Money may not be the root of all evil...

But it is seemingly at the center of all family arguments.

Money is much on my mind of late. My receivables are great -- my actually-receiveds are zip, zero, nada. My charge card debt is soaring again and I have no clue how I can pay this month's mortgage payment or the life insurance or auto insurance payments due this week....

It's occurred to me of late that the office is where I go to make money... and home is where I go to watch it spent.

This is unfair, of course, on a couple of levels. First, to cite just one example, I owe West a lot of money already -- they sent me a fax yesterday in case I'd forgotten about them (they're so considerate that way) -- and my business checking account is running on fumes just like my personal account. Second, the reason we work is so that we can spend money on things like food and shelter and education for the children. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to come up with enough cash for a haircut.

Most people who work have a pretty fair idea of what they'll bring home in any given pay period. Even folks who work on commission -- though their income fluctuates, there is a correlation between how much they sell and how much they earn. In my profession, however, my hardest work can produce the least rewards -- and this is even though I bill by the hour, as opposed to the win-or-else contingent fee system. Thus, I don't know from month to month what to expect or even what to hope for.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong (except choosing the wrong clients) -- but, if you'll excuse me, I have to stop feeling sorry for myself and start trying to figure out how to borrow enough to meet my immediate needs without putting myself so far in the hole that if, er, when someone pays a bill around here, I can get back on my feet....