test

I'm playing with Blogger's new beta interface. It offers some new abilities at the price of losing many of my HTML and CSS tweaks. I need to figure out whether I can integrate them into the new template.

Oh, but look, I can tag my posts.

word of the day: concatenate

con·cat·e·nate tr.v. 1. To connect or link in a series or chain. 2. Computer Science To arrange (strings of characters) into a chained list.
adj. Connected or linked in a series.
I came upon the word twoard the end of an article I edited this morning. The sentence: A worldwide sports event earlier this year demonstrated the results of a poor concatenation of standards converters.

bottling time

It feels as if I have accomplished more in the last five hours than I usually get done in five days. I want to bottle that feeling of productivity. It's invigorating.

My freelance work has also given me a bit of a professional jump-start. I met with my newest client yesterday over lunch. They like my work. And their client list is growing, so there's potential for more projects to come my way. I have two parts to a long-term project to finish for them before I leave for Singapore.

Add in to this going to the gym and watching a bit TV to decompress with my roomie or with my boyfriend, and you have my life in a nutshell.

And if you're wondering if I've read your blog recently, I haven't. Thanks for reading mine though. (I'll catch up soon. I hope you all are well.)

lost and found

Lost starts up again this Wednesday. My roomie and I are reviving our Wednesday Lost-watching parties.

The show starts at 8 pm, but you're welcome before then. If you want to drop by before 6:30, call first.

A special this-Wednesday-only bonus: My roomie mentioned that her boy may be bringing over some food fixings.

Note to all: You're more than welcome to bring any food or drink items with you. It's great if you want to share. Be advised, we almost never have pop. We have water aplenty, though. We'll even throw in ice at no extra charge.

Note to Lost-haters: You're welcome to come by and socialize if you'd like. If you come over while the show is on, no Lost-hating comments.

Lost about lost? Those who want a quick summary, come at 7 pm. We've got last night's mega two-season recap on the DVR. (Yes, we have a DVR. I know, I'm still recovering from the shock. Sorry, no HD viewing abilities at this time. Maybe with my roomie's next promotion...)

ABC is supposed to show all new episodes for the next six or seven weeks. So, consider this a standing invitation for every Wednesday in October plus a few more into November. Hey, what else do you have to do on your Wednesday evenings?

So what happens if you miss a week? Come an hour early the next week; we'll probably be replaying the episode you missed. Oh, and we do take requests if the price is right.

And pass the word on. The more people we can bring into the cult of the Lost the better.

What's been keeping me busy
OK, so I know this blog has been a bit neglected. I'm busy. I'm tired. I miss my friends.

I'm on a triple deadline right now. US edition goes out today, world edition tomorrow and a supplement the day after.

My freelance work has also been keeping me busy. I've got a new client who likes my work and has passed a sizable project my way. I also had this interview with a custom communications group. I'll let you all know more when, well, I know more.

Things are good with me and the boy (because I know you all will ask if I don't say so). This Saturday will be one year. Now that's a crazy thought--a nice, but crazy thought. I kind of wanted to go to the restaurant where we had our first date. My roomie says that we could go there anytime and to make him spring for a nice meal at McCormick & Schmick's or some place like that. Tempting...

My Singapore trip is scheduled for the beginning of November. Now countingpigs wants me to pick the location of our trip (a week-long trip within my trip). I'm having a tough time deciding where we should go. If I could have a moment to pause in my busyness (and not be brain dead from exhaustion), I would be able to better show my excitement that this is finally working out.

OK, that's all the big stuff, I think. Have a happy Monday!

the debt-free dance

A letter sent to me last week stated:

DEBITS SUSPENDED

Huh? Further down:

Electronic debiting of your Direct Loan payment is being halted temporarily because we granted a deferment, forbearance, or other type of suspension of payments on your Direct Loan(s).

We will send you a Notice when the electronic debiting is to resume for your monthly payment.

Huh? So, I called.
I told the woman on the phone that my payments have been halted, but I hadn't asked for a deferment or forbearance or done anything else to halt repayment. Her reply: Yes, you have.

Huh? She explained: You paid off your loan.

WooHoo! I am debt free! It's kind of an odd thought in this day and age. I owe no one. I am not working to pay for my past. I'm free.

manuscript submission of the day

"I’d like to pique your interest in writing about IPDR - IP detail record-streaming protocol. It doesn't sound very sexy, but it is critical in the cable and telecom industries today."

First, um, sexy? Does this PR person understand this industry? Sexy really isn't a part of the equation.

Second, the redundant nature of "IP detail record-streaming protocol" is driving me nuts. The "P" in "IP" stands for Protocol, so Internet Protocol detail record-streaming protocol is just dumb. And I won't even venture to touch on the capitalization issues here.

I suggested to a fellow editor that it should be renamed as "Detail Record-streaming Internet Protocol," or "DRIP." (Drip also carries a double meaning: a tiresome, annoying person. Hmm. How fitting.)

I actually looked up what this protocol's proper name is: Internet Protocol Detail Record. So, the PR person at least got the acronym correct as IPDR. Still, I think there should be a petition to change it to DRIP.

editing quote of the day

"I suggest that shooting naked is not the best course of action..."

I rarely get to edit such exciting material — about the benefit of "dressing" the front of a camcorder lens with a filter. Next on my editing menu: directional antennas.

crack

I rock hit my windshield this morning on the way into work. It's not big, but it still wasn't the way I would have liked to start out my week.

When a house is tottering to its fall,
The strain lies heaviest on the weakest part,
One tiny crack throughout the structure spreads,
And its own weight soon brings it toppling down.
—Ovid

Cracks happen against your will. They happen in spite of your efforts to avoid them.

Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still.
—T.S. Eliot

Fissures suddenly spring up and can't be closed or mended. One is helpless watching the crack, willing it not to spread.

It ain’t no sin if you crack a few laws now and then, just so long as you don’t break any.
—Mae West

Leave it to Mae West to put life and it's flaws back into perspective.

strange news

ABC News: A Pregnant Man?

OK, you've got to read this. It's so bizarre.

Quote: Inside Bhagat's stomach was a strange, half-formed creature that had feet and hands that were very developed. Its fingernails were quite long.

Read more at www.abcnews.go.com/Prim...

off making money

Affluenza, my current book club book, is all about how our consumeristic culture is killing us. And how we believe making more money will make us happier but just makes us emptier.

I think many of us would agree with this. The Pope recently told us to chill out a bit and relax before we all became hard-hearted and spiritually stunted.

But that's easier said than done isn't it? We want what others have. We want what we think will improve our lives. And most of the things we've got to have cost money. So we work.

My roomie and I have recently decided to get a DVR because videotaping is too troublesome anymore, oh and while we're at it, we might as well upgrade to digital cable and add the internet. We haven't had the internet in five years. It's going to be tough going from a $12 bill to a $90 one. But we have to have it, right?

I can justify the internet. My freelance work is growing. I just got another job. And having the internet will simplify my work. So I'm working to pay for the internet, which I need to do my work. Hmm...

For the rest of the week, I'm going to push off the book and the Pope's recommendations. I have a magazine to get out and a rush-order freelance gig to get through before Friday. Maybe this time, maybe money will be able to buy me happiness.

Or maybe not. At least my weekend looks to be work-free. I might even have time to look for a affluenza remedy. Do you think I can find that with the flu and cold meds at CVS?