be surprised or tricked. So why then are so many people in awe and admiration of these very same things?
We are long past Halloween, but it’s a holiday I don’t really like. But the most recent thoughts came to me when I saw a Chicago Tribune online collection of “bad Santa days.”
We teach our children not to go with strangers and then we plop them in the lap of a strange guy in a red suit with hair all over his face and down his chest and expect they will gleefully smile for the camera! Why?
Yes, I’m guilty as charged. At least once in my days of early motherhood, I plopped my oldest and first child, in jolly, old Santa’s lap. Fortunately, she looked at him in bewilderment and a photographer snapped a picture. We ordered a few copies, a good moneymaker for the store no-doubt; and promptly sent them off to the relatives as Christmas cards. At least one grandparent didn’t recognize this particular child and thought simply “cute card,” until Nana pointed out who was sitting there.
This year, however, I surfed through a collection of online photos of obviously terrorized children reaching out to be saved from the “jolly, old elf” as some unseen photographer snapped away. It’s one of those photos everyone will smile and chuckle over in future years. But is the damage already done?
Isn’t it akin to picking a stranger off the street, perhaps in a neat suit, and telling your child this is fun, sit down and smile for the camera?
I’m with the kid. I want to know who, or what, is behind that get-up, especially if the mustache or beard is slipping or the eyebrows are obviously taped on.
It’s the same at Halloween. Who is behind that mask? Do I know you? Or do I want to? I’ve had my share of greetings from masked goblins and “ghosts” wanting to prove they could trick me into passing out more candy, or in the case of some overly-adolescent adults looking for a free drink. It’s a great chuckle for the one behind the mask, but the discomfort laid on the target is more than I want to deal with.
I don’t want to be rude if this is a relative or friend thinking it’s a little fun. But in these days of strange strangers, I don’t want to be friendly and make a fool, or a target, of myself either.
It’s sad how life changes making us wary of previously innocent events. It’s even sadder that some parents will continue to insist the child comply in the case of sitting with Santa or the adult or child accept that Halloween is all in good fun…if in fact it is in every case. Regardless of the setting, it's a contradiction to common sense and childhood warnings.

I'm a freelance writer--so where's the pay?

I'm still not sure I'm into this blogging thing. I've read blogs with some great and not-so-great messages. You can decide where my attempts fit in.
Some people tap into current events and have a great take on what's happening out there in the "real" world. Others are more concerned with who or what has offended them in their time and space.
Yep...I get offended with the stupidity some people apply to their perception of work and money-making and expect me to fall for it.
Take freelance writing. I'm sure some people make money at it. But they must be busting their buns to do it. Others want you to believe you can read this book, sign up for this website or network or club or service, take this test, read your way to a new income...give me a break.
My first rule: it shouldn't cost money for me to learn more about something I already know a fair amount about. I can write. I've been doing it for more than 30 years. I've been coached, corrected and criticized and each time I tried to learn from the experience. My grammar is not A-No. 1 perfect. But it is pretty good and I have some great English teachers from my past to thank for that, and a writing coach once employed by a former employer.
Sadly you don't need perfect English and grammar to make money writing. Take all those "make money working ( and writing) from home" sites. They can't even get the grammar right and they are trying to tell you..."you can do it, too!"
I recently checked out some sites about the business of proofreading. I can do that...because I already do...weekly with dozens of entries. But these sites don't proofread their own pages. Missing words, misspelled words, and my personal favorite...miss-use of apostrophes. In most cases, if the word or noun doesn't own anything, it doesn't need an apostrophe "s". But people throw it in all the time just for good measure, just to be sure.
Look it up. Strunk & White has an answer, the AP stylebook has an answer...and I haven't looked, but Webster's probably does, too. ( I added the 's to Webster's, because it is Webster's dictionary...the name owns the book.) I've used a dictionary more in the past 20 years than I ever remember as a child or student when I really didn't know any of the answers. Now I'm not sure, or I'm double-checking what I know. I want to be sure rather than be embarassed.
That is probably my greatest fear as a writer...being wrong. I don't like to be wrong and I don't like to be embarassed or criticized. At the same time, it's unavoidable, but I'd still like to avoid it.
With all that said, this is my freelance site. I can write. I can edit. I can spell and use grammar quite well. I'm not perfect, but I'm closer than a lot of people out there with fancy websites trying to sell you services. But if you're reading a blog, you may already be a writer. You don't need my services. But if you know someone who needs an editor, a writer...ghostwriter? or proofreader...call me. I'd like to do more of that. And I'd like to earn some of that "easy money" working from home.