Some R&R (Over Now)

And I have now complained several times about how hot it’s been. Fortunately, the weather is gorgeous this week. I can stop worrying about my plants shriveling up.

Finally got my "spring break." Every year in the spring, copyediting work dries up for a while. This year, I got about two weeks off. Enough to recharge my batteries; not enough to get worried about my income. Just right.

Read a couple of really good books. One I can highly recommend is In the Woods by Tana French. It’s her first novel, and it won an Edgar Award, and it’s awesome. The characters are deeply flawed. One mystery is solved, but others remain unsolved and justice is not all that one would hope. The characters pay an enormous price for their involvement in the case. The friendship of the male and female homicide detective partners is one of the best male-female relationships I’ve seen rendered in fiction.

Watched a good bit of Wimbledon. The men’s final--Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal--was one for the ages. Wow. I’ve been a Federer fan for years but only this year started appreciating Nadal’s game. All I wanted from their final was a five-set match of amazing tennis, and I got it. Someone had to win -- no ties in tennis. How long ‘til the U.S. Open?

Attended CONvergence. My five panels went well. Enjoyed the Art Show very much. Hung out at the Diversicon party for a while and watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, a fabulous spoof of 1950s SF B movies. It takes real talent to write dialogue that bad on purpose!

Also played in the dirt with my plants.

Now I’m back to being hard at work. Just finished editing a really good book about careers in nursing -- lots more options than when my mother became a registered nurse. Now working on a couple of books for teachers working with students of diverse abilities and a book on how to bring a specialty or gourmet food to market. Since I worked for two and a half years at the Wedge Co-op, the specialty food book is pretty interesting -- talks about a lot of the products we sold from the producers’ point of view. How does that organic honey-mustard get developed and made in large batches that all turn out the same and packaged and labeled and shipped anyway?

Fun:

NYTimes columnist Gail Collins writes about vampire chick lit. The whole column is worth reading, but I particularly enjoy the quotes from a Twilight Saga book: "He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare ... A perfect statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal." "Incandescent chest"? Really? "Scintillating arms"?

Also in the NYTimes, an article on a rural Albanian custom whereby women become the "men" of the family. They cut off their hair, wear pants, and foreswear marriage, and in return they get treated with all the respect and honor accorded men in their society. Really interesting!

DeadProgrammer's Café explores the genesis and evolution of the Starbuck's logo. Explains how a buxom mermaid could be of more use to a sailor than just as eye candy.

Fascinating history of photo tampering from the 1860s up to, as of this writing, July 2008: http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/.

Great Moments in Procrastination offers, um, great moments in procrastination. Bored people in offices come up with fun games to avoid doing work and so forth. Lots of fun videos. Just viewed "Office Jousting," in which four office workers create a RenFest or Society for Creative Anachronism event using office supplies.

On a more serious note, David Frum offers a realistic view of our next White House in the Prospect magazine (U.K.).

And now on an outré note, here is Edward Gorey's fabulous ABCs book, showing one child after another meeting a grisly fate in a horribly hilarious way: The Gashlycrumb Tinies. And here is an Edward Gorey TrueType font available free under creative commons license.

I slept in Vegas. I worked at WisCon.

It is spring—I’m happy to at least have that question answered so I can stop asking it. Soon I can begin complaining about how hot it is.

I accompanied Doug to Vegas while he attended GAMA. Stayed at Caesars Palace: we got used to the over-the-top décor in no time (the various Romanesque statues were helpful landmarks) and stopped finding it weird, and the service was absolutely first-class. Could not ask for friendlier, more helpful cleaning people, bellhops, front desk staff, cocktail servers, wagering attendants . . . Really nice. Unlike at Bally’s last year, there were lots of good channels on the TV. There was, however, no door on our room’s bathroom, and it was clearly designed to be that way. It was no big thing since it was just Doug and me, but it was unusual. We were there for about three days from arrival to departure, and I’d say I slept for about two days of it. I arrived nearly walking into walls after working I don’t know how long. Sleeping on the plane -- in the freaking 17” wide seats that recline only 3” and when the person in front of you reclines you get your tray table in your lap -- was nearly impossible, though I did sprawl across Doug and drool on his shoulder a bit. So then I slept, and slept, and slept. Sleeping in Vegas is the most expensive sleeping I’ve ever done, but it that’s what it took to go down for a nap and I needed it that badly, then it was worth it.

Weekend before this last one, I went to WisCon. I was probably at the con for all of ten hours all weekend. The rest of the time, I was in the hotel room either crashed out or working my butt off (except my butt never gets any smaller -- go figure). But I did have a good time whenever I was awake and not working. Most of the artwork I voted for won in the categories I thought it should win. Met any number of cool people and had cool conversations. Was on three panels, including two on class, which tends to bring out the ranting and raving in people, but they all went reasonably well. Someone whose opinion I value complimented me on how I did on panels, so that was a warm fuzzy. Another warm fuzzy: Someone came up and introduced herself and said she’d found my article online, “Finessing the Infodump,” and it had saved her writers’ group. Cool! Found the Land’s End outlet store on State Street and picked up the most comfortable jeans ever for $10, plus some other stuff. Plus a totebag to carry it all in, which Bootsie loves to use to sharpen her claws (it’s canvas, and I guess that’s good).

A while ago, I wrote about setting aside one day a week for writing fiction. Hmm. How about setting aside one day a week for sleep? I keep thinking I’ll hit a dry spot (and begin worrying about money, but what can you do) and then get my schedule organized with some set-aside times for exercise and writing and such. But I’ll probably just keep thinking that.

Now working on a travel guide for people who like antiques, a college guide, a book about Internet bullying, a book about writing teachers’ performance evaluations, a math book for parents so they can help their kids (great idea!), and database records. That seems like a lot, but I’m actually mostly done with most of them and just waiting for other people to do their bit before wrapping things up. I’m entering the week in pretty good shape! Go me! (And I love the variety and the cool books. I’m really very happy with my lot in life—it’s just getting a little out of hand, and I need to get the “success” part figured out.)

Cubby Bear developed some big lumps in his mouth that needed to be taken out. He needed his teeth cleaned badly anyway, so we just had everything done at once. They turned out to be benign, caused by the papilloma virus. Cubby recovered great from the surgery and is more beautiful than ever. AJ keeps injuring her hip with her whirling-dervish-I-need-to-kill-it routine at the front window. She’s either placid and sweet or 110 percent killing machine, and her anger management issue is going to cause her problems as she gets older if she doesn’t tone it down. Hard to believe she’s 7(?) now—6 or 7. New betta’s still alive. New loach is still alive. Yay!

I’m going to pass on putting in a veggie garden this year, because I probably won’t have time to keep it weeded and watered or cook what comes out of it. I did put in a couple of flats of annuals in the boulevard garden, and I added a whole bunch of day lilies and a handful of other perennials and shrubs to the front yard to fill in a few spots. Fingers crossed that everything lives.

The stomach problem turned out just to be a bad batch of eggs, so I can keep eating them. Yay!
And I just looked at my Things to Do List and realized . . . I’m waiting for things from other people on every single one of my projects. THERE IS NO WORK I CAN CURRENTLY DO!!! The sun has just come up (Bootsie is stalking the morning birds in one window after another), and I am going to clear some grass out of my flowerbeds. Go me!

Roland Garros, site of the French Open Grand Slam tennis event, has a pretty neat tennis video game up at the Web site: http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia/index.html.

Some people really need to work out with less brio. (I’m reminded of a guy in an aerobics class who seemed to think we were slam-dancing.) And others need to learn to ignore those who grunt. CBC’s As It Happens: http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20080529.shtml.

Spring Yet? (Redux)

And the exciting news from my part of the world is (a) I continue to live under my Rock of Working and (b) I can't believe it's already been a month since I last wrote words to that effect.

I have been battling a recurrent stomach/intestinal bug. It seems to be related to eating eggs. Either I've developed some kind of sensitivity to them, which would suck, or I had a bad batch of eggs. I'd really enjoyed my winter meal of peas, potatoes (baked in the microwave), and eggs (pan-fried in a touch of olive oil). It was healthy and fast and cheap and used minimal dishes. A few extra peas always went into the fish tank for the veggie eaters. Now I can't have it anymore. Oh well, it's going to be salad time soon anyway.

Had a bunny in the backyard today. Haven't had many backyard bunnies since putting up the privacy fence. This one was hunkered beneath the birdfeeder amid a pile of spilled seed, eating as though there might be no tomorrow. That was one happy bunny. Saw a Fox Sparrow last week, a new bird for my "list." It must have been migrating through and just stopping to rest and fuel up for a few days. None of the pictures I've found do justice to this plump bird's beautiful gray-olive-brown back, streaked breast, and rusty-red tail feathers. Yesterday, Doug and I saw a woodpecker in downtown Minneapolis, of all places! It looked a little lost, poor thing. It was about 10" long and had a brown back and a distinctly red nape. We haven't been able to identify it, though -- frustrating!

On Monday, Doug leaves for Las Vegas for the GAMA trade show, and I'm going with him again this year. Vegas manages to be weird and boring at the same time, but I'll ensconce myself in a sportsbook area and play the horsies to my heart's content. I'll also be taking the laptop with me and . . . working!

I'm hoping that the trip breaks up my routine and gives me enough of a new perspective so that when I get back, I'll be able to tear myself away from the computer and clean up the house and yard, work on Diversicon publicity, answer e-mail, visit with people I'd like to spend time with, and do other life things. At least for a few days, before crawling back under my rock.

Just finished . . . a travel guide focusing on U.S. National Parks and a couple of professional development books for law enforcement officers. I also had the opportunity to edit the first draft of a creative nonfiction work by one of my favorite authors -- that was truly a special challenge and delight. Currently working on . . . a book about how teachers can use digital cameras in the classroom, another about being a school principal, and another about solving the problem of illiteracy. And there's a college guide on my desk. Coming soon are a travel guide for people who like to shop for antiques and a book for midwives. For the first quarter of 2007, my revenues ran about 22 percent above last year (when I was about as busy as I thought I could be); and so far this spring, things are bubbling right along, when last year they had already dropped off pretty abruptly. I'm just so relieved and excited and happy that I'm able to make a go of this!

Sebastian Mallaby wrote an interesting piece on the election decision-making process in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/13/AR2008011302304.html . A bunch of people wrote this interesting article last fall about voters' brain scans when they were exposed to video, etc. of different candidates (Rudy Guiliani was still the leading Republican candidate at that point): http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/opinion/11freedman.html?th&emc=th .

Crawling Out From Under My Rock . . . Is It Spring Yet?

I can only assume that no one is reading this any longer. But that's okay, cuz I've been pretty much chattering away to myself anyway, plus anyone who enjoys listening in. :)

BTW, U.S. presidential race: I support Barack Obama.

What have I been doing instead of blogging, updating the Market List, or much of anything else? I've been working! Working, working, working! And working some more! I'm really pleased that my clients are pleased with my performance and keep giving me more work. My next challenge will be to make sure I don't take on so much work that I can't edit to a high level of thoroughness and get assignments done on time. The last few months, I've been getting it done, but I've been pushing my limits, too. And, of course, I've had no time for writing fiction. Or exercise. Or housework. Or . . . However, it is good for my bank account.

BTW, health insurance: Our whole system is feckin' fecked up. I decided to drop my coverage from my former employer (COBRA) at year-end because it was going to cost way more than we would ever get out of it. I tried to find individual coverage that would cover our prescriptions (Doug and I happen to take the same medication to manage long-term conditions.) Could only find one plan that would cover this drug, and it would do so only with prodding. Applied there and were denied: too sick, too fat. Never mind that Doug works out intensely every single day and I had been working out regularly. Never mind that except for our known conditions -- and I know what those cost, and it's nowhere near what our premiums would have been -- we seem very healthy and take good care of ourselves to stay that way. So after much research, I decided we should just keep our fixed costs (premiums) as low as possible and count on paying out of pocket for everything -- that's actually cheaper than getting a policy that would be of any use. So with a super-high deductible and super-low premiums, we're just paying as we go. I'm just now fighting to fill a prescription: because my insurance doesn't cover it, no one wants to fill it -- even though I'm willing and able to pay!!! My doctor has said I should have this drug, and I can pay for it. Therefore, the insurance company should have nothing to do with it, right? Furthermore, I've seen an awful lot of my health care dollars at work -- without any good results for my health, all in bureaucracy.

BTW, is it spring yet? We've got a few inches of snow on the ground. The birds who come to the feeder aren't acting springlike yet. (Speaking of the birds: A few dark-eyed juncos stayed all winter. I just checked their range, and I guess they do winter here, but I've never seen them before except as through-migrants.)

I have set aside some time for fun. I had a break in my workload that synced perfectly with MarsCon first weekend of March. I was on a couple of panels, got a henna "tattoo," learned some bellydancing moves, entered a creative trance, enjoyed cucumber sandwiches and amazing cookies with tea in the Tardus Tearoom while watching Season 1 Dr. Who, and bought some great-looking books in the dealers' room. Best of all was hanging out with all the friends I only see at cons and feeling at one with the general geekdom. :-)

I've also set aside some time to play with my aquaria. Fishies!!! They say, "Bloop." That's what they say! New legless friends include an utterly adorable Burmese border loach (I got three, but two didn't make it. I'll get a couple more -- loaches like each other's company), a couple of very cute little Siamese algae eaters (they're growing!), and four more glowlight tetras (making a total of eight). I also got a male betta (red) to be a solo occupant of my 20-gallon tank, but he quickly got ich (an external parasite) and then a bacterial infection and fought hard but didn't survive the diseases and/or treatments. I'm definitely going to try bettas again, though, because when he was healthy, he was adorable -- I'd wiggle my finger in the water, and he'd come right up to it to get fed. I lost one of my two "mystery" tetras (I have no idea of genus/species.). I'm pretty sure someone bit off his tail and osmotic shock eventually got him, and I'm pretty sure it was Mr./Ms. Loach. Meanie loach! Not to be a nippy fish! My next project with the the 50-gallon tank will be to start changing out substrate from gravel, which can be hard on the loach's barbels as he roots for snails, to sand/soil. That's better for plant growth, too. (Oh yeah, I'd had a Malaysian trumpet snail problem -- they were everywhere -- but after a few days with the loach, couldn't find one anywhere!)

Happy Christmas! More Daylight Is Coming (in the northern hemisphere)!

Writing—Whew! Got several really intense combo copyediting/fact-checking projects this fall that left me no energy to do more fact-checking to update the Market List. I feel bad about it, but what can I do. I also feel as though I got some more good fiction writing news in the last couple of months, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was.

I’ve decided, now that my freelance business has picked up so much, that I really need to set aside one day a week for writing, organizing submissions, etc. Waiting until I have a dry spell just isn’t cutting it, because I never have dry spells! Looking at my invoice list, it looks as though I’ll have completed at least 62 projects in the 12 months ending 1/15/08, with only a few of those being less than book-length. That’s a lot! (Knock on wood. Now watch: I won’t get any work for three months.)

After seeing absolutely no allure in it for years, I’ve finally succumbed to sudoku, playing the NYTimes puzzles (easy, medium, difficult) online. So I guess I’ve added that to my crossword addiction and to my repertoire of ways to procrastinate . . . I mean take a break.

Family—The week before Thanksgiving, I had a major, crashing, horrible depressive episode. It came absolutely out of nowhere. After a very scary 48 hours in which I really wanted to do nothing but die, Doug and I decided that when he went to a game convention in St. Louis that weekend, I should go with him, and we’d extend the trip a bit and make a vacation out of it. So we did and had a good time. I took work with me and worked in the hotel room while he was at the con. Then we visited a Lewis & Clark exhibit in St. Louis and, in Kansas City, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum and the National World War I Museum—both insightful explorations of complicated times and very worth visiting.

I bought a microwavable heating pad in a cute holly-print cover, thinking I’d give it to my mother-in-law for Christmas, but then I warmed it and put it in a cardboard box beneath a spotlight for Bootsie. It’s Bootsie’s now. She lurves it with all her kitty self. The dogs are loving all the fresh snow we’ve been getting. The wild birds are totally pigging out at the feeder. Only one fish has died recently, and I’m pretty sure that was from old age.

Culture—Now reading Barbara Tuchman’s Guns of August, the book about the beginning of WWI that made her reputation as a “popular” historian, much to the annoyance of many historians with PhDs. I picked it up at the WWI Museum in Kansas City. It’s absolutely riveting, well written and with much relevance to today’s situations.

Home & Garden—I have a home? I have a garden? Oh, that’s what that mess all around me is . . .

Fun!—

• Thanks to Roger for the “Sci-fi sounds quiz”: My score was 56, eliciting “You're a major sci-fi geek! Do you speak Klingon?”
• Super-fun IQ test for your dog with lots of activities you’ll both enjoy, whether your dog is a smarty or just looks baffled.
• Researchers have debunked “7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe." You don’t need to drink eight glasses of water a day. Reading in dim light does not damage your eyes. Using cell phones around medical equipment won’t cause it to malfunction.
• The St. Petersburg Times (Florida) sponsors a political “Truth-o-Meter,” reporting on the truth of the various claims that float about, too often unchallenged or unverified by most media. Well worth checking out! Amazing what people will say about themselves and one another.
• Paul Krugman writes in the NYTimes about why, despite official statistics showing years of “economic growth,” most Americans don’t feel better off and, in fact, aren’t better off.
• “Global Warming Is Colorblind: Can We Say As Much for Environmentalism?”: Excellent article by Jennifer Oladipo in Orion about the overwhelming whiteness of the U.S. environmental movement.
• Douglas N. Arnold and Jonathan Rogness, mathematics faculty at the University of Minnesota, have a YouTube hit with their visual explanation of Moebius transformations set to music. It’s pretty cool, and it got an honorable mention award in the 2007 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
• MIT physics professor Walter H. G. Lewin is an Internet hit with his enlightening and dramatic physics lectures.
• A giant rat, five times the size of a regular city rat, has been discovered in Guinea. Apparently, it’s pretty cuddly!
• “Young Chimp Outscores College Students on Memory Test”