I'm really looking forward to my vacation home. However, I'm not looking forward to getting up at 4:00 a.m. to catch the shuttle at 6:00 a.m. to be at the airport on time for a 9:45 a.m. flight. It will be nice once I'm home, though. I'm more or less all packed, and all I'll need to do tomorrow is throw some final things in my suitcase before heading out.
Fortunately I was able to get all of my projects at work in good shape before I left today. Unfortunately, though, I will need to take some work home with me. But, fortunately, it isn't a lot and it's a small cookbook, so it will be easier and quicker to read.
All in all, it should be a nice vacation. But I should probably be getting to bed soon, because it is going to be a long day tomorrow.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Dilated Editor Is a Useless Editor
Today I had my first eye appointment in about three years. As I mentioned in a previous post, the strain of my job has weakened my eyes a little bit. I did need a stronger prescription, but fortunately it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I had a full, comprehensive--yes, that was probably a bit redundant--exam. Because this was a new eye doctor for me, I had to get used to new tests on different machines. When the time came to test my eye pressure, I was expecting one of two tests. One would have been the puff of air. In the past it would always take about three or four times for the test to register, because I kept blinking so much. Another time the eye doctor tested my eye pressure by thumping a tono pen on my eyeball. That just felt weird. At this new eye doctor, they tested my eye pressure with a completely different machine. Before the test they put some thick, yellow drops in my eyes to numb them, so I didn't feel a thing. After that, the optometrist then had to dilate my eyes before she could do the other tests. She said that my eyes look great (I get that all the time!), and everything looks really healthy. She said the only strange thing she saw was that I have a "tilted nerve." Apparently that's normal and I was just born with a tilted nerve.
So everything turned out great. I picked out some cool new glasses and some new sunglasses. Usually it takes about five to ten days for those to come in, but the lady who was helping me said that she could put a rush on it, so maybe they will come in before I go on my vacation.
The only bad thing about the whole experience was going back to work after the appointment. I forgot about the aftereffects of getting your eyes dilated. Naturally I was sensitive to light, so the bright, fluorescent light in the office was a little harsh. I had to keep my sunglasses on for a few hours. Then I forgot that you have problems focusing on things up close. Well, not being able to read pages or the computer makes editing pretty difficult, so I was somewhat useless at work for the rest of the day. Next year, I have to remember to schedule my appointment for the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning. At least now my vision is finally starting to come back, but any typos, spelling or grammatical errors that you see in this post can be blamed on my dilation...
So everything turned out great. I picked out some cool new glasses and some new sunglasses. Usually it takes about five to ten days for those to come in, but the lady who was helping me said that she could put a rush on it, so maybe they will come in before I go on my vacation.
The only bad thing about the whole experience was going back to work after the appointment. I forgot about the aftereffects of getting your eyes dilated. Naturally I was sensitive to light, so the bright, fluorescent light in the office was a little harsh. I had to keep my sunglasses on for a few hours. Then I forgot that you have problems focusing on things up close. Well, not being able to read pages or the computer makes editing pretty difficult, so I was somewhat useless at work for the rest of the day. Next year, I have to remember to schedule my appointment for the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning. At least now my vision is finally starting to come back, but any typos, spelling or grammatical errors that you see in this post can be blamed on my dilation...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Preparations
With my vacation coming at the end of this week, I'm already starting to prepare for the trip. Yes, I'm preparing almost a week early, because I'm a planner and a control freak. As I mentioned in a previous post, this planning included haircuts, cleaning, reservations, etc.
Witness to stupidity: This has nothing to do with my preparations, but I though I should comment on it anyway. And it's been a while since I've written a post about stupid people, so here we go. Boulder is an active city with lots of people walking, jogging, and biking on the streets or sidewalks. There is an understanding that drivers look out for walkers, joggers, and bikers and walkers, joggers, and bikers look out for drivers. While driving to hair salon, I was stopped at a light and noticed a man and his son on their bikes riding in the bike lane. Since there was no traffic coming from the other directions, the father just started to ride through the intersection and through what was our red light. The son paused for a moment, but then started to follow. But just then the traffic in the opposite direction had the green arrow and started to turn into the intersection. The son sort of panicked in the middle of the intersection, and turned around and went back to the street corner. The idiot father was about fifty yards away before he eventually looked back and noticed that his son was still waiting for the light to change. That's great parenting for you!
Haircut: My hair has been a somewhat long, wild mess because it's been many, many months since I got my last haircut. I'm happy that I found a new salon—officially it's called a barber shop, I guess—where I can get a nice haircut for a good price. I've been to some really nice salons in Boulder, but I was tired of spending $60–$70 on a haircut. And if you got something like highlights, it would be well over $100. I've decided I don't want to do color or highlights anymore...at least not for a while. I got tired of spending the money to maintain it. Plus, I sort of decided to just let myself go gray. So all I really need is a cut and nothing too special. At this new place, I can get a cut for only $30. Wahoo! They also give you a massage when they are finished. I thought it was going to be a regular massage, but it turned out that they use a large, vibrating machine. (I realize that sounds somewhat naughty, but I don't know how else to describe it...) Anyway, the large, vibrating massage machine was really powerful and not exactly gentle or soothing or relaxing. It actually felt like my teeth were about to rattle and fall out of my head. But it's the thought that counts.
Shuttle: Because this is a busy travel week, I wanted to make early reservations for shuttle service to the airport. Usually I can make easy reservations online, but the company must have changed their Web site because I was redirected to the national shuttle service. You can still make reservations, but things didn't seem right. I'm not sure if I missed something when I was selecting my service, but when they gave me the rates they quoted the price as $230. Um, $230 for a trip to the airport? Is it in a limo with a mini bar? Does it come with an escort? That didn't seem right, so I quit that session and decided to phone in my reservation for the bargain price of $30. I'm still somewhat curious what you get with a $230 shuttle trip, but I suppose I'll have to find out another day.
Current mood: full—I made my world famous Vodka Cream Pasta for dinner tonight
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—David Gray "Say Hello Wave Goodbye"
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
Witness to stupidity: This has nothing to do with my preparations, but I though I should comment on it anyway. And it's been a while since I've written a post about stupid people, so here we go. Boulder is an active city with lots of people walking, jogging, and biking on the streets or sidewalks. There is an understanding that drivers look out for walkers, joggers, and bikers and walkers, joggers, and bikers look out for drivers. While driving to hair salon, I was stopped at a light and noticed a man and his son on their bikes riding in the bike lane. Since there was no traffic coming from the other directions, the father just started to ride through the intersection and through what was our red light. The son paused for a moment, but then started to follow. But just then the traffic in the opposite direction had the green arrow and started to turn into the intersection. The son sort of panicked in the middle of the intersection, and turned around and went back to the street corner. The idiot father was about fifty yards away before he eventually looked back and noticed that his son was still waiting for the light to change. That's great parenting for you!
Haircut: My hair has been a somewhat long, wild mess because it's been many, many months since I got my last haircut. I'm happy that I found a new salon—officially it's called a barber shop, I guess—where I can get a nice haircut for a good price. I've been to some really nice salons in Boulder, but I was tired of spending $60–$70 on a haircut. And if you got something like highlights, it would be well over $100. I've decided I don't want to do color or highlights anymore...at least not for a while. I got tired of spending the money to maintain it. Plus, I sort of decided to just let myself go gray. So all I really need is a cut and nothing too special. At this new place, I can get a cut for only $30. Wahoo! They also give you a massage when they are finished. I thought it was going to be a regular massage, but it turned out that they use a large, vibrating machine. (I realize that sounds somewhat naughty, but I don't know how else to describe it...) Anyway, the large, vibrating massage machine was really powerful and not exactly gentle or soothing or relaxing. It actually felt like my teeth were about to rattle and fall out of my head. But it's the thought that counts.
Shuttle: Because this is a busy travel week, I wanted to make early reservations for shuttle service to the airport. Usually I can make easy reservations online, but the company must have changed their Web site because I was redirected to the national shuttle service. You can still make reservations, but things didn't seem right. I'm not sure if I missed something when I was selecting my service, but when they gave me the rates they quoted the price as $230. Um, $230 for a trip to the airport? Is it in a limo with a mini bar? Does it come with an escort? That didn't seem right, so I quit that session and decided to phone in my reservation for the bargain price of $30. I'm still somewhat curious what you get with a $230 shuttle trip, but I suppose I'll have to find out another day.
Current mood: full—I made my world famous Vodka Cream Pasta for dinner tonight
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—David Gray "Say Hello Wave Goodbye"
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
Friday, November 14, 2008
This and That
Work: Things have been busy as usual. The end of the year tends to be one of the busiest times as we try to finish all of our books by December. So I've been busy, but I'm also resisting the temptation to stay late or to take work home with me. I try to listen to the wise advice of a lovely friend who whispers in my ear and tells me to not bring home with me. I just don't want to burn myself out, because I've done that too many times before. The rewards never quite measure up to the effort and energy expended.
Vacation: Things seem even busier at work because I'll be going home for vacation during the week of Thanksgiving. Yes, I'll be taking the entire week off! I'm really looking forward to it, but I just have a million things to do before then. In addition to the work, there are the life things I need to take care of. I should probably get a haircut. And next week I have an appointment to get my eyes checked. It's been about three or four years since I last had an eye appointment, and I think my eyes have been strained and abused by this career path that I've chosen. So I found an eye doctor in Boulder, and I finally made an appointment. My new doctor will probably yell at me for going so long without a check-up, but it will be nice to be able to see again. Then I need to stop my mail, make a reservation for the shuttle to take me to the airport, pay my bills, pay my rent, etc., etc., etc. …
Weather: When I woke up this morning I was surprised to see the first dusting of snow on the roofs, trees, and grass. This was the first noticeable snow that we've had this year. It's been snowing up high in the mountains, but until last night, nothing has hit the Front Range or the city. This is really odd. Usually we get our first snowfall in October, but here we are in the middle of November and we get our first dusting. And it really was a dusting. Plus it all melted within a few hours. I wonder if this means that we're going to have a mild winter this year. Or maybe it means that we're going to get hammered with a horrible blizzard sometime in December or March. You never know in this state!
Garlic: I've eaten so much garlic today, I think I will be able to repel vampires for about five years. This afternoon I went out to lunch with a few co-workers—my team and our boss—and we went to an Italian restaurant. We had garlic bread and then my dish had what seemed like an entire head of garlic in it. Then one of the treats at our Special Treats Food Club gathering today happened to be homemade hummus, and it happened to be a super garlic hummus. Wow! I'm going to be fun to be around for the next few weeks!
Current mood: tired
Current drink: soy milk
Vacation: Things seem even busier at work because I'll be going home for vacation during the week of Thanksgiving. Yes, I'll be taking the entire week off! I'm really looking forward to it, but I just have a million things to do before then. In addition to the work, there are the life things I need to take care of. I should probably get a haircut. And next week I have an appointment to get my eyes checked. It's been about three or four years since I last had an eye appointment, and I think my eyes have been strained and abused by this career path that I've chosen. So I found an eye doctor in Boulder, and I finally made an appointment. My new doctor will probably yell at me for going so long without a check-up, but it will be nice to be able to see again. Then I need to stop my mail, make a reservation for the shuttle to take me to the airport, pay my bills, pay my rent, etc., etc., etc. …
Weather: When I woke up this morning I was surprised to see the first dusting of snow on the roofs, trees, and grass. This was the first noticeable snow that we've had this year. It's been snowing up high in the mountains, but until last night, nothing has hit the Front Range or the city. This is really odd. Usually we get our first snowfall in October, but here we are in the middle of November and we get our first dusting. And it really was a dusting. Plus it all melted within a few hours. I wonder if this means that we're going to have a mild winter this year. Or maybe it means that we're going to get hammered with a horrible blizzard sometime in December or March. You never know in this state!
Garlic: I've eaten so much garlic today, I think I will be able to repel vampires for about five years. This afternoon I went out to lunch with a few co-workers—my team and our boss—and we went to an Italian restaurant. We had garlic bread and then my dish had what seemed like an entire head of garlic in it. Then one of the treats at our Special Treats Food Club gathering today happened to be homemade hummus, and it happened to be a super garlic hummus. Wow! I'm going to be fun to be around for the next few weeks!
Current mood: tired
Current drink: soy milk
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Beautiful Morning
This has been a very unusual late fall/early winter in Colorado. Usually by this time there would be snow on the ground, but so far we haven't had any significant snowfall. There has been snow up high in the mountains, but nothing has hit the front range and cities yet. Here it is, the morning of November 8, and I'm sitting in my living room with the windows open. Right now it is a very comfortable 57 degrees, and earlier I was standing on my balcony drinking a cup of coffee. It's a beautiful and wonderful morning.
However, I can't get too comfortable and relaxed and lazy. My apartment needs some serious cleaning!
Current mood: relaxed
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "I've Loved You Before"
Current drink: coffee
However, I can't get too comfortable and relaxed and lazy. My apartment needs some serious cleaning!
Current mood: relaxed
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "I've Loved You Before"
Current drink: coffee
Thursday, November 06, 2008
This and That
Post-Election Thoughts: It goes without saying that this was an amazing week in American politics. We just took a historic step by electing the first African American president. It's great not only to see it but to actually play a part in it by voting for Obama. Of course I've voted several times before, but I've never felt so passionate or energized about an election as this one. Everyone around me seemed energized and passionate. The day after the election we had a victory party at work with food, cake, and champagne. It's been an amazing and incredible election year.
Bitter-Sweet: Although I was ecstatic and celebrating the Obama victory, I was disappointed that Prop 8, the amendment banning gay marriage, passed in California. Gay marriage bans also passed in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas went so far as to ban gay adoption. Technically the words in the amendment banned "unmarried couples" from adopting children. Yes, that means an unmarried heterosexual couple can't adopt children (which is pretty bad in itself), but I think we all know what they really mean when they say "unmarried couples." They mean the gay or lesbian couples who, of course, can't get married. As I might have said before: only in this country can a person go on TV and marry a complete stranger for a million dollars, but God forbid a loving and committed gay or lesbian couple want to get married. That destroys the sanctity of marriage. That destroys society. The sky will fall. There will be fires and floods and earthquakes and swarms of locusts... It's really sad and pathetic. We like to think of ourselves as the "leaders of the free world," but we really have a lot to learn and we still have a long way to go.
Sickness and Health: This isn't related to marriage. This is related to our office, because it seems to be infested with a new virus. A new cold, flu, plague, or whatever it is, is making its way through our department. So far it has hit two people--two people who happen to be on my team--and my guess is that it won't be long before it infects everyone else. I've been lucky and have thus far been able to avoid all of the plagues that have hit the office over the past year. It's almost ironic because many of my co-workers tease me for how "unhealthy" I am because I'm obsessed with root beer, I love chips and Cheetos, I'm often craving blue cheese burgers, and I love to drink. So, with this being unhealthy--and maybe it is slightly unhealthy-- everyone is always shocked that I never get sick. Here is the secret: cod liver pills and a huge glass of orange juice every day. And when you feel like you might be getting sick, get a huge Jamba Juice with an immunity boost and go to Noodles (if you're lucky to have them where you live) and get a huge bowl of chicken noodle soup. But cod liver pills and OJ are the real secret. And maybe a few shots of whiskey to kill the germs...
Bitter-Sweet: Although I was ecstatic and celebrating the Obama victory, I was disappointed that Prop 8, the amendment banning gay marriage, passed in California. Gay marriage bans also passed in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas went so far as to ban gay adoption. Technically the words in the amendment banned "unmarried couples" from adopting children. Yes, that means an unmarried heterosexual couple can't adopt children (which is pretty bad in itself), but I think we all know what they really mean when they say "unmarried couples." They mean the gay or lesbian couples who, of course, can't get married. As I might have said before: only in this country can a person go on TV and marry a complete stranger for a million dollars, but God forbid a loving and committed gay or lesbian couple want to get married. That destroys the sanctity of marriage. That destroys society. The sky will fall. There will be fires and floods and earthquakes and swarms of locusts... It's really sad and pathetic. We like to think of ourselves as the "leaders of the free world," but we really have a lot to learn and we still have a long way to go.
Sickness and Health: This isn't related to marriage. This is related to our office, because it seems to be infested with a new virus. A new cold, flu, plague, or whatever it is, is making its way through our department. So far it has hit two people--two people who happen to be on my team--and my guess is that it won't be long before it infects everyone else. I've been lucky and have thus far been able to avoid all of the plagues that have hit the office over the past year. It's almost ironic because many of my co-workers tease me for how "unhealthy" I am because I'm obsessed with root beer, I love chips and Cheetos, I'm often craving blue cheese burgers, and I love to drink. So, with this being unhealthy--and maybe it is slightly unhealthy-- everyone is always shocked that I never get sick. Here is the secret: cod liver pills and a huge glass of orange juice every day. And when you feel like you might be getting sick, get a huge Jamba Juice with an immunity boost and go to Noodles (if you're lucky to have them where you live) and get a huge bowl of chicken noodle soup. But cod liver pills and OJ are the real secret. And maybe a few shots of whiskey to kill the germs...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Happy Birthday, To Me!
Ok, it's not really my birthday. But today in the mail I received a little present I bought for myself.
Now that I work for a cool book publisher that publishes books that I would actually like to read (as opposed to the other publishers I worked for), I've had the opportunity to work on some really interesting books. In addition to the mix of history, pop culture, and health and wellness books that I've worked on, I've now had the opportunity to work on a handful of cookbooks. Working on a cookbook gives you a whole new appreciation for them because they can be so complex and involved. There is just a lot going on and there is so much to think about. So now, after working on cookbooks—through blood, sweat, and (sometimes) tears—I have a mild obsession with cookbooks.
While browsing through Borders one afternoon I stumbled across Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. My lovely co-worker/friend had already mentioned this cookbook to me, so I thought I'd flip through it. It's a huge tome filled with lots and lots of recipes. The best thing about it was that it seemed just right for my skill level. It didn't seem intimidating or daunting or too complex. Let's face it, I'm not a master chef and I don't have the time to spend five hours on one recipe that uses forty-five ingredients. So I'm always looking for something that is simple and quick and easy, yet still yummy. Bittman's book seemed just right. I didn't buy it right away, but instead opted for checking it out on Amazon first because they usually have good discounts, and they had a great discount! I was able to get How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian for about 66 percent off! No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I have an open mind and I like experimenting and trying new things. Plus I have a lot of vegetarian friends that I might need to woo sometime.
Anyway, I can't wait to try out some new recipes. So expect some "Recipe Success!" or "Recipe Disaster..." posts in the near future.
Now that I work for a cool book publisher that publishes books that I would actually like to read (as opposed to the other publishers I worked for), I've had the opportunity to work on some really interesting books. In addition to the mix of history, pop culture, and health and wellness books that I've worked on, I've now had the opportunity to work on a handful of cookbooks. Working on a cookbook gives you a whole new appreciation for them because they can be so complex and involved. There is just a lot going on and there is so much to think about. So now, after working on cookbooks—through blood, sweat, and (sometimes) tears—I have a mild obsession with cookbooks.
While browsing through Borders one afternoon I stumbled across Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. My lovely co-worker/friend had already mentioned this cookbook to me, so I thought I'd flip through it. It's a huge tome filled with lots and lots of recipes. The best thing about it was that it seemed just right for my skill level. It didn't seem intimidating or daunting or too complex. Let's face it, I'm not a master chef and I don't have the time to spend five hours on one recipe that uses forty-five ingredients. So I'm always looking for something that is simple and quick and easy, yet still yummy. Bittman's book seemed just right. I didn't buy it right away, but instead opted for checking it out on Amazon first because they usually have good discounts, and they had a great discount! I was able to get How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian for about 66 percent off! No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I have an open mind and I like experimenting and trying new things. Plus I have a lot of vegetarian friends that I might need to woo sometime.
Anyway, I can't wait to try out some new recipes. So expect some "Recipe Success!" or "Recipe Disaster..." posts in the near future.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
This and That, Weekend Edition
This has been another quiet weekend, and I'm thankful for that because it's been a busy week at work. I can't really remember what I did yesterday other than some small shopping and some chores around the house. Today I decided to do some real shopping and I decided to venture into the mall. As I'm getting older (and I'm so old), I'm becoming less and less of a mall shopper. I think it is because when you're at malls the sales people are more eager to help and encourage you to buy something. The worst are those little carts that you pass as your walking along where they try to sell their special products. Some people are selling different cell phone plans, others are selling face cleaning products, etc. And then there is the dreaded nail and hand care cart which happened to trap me today. As I walked past, I tried to avoid eye contact by looking in the windows of the stores. But the woman at the cart pounced on me like a lion attacking its prey. The fact that she was very charming and a beautiful Israeli woman (she told me she was Israeli) with thick, dark curly hair and very dark eyes that looked intensely into mine, made it somewhat difficult for me to say "get away from me, I don't want any." She buffed my fingernail (yes, just one) and made it so shiny I can see my reflection and then she put some nice cuticle oil on my cuticles. Then she looked at my hands and said, "your hands are very dry." I live in Colorado, everything is dry. She then proceeded to rub some lotion into my hands and said, "now your hands are so soft and silky." Um, let go please... I was strong enough to resist a very flirtatious sell, but she gave me her name just in case I wanted to come back for a special deal or sale. I thanked her for being kind and sweet, then I ran away...
So I was proud that I was able to resist the hand and nail care kit, but I wasn't successful in resisting buying two different body sprays at the Body Shop. I walked in and I was immediately greeted by two women, a redhead and a blond, and I knew I was done for. I tried to hide at the back of the shop, but then the blond found me and asked me if I needed more help. I said that I was just torn between two scents. She said that one of the scents I was interested in was a "classic" sent, and the other one was really "sexy and sensual." I grabbed what I wanted, and I also got a nice discount and a bunch of samples.
I then went and had a less exciting and less stressful but still successful shopping trip at Old Navy.
Scary as it all was, it was a fairly successful shopping day.
Current mood: just fine
Current drink: Barq's Root Beer
So I was proud that I was able to resist the hand and nail care kit, but I wasn't successful in resisting buying two different body sprays at the Body Shop. I walked in and I was immediately greeted by two women, a redhead and a blond, and I knew I was done for. I tried to hide at the back of the shop, but then the blond found me and asked me if I needed more help. I said that I was just torn between two scents. She said that one of the scents I was interested in was a "classic" sent, and the other one was really "sexy and sensual." I grabbed what I wanted, and I also got a nice discount and a bunch of samples.
I then went and had a less exciting and less stressful but still successful shopping trip at Old Navy.
Scary as it all was, it was a fairly successful shopping day.
Current mood: just fine
Current drink: Barq's Root Beer
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