Monday, December 07, 2009

Back in the Saddle

I'm finally back to blogging after a several weeks off. Things were really busy at work a few weeks ago. November turned into a busy month with lots of press deadlines, and I was working a lot of long hours. So, because of so many busy and stressful days, I haven't had the energy to write when I got home. Plus, I was also trying to "get ahead" on some of my projects because I was taking a vacation over the Thanksgiving week. Needless to say, I was more than ready for that vacation to start!

My vacation back home was a wonderful one. It was quiet and relaxing, and that was just what I needed. I spent a lot of time with the family and I wrestled with the puppies. I slept a lot and I ate a lot. With my Pa making my breakfasts and my Ma making dinner, I was very well fed. Unfortunately, I had to check my work e-mail a few times to keep one really messy project moving forward, but for the most part I could put work entirely out of my mind. It was a wonderful vacation, and, as usual, it was over much too quickly.

Even though I had a wonderful, relaxing week off, I was immediately thrown back into the fire when I got back to work. I still had a lot of messy projects to deal with, more press deadlines that were right around the corner, and a new employee to help train. And in spite of finishing a lot of projects, a lot more keep hitting my desk. The first week back at work felt like going from Park immediately into the Fourth Gear. So I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed already, but I'll be back home again for Christmas in a few weeks. So I at least have something to look forward to.

Current mood: tired
Current drink: Clos du Val Napa Valley Merlot

Monday, November 16, 2009

Going Tramp...

In light of Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, I thought I'd share a few definitions of rogue courtesy of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

rogue (noun):
1. vagrant, tramp
2. a dishonest or worthless person: scoundrel
3. a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
4. an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation

rogue (adjective):
1. resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable
2. corrupt, dishonest
3. of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior

rogue (verb):
1. to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field

So these are supposed to be good qualities?

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Cooking Adventures - Curried Squash Soup

I love to eat soup, especially in the winter when it is cold and snowy. One thing I don't like about store-bought or canned soup is that they tend to be loaded with sodium. I generally don't like to drink about 8 glasses of water after just one bowl of soup because I feel so parched because of all the sodium. Even the low sodium soups seem too salty! So, I thought I'd try my hand at making some homemade soup. On the menu tonight was a Curried Squash Soup. I found it on the Cascadian Farm website, and the recipe looked really easy. Unlike most creamy soups, for this recipe you didn't need a blender, immersion blender, or a food processor—neither of which I have—so I thought it would be really easy. And it was!

It was also very yummy! It was a little bit sweet, but it was also a little bit spicy. It was also very filling. Today has been a cold, wintry day, and this really hit the spot.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hot Air Balloons and Heart Attacks

I live in the northeast area of Boulder, and because I'm on the outskirts of the city, I'm surrounded by quite a bit of open space and farms. Because this area is so open, it makes a good launching point for hot air balloons. Often when I'm leaving my apartment and on my way to work early in the morning, I see several hot air balloons filling the sky. When I was walking to my car this morning, I saw a bright yellow balloon floating over my apartment complex. Because I'm easily distracted and even more easily amused by the most mundane things, like balloons or clouds in the sky, I was happily staring at the balloon like a child as I neared my car. Suddenly, a body fell out of the balloon! Arms and legs were flailing wildly. Just when I thought the body would surly go spat on top of a building or parking lot or street, a parachute popped over the falling man. There were several other balloons in the sky and more people with parachutes were jumping from them. Maybe it's a new sport or they are practicing a stunt. I'm happy the man didn't go splat, but I'm not happy about having a near heart attack before work. Work is stressful enough!

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Grocery Shopping Success

So, feeling bummed out after watching the Broncos lose their first game today, I nonetheless had to make a run to the grocery store to stock up on food for the next few weeks. I was quite organized and prepared this time. Before I left, I looked at the weekly flier, cut out my coupons, and made my list. After checking out, I looked at my receipt and was quite amazed. After combining store specials and coupons, I managed to save $29.66. How cool am I?! My final total was only about $50.00. Sure, it could have been less than that if I didn't grab a few bags of candy corn on impulse. But at least the candy corn was on sale, too. I'm pretty proud of myself.

All in all, I'd call it a successful shopping trip. And now I'm looking forward to making some Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries for dinner later tonight!

Friday, October 30, 2009

The Pros and Cons of Snow

Because of the snow, I've been able to take some time off work for the past few days. When the roads are snow-covered, icy, and treacherous, the office closes and we can all stay home. The con of snow, however, is the snow removal process. A lot of people complain that the plows are never out clearing the roads. That doesn't seem to be the case in my area. They seem to have done a great job and I'm grateful for that. Everything was clean and clear and there was hardly any ice or slush on the major roads. However, what was left behind was the sand and pebbles—or whatever it is—that they drop on the ice. On the one hand, this stuff is great because it either melts the ice or gives you a little bit of traction so that you can drive without sliding around. This is bad, however, because the cars in front of you kick the sand and pebbles back into your car, and, naturally, these can fly directly into your windshield. Just about every car in Colorado has tiny chips or cracks—or both—in their windshields because of this. For quite a while, I've had a crack that has run across the bottom of my windshield. Because it is out of my line of vision, I haven't really done much about it. But today I noticed a brand new crack right at eye level on the passenger side. So now I'm thinking that I might actually need to get this replaced sometime soon. It's great that I've had several days off of work, but now I'm not exactly looking forward to this new, unexpected $300 expense to replace my windshield. Sigh...

Long Weekend

The snow has finally stopped, the sun has come out, and I can see small patches of blue in the sky again. Knowing that our offices would probably be open today, I woke up at my normal time and went through my usual morning routine. It took me about 20 minutes to clean about 20 inches of snow off my car. The roads to work were clear and clean and surprisingly dry. There were a few patches of black ice, but the drive into work wasn't bad at all. But the moment I stepped into the building I noticed that all of the lights were off. Apparently the power went out just as I walked in. There were a few people already in and we waited around to see if the power would come back. After about 45 minutes and after hearing from the power company that it could take four hours to restore the power, we were sent home and our office was closed yet again. So now I'm back at home. I did a few work-related things, and that's about all I can do now. Maybe now that the weather is better I can go out and do something fun. Or I can continue to be lazy...

Current mood: enjoying some unexpected time off
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Bond "Quixote"
Current drink: coffee

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Snow Day, Day Two

It is Thursday morning, and it is still snowing. The snow hasn't stopped or even lightened since Wednesday night. So far the totals coming in for Boulder are 17 inches of snow, and considering it is still snowing, the final total will be even higher when all is said and done. It is supposed to keep snowing throughout the afternoon and into this evening, so we'll see where we are in the end. Although I'm sure it is a mess on the roads out there, it sure is absolutely beautiful to see from the safety and warmth of my apartment. Everything is pure white, and there are thick layers of snow on the branches of the trees outside my apartment. Some of the branches are bending precariously under the weight of the snow, and I'm surprised that none of them have snapped yet.

Because the weather is still bad, our offices are closed again, and everyone seems grateful for that. I think that it has been obvious over the past few weeks (and months) that everyone was in need of a break and some time off. It's almost nice to be forced to take time off like this. (And it is nice to be forced to take time off and have it not be a furlough that affects our paychecks!) Hopefully it will give everyone a chance to rest, relax, and recharge. Even though the snow is supposed to end tonight, the mess usually carries over into the next day or two. Our offices may or may not be officially closed, but the e-mail announcement that came out today said that because the weather has been so bad, Friday might be a wash too. Hopefully that means we can have another day off or, at the very least, a partial workday.

Current mood: resting and relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Gavin DeGraw "Chariot"
Current drink: orange juice (building up my immunity, because you just know someone in the office is going to get sick after all of this!)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Snow Day!

Today is our first snow day of the winter, and everyone rejoices! Yesterday the weather people were already predicting a wallop of a storm, and by the afternoon dark, ominous clouds started to roll over the mountains. It started to snow last night, and when I woke up this morning there was a good amount of snow on the trees and grass outside my apartment. I checked my work e-mail and there was a message saying we were on a delayed start and that we would probably close early. But, about 30 minutes later, a second message went out to let us know that the office was officially closed.

From the height of my apartment, I can't really tell how much snow is on the ground, and I'm not going outside! But there seems to be a good amount of snow on the tree branches. The snow is still falling and the weather people are saying that this is only the beginning. It sounds like the snow might continue throughout the day and it might get even worse tonight. So if we're lucky, we might have another snow day tomorrow!

More updates to follow, if anything exciting happens...

Current mood: happy to have a day off
Current drink: coffee

Sunday, October 25, 2009

This and That, Weekend Edition

It has been another busy week, so there hasn't been a whole lot to write about.

Work: I'm still trying to catch up and keep afloat after getting about ten new projects last week. Earlier this week, we also found out that we've started a "joint venture" with another smaller publisher. Basically this means that we've taken on another publisher and that means that even more work will start to come through our office. The good thing about this is that we obviously have enough money to take on another publisher and this is gives me an even better sense of job security. After all, someone will have to work on these books. The downside is that we're going to get a lot more work, and there is a chance that this work might come through my team. Right now we all have a lot of projects, and we're close to working at our maximum capacity. There is already a lot of restlessness and the complaints are getting louder, so I'm not looking forward to the time in a few months when we get even more work. All of this, however, is in the early stages and we're all still figuring out what this all means. This acquisition was, quite frankly, a surprise to everyone. So this is a bridge we'll have to cross when we get there. On the plus side, last week we received our first non-furlough paychecks. And, to celebrate our first non-furlough paychecks, the office had a huge happy hour in which everyone blew their paychecks. Fortunately I was strong enough to leave after spending $20. And I might add that I didn't spend a whole lot of money on my own order of drinks and food, but I helped pay for my boss's share of the drinks and food, because it was National Boss's Day. The party started at one bar and was then going to move to another bar where another, separate party was going on. The other party sounded like it wasn't going to be very happy or festive, because it had the more disgruntled employees in attendance. It was an Unhappy Hour, if you will. Because I didn't want to get depressed or spend more money than I wanted to, I decided to slip away and go home.

Weather:
The weather has been crazy lately. It has gone from winter to fall to summer back to fall and today it is winter again. Yesterday the weather was beautiful. It was in the 60s and it was sunny and clear for the most part. The only bad part of the weather yesterday were the winds. I woke up this morning and it was cloudy and grey. It started to rain, then it started to snow. The snow, however, didn't stick to anything, and it stopped for about 20 minutes. Now it's started again. Update: After about five minutes the snow stopped and the sun is trying to come out. I've updated this weather paragraph about three times since the initial post. I think I'm going to give up because it keeps changing minute-by-minute. I must live in Colorado. :)

Current mood: trying to get motivated to clean the apartment
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Dave Matthews Band "Crash into Me"
Current drink: coffee

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Deluge

Just when I think that I have a quiet moment at work, I'm flooded with new projects. In the past week, I've received around ten new projects. That is in addition to the five or six projects that I already had. I can manage a heavy workload, but when you get a lot of new projects all at once, it can get overwhelming because starting projects is usually the most time-consuming part of the process. So, sadly and needless to say, I did what I vowed I would stop doing—I had to bring a lot of work home with me. However, I do manage to keep things into perspective. It's better to have too much work than no work at all!

This weekend I also need to write some reviews for three people in our department who are up for their annual or three-month reviews. This usually isn't difficult, but it is just time-consuming to put all of the right words together.

This is going to be one busy weekend...

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Cooking Adventures - Tofu and Black Bean Chili

I slept in very late this morning and when I finally crawled out of bed, I looked out the window and saw snow covering the trees and grass. It's been quite cold, about 20 degrees, and snow has been falling lightly for most of the day. Feeling especially lazy and not really wanting to go out in the cold, I didn't do the grocery shopping that I was supposed to do today. But I still needed to eat tonight. I looked in my fridge and found some tofu and I knew that I had plenty of canned beans and tomatoes. So, because the weather was so cold and snowy today, I decided to try my hand at making Tofu and Black Bean Chili. I've never made chili like this before, but I thought, how hard can it be?

I pressed the tofu for about an hour to get out the water and moisture so that the tofu could then soak up all of the yummy flavors. I started the dish by sauteing some chopped onions. I usually also add some chopped carrots, because it gives the chili some texture and added vitamins, but because I didn't have any carrots in the fridge, I had to go without them. So I added the tofu (cubed) and browned them a bit. Then I added the spices, from your basic chili spice packet, but knowing that tofu can sometimes be kind of bland, I added more chili powder and crushed red pepper flakes to give it some more heat. Then I added diced tomatoes (undrained) and black beans (drained and rinsed). I also added some water because I like my chili saucy. Then I brought it to a boil, then lowered the heat, and let it simmer for about an hour. Once it was ready, I dished it up into a bowl, and topped it with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. The verdict? It was yummy!

The final product

Update: It is now Monday evening and I'm finishing the last of this chili. A benefit to making a huge batch is that I can stretch it for several days. So, in addition to being yummy, it's also quite economical, too. I estimated that once you add up all of the ingredients, the total meal comes to about $6 or $7. And that covers dinner for three days! For a whopping total of a little over $2 a day! I rock!

Big Gay Weekend

This is going to be a big weekend in the world of gay rights. Tonight, President Obama will deliver a speech at a dinner and fund raising event for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay rights lobbying group and political action community in the nation. On Sunday, the National Equality March will take place, and it is a march that will draw attention to gay rights and the demand for equal protection under the law. The rights gays and lesbians are asking for are simple: the right to go to school or work and be free of harassment, the right to go about our daily life and be protected from hate crimes, the right for equal health care and benefits, the right to donate blood, the right to marry, and the right to serve in the military (this quick and easy list is courtesy of the National Equality March Web site). In a nutshell, we basically want all of the rights guaranteed to straight men and women. Yet, these are rights that have been denied largely because of political posturing or religious preaching.

Although there are a number of rights that gays and lesbians are denied, the two hot-button political issues right now are the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT).

Defense of Marriage Act:
DOMA was passed by congress and, sadly, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. The law states that the federal government defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and that states are not required to recognize same-sex marriages even if the marriage might be recognized in another state. Individual stats can pass their own laws that recognize (or ban) same-sex marriages or civil unions, but what the gay and lesbian community is fighting for is federal recognition and federal rights. The arguments for banning same-sex marriages vary. Many people like to use religious standards and argue that because the Bible says homosexuality is immoral and an abomination we should not allow or recognize same-sex marriages. These people take the Bible for its word, stand by it, and have a very literal and inflexible interpretation of it. Yet, this same Bible also states that a woman, who is not a virgin at the time of her marriage, should be stoned by the community. I wonder if there is a man, who stands by the Bible's claims of homosexuality, would also be willing to stone his wife right now if she wasn't a virgin when she married. The Bible also says that if a man sleeps with another man's wife, both he and the woman should be put to death. If this were the case, we wouldn't have many politicians left in Washington right now. The Bible also says that you must detest and not eat any creature from the sea unless it has fins and scales. So shrimp and lobster are out.

People also say that allowing same-sex marriages will destroy the sanctity of, in the words of Miss California, "opposite" marriage. Well, I honestly don't think that gay people running out and getting married brought the divorce rate among straight people to 50 percent. Many of my friends' parents are divorced and, sadly, a few of my friends are getting divorced themselves, but I doubt that any of these divorces were cause by gays and lesbians.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell:
Don't Ask, Don't Tell prohibits any service member—read gay or lesbian service member—from disclosing or discussing his or her sexual orientation. It also prohibits officers from asking about a service member's sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians are essentially forced to stay in the closet and forced to keep quiet. They are prevented from discussing whatever relationship they might be in. However, straight men and women are free to openly discuss their relationships, their boyfriends or girlfriends, or their husbands or wives. There is still a belief that having openly gay men and women in the armed forces would destroy the morale and cohesion of the troop. It would be a distraction and a threat. I'm not sure how other people feel, but if a service member is threatened by homosexuality, how can you feel safe having that person stand by you and defend you in battle? I don't care if you are willing to take a bullet for your country, if you're threatened and afraid of a gay man or woman fighting beside you and willing to take the same bullet, you are a coward. And how would people who favor DADT explain stories of women in the armed forces who are harassed, abused, and raped by men? I doubt they are being raped by the gay soldiers!

In spite of the fact that we are fighting multiple wars, soldiers continue to be discharged from the military for being gay. Many of these men and women are specialists and Arabic translators, and you would think that these are the people we need most right now. Yet, because they are considered a "threat," they are let go. It's astonishing and unbelievable.


Monday, October 12, also happens to be the 11th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was beaten, tortured, and left to die on a fence in Laramie, Wyoming. His attackers later admitted that they targeted him because he was gay. An this sad event and hate crimes in general are other issues that need to be brought up this weekend. This weekend, with President Obama's speech at the HRC dinner and with the March for Equality, gives the gay and lesbian community and opportunity to put their issues back on the table. Unfortunately, many gay rights activists have been highly critical of Obama because he hasn't yet done anything for gay rights and he hasn't acted out on any of his campaign promises. I'd be the first to admit that we need changes and that these basic rights should be extended to the gay and lesbian community, however, I also think that this heated criticism of Obama is premature and counter-productive. Obama has been in office for only ten months, and he walked into a situation where we were facing an economic and financial crisis and several wars. There are just some issues that needed more immediate attention. I think that if the gay and lesbian community really wants to make progress, they need to remain patient and, most importantly, remain supportive of the one person who has the potential to bring about these changes. Obama's campaign was built on hope and the slogan "yes, we can," and we need to remember this as we keep fighting. It might be a struggle and a long road, but it is something that shouldn't be given up.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Patriotism and the Olympics

Catching up on a few old stories of the past few weeks...

The idea of patriotism seems to change in meaning depending on who is in power. When George W. Bush was president, Republicans and conservatives had a very well-defined standard of patriotism. If you were against the war, you were accused of being heartless and not supporting the troops. You were accused of not caring about the people who were fighting and sacrificing their lives for your freedom. Naturally, you can be against a war, but still care about the safety and well-being of the men and women fighting that war. Those things to the Republicans, however, weren't mutually exclusive. If you were for the war, you were pro troops, pro military, pro America. If you were against the war, you were anti troops, anti military, and anti America. If you criticized President Bush, the Republicans accused you of being un-American and unpatriotic. However, now that a Democrat is in the White House, the Republicans have an entirely new definition of patriotism. Now it is considered patriotic to criticize a president. It is patriotic to call the president a failure in spite of the fact that he has been in office for only ten months. Now it's patriotic to shout out and call him a liar. I'm sure the Republicans would think that it would be patriotic to throw a shoe at Obama, but I'm sure they would agree that it would be unpatriotic—and criminal—to throw a shoe at Bush.

Obama's attempt to bring the Olympics to Chicago and the Republican reaction to it is a perfect example of the changing standards of patriotism. Though the geeky and nerdy part of me thinks that it would be cool to keep the Olympics in Greece permanently, I'd be the first to also admit that the Olympics is an international event and the opportunity and privilege to host it should be something that can be shared by all nations. Hosting the Olympics is great event. It gives the host nation a chance to show off its history and culture. And, like the ancient Greek culture from which the Olympics came, the event gives the host an opportunity to welcome guests from foreign nations, to extend open hands, and to build friendships and alliances for years and generations to come. It's a matter of national pride and you would think that any members of any nation would be eager to bring the Olympics to their country. However, when Obama tried to lend his support to bring the Olympics to the United States, Republicans and conservatives were outraged and appalled. Obama was accused of being arrogant and egotistical. He was accused of jetting across the world, when he should have been taking care of issues at home. (As if it were impossible for anyone, let alone a president, to multi-task and think of more than one issue at a time.) When Chicago lost the bid to host the Olympics, Republicans and conservatives cheered and celebrated this "loss" and "failure." How patriotic is that? Your country loses a chance to host the Olympics, and this is some kind of victory? Your country loses the possibility of job creation and a huge economic boom, and this is something worth celebrating? Wasn't this the same political party that would chant USA! USA! at the Republican National Convention?

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard playlist on iTunes
Current drink: vanilla soy milk

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Cooking Adventures - Pannekoeken

This evening I was in the mood for something different for dinner. I occasionally cook breakfast for dinner, and that craving along with a little homesickness led me to make pannekoeken tonight. Pannekoeken are Dutch pancakes and they are probably better described as crepes. If you want, you can probably make them savory and fill them with cheese and different meats, like sausage, ham, or bacon. Or you can make them like a dessert by filling them with pudding or fruit and topping them with whipped cream. My family always kept it simple and filled the pannekoeken with powered sugar and cinnamon.

I've never made pannekoeken before, but everyone has always said that it is easy to make. Still, this was going to be an experiment. The recipe to make the batter was simple, and I was ready to go. The first pannekoek looked awful, but apparently this is normal and to be expected, so I didn't get too worried. All in all, everything turned out pretty good. I think that I probably should have thinned out the batter a little bit with some more milk, and I need to work on my technique of pouring the batter into the pan and swirling it around—I got some interesting shapes that weren't quite circles! It wasn't quite as good as my Ma's, but for the most part it was a success.

Sick Day

Even though things have been busy at work these past few weeks, most of my projects were out in other hands either with authors or freelancers. So, with relatively little to do during the day, I decided to "call in sick" on Wednesday. Fortunately my boss is great and she knows how hard we all work, so she doesn't mind if we occasinally call in sick and play hokey every now and then. Sometimes we can even schedule our "sick day" a few days in advance. All night Tuesday night, I was considering taking a sick day. I'm never really sick and have never had to take a real sick day, but I realized that I had about 12 days of sick time left for the rest of the year. So on Wednesday, I actually called in sick. I might as well use them, because they don't carry over into the next year.

On my day off I decided to go for a hike. I was awake relatively early, and I got to Chautauqua Park in Boulder at about 10:30 and I was ready to hike around the Flatirons. I had my camera with me and I was excited to take a lot of pictures. It's been a long time since I've had a photography excursion day, so I was really looking forward to it. Hiking around the Flatirons while taking a lot of pictures is one of my hobbies that completely absorbs me. It distracts me and takes me to a different place. I don't think about work or the drama at work. I don't think about the pressures of money (or the lack of money!). All I think about is the beauty surrounding me.

My hike turned into a very long one. I wandered around my usual trails and explored some trails that I haven't been on before. It was an absolutely beautiful day. It was sunny and clear and the temperature was in the 70s. For the most part the weather was calm, but it started to get windy near the end of my hike. By the time I was ready to go home, I realized that I had been hiking for about three hours and I turned back only because I was starving and needed food.

All in all it was a wonderful day. In spite of the fact that it was an occasionally strenuous hike, it was actually a very relaxing and peaceful way to spend the day off. When I was home, I devoured a huge lunch and a huge dinner and I slept like a rock. When I was back at work on Thursday and Friday, I felt completely different. I felt energized and my mind felt clear. Maybe I sweat out all the toxic energy and emotions on my hike. Either way, I felt great for the rest of the week.
I wish taking a three-hour hike were something I could do every day!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Community and Family

I've been through a little bit of a drought with my posting lately, and I apologize to my loyal readers for that. I've been busy and I've been a little tired, so I haven't had much energy to write at night. I've been having a post in mind, but I just haven't been able to put the right words to it. I'm still not sure if I have the right words right now, but I'm going to try anyway. It might turn into a stream of consciousness, but at least I'm writing something.

A few weeks ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning, I had brunch with some former co-workers and wonderful friends. This past Friday I went to a house warming party for one of my former bosses and at the party were several other former co-workers. There were also many other people from the local publishing community. I didn't have the opportunity to work with many of these people, but I've heard about them through stories. I call this group of people and friends the Old Guard of the local publishing world. The publishing world in Colorado is relatively small, but it is slowly growing as new editors enter the industry. But it is the original group of editors, the Old Guard, to whom I'm always the most drawn and attracted.

It goes without saying that with the Old Guard comes a wealth of experience. They are true professionals who know the job and know the industry and most of them have years of experience. When I came fresh out of graduate school with hardly any experience, these were the editors who trained me and I am incredibly grateful for that. Now that I've been in the position of training people who are really fresh and green and who have no experience, I know how difficult this can be. I was lucky to be trained by people who are incredibly talented and patient and thoughtful. I was lucky to have the opportunity to soak up everyone's knowledge like a sponge, and I took advantage of every moment of that. The Old Guard also just understands how things are in this business. We're all overworked, underappreciated, and underpaid, and although we might complain and be frustrated with it, we accept it, deal with it, and move on. We're editors. We're not heart surgeons, so we're never going make a lot of money. So we live with it. For the Old Guard it is all a joke and we laugh it off. But for the New Guard it is cause for outrage and temper tantrums. This probably explains the incessant whining and constant complaining that you hear so much these days.

But what I love most about the Old Guard is the sense of community. I came into the local publishing world at the tail end of the "good old days" and I am fortunate to be a late comer to the Old Guard before many things changed in the local community. When I started my first job, the company was slipping into turmoil, and there were several moments in those first months when I wondered what I had gotten myself into and I was wishing I had stayed in school to get my PhD. But what saved me and what kept me going were the people I worked with. The big thing that separates the New Guard from the Old Guard is selfishness and the lack thereof. The New Guard seems to be very career driven, and that can sometimes lead to selfishness and self-centeredness. They tend to do what is good for them and them alone and they tend to care about themselves and themselves alone. The Old Guard is quite the opposite. We look out for one another and we support one another. Whenever I was looking for a new job, everyone was helping me and everyone was willing to recommend me or willing to be my reference. If another editor is out of a job, everyone else does what she can to send that person freelance work to help that person through rough times. When things get difficult, the Old Guard stands together and bonds tighter. It is about "us," and not about "me." From my perspective, it seems as if the new generation of editors doesn't have that same attitude. Or maybe I'm just too critical. Or maybe my standards and expectations are too high after working with so many wonderful people.

I suppose it is hard to explain, let alone understand, what I'm feeling right now and what I'm trying to say. I suppose it is something that you have to see or experience or feel for yourself. But all I know is that my feelings for the Old Guard are entirely different from what I feel for the New Guard. The Old Guard is a community and, for me personally, it is like a second family. It is made up of people that I not only respect and appreciate but that I also love.

Current mood: pensive
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Loreena McKennitt "Penelope's Song"
Current drink: coffee

Monday, September 21, 2009

Promises for a Real Update...Soon...

I apologize to my readers for the lack of updates over the past week or so. I haven't had much to say. There hasn't been a lot going on lately. Yet somehow I still feel really busy and really, really tired. So I promise a real update some time soon. The best I can do right now is report on the weather. It's cold!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

This and That, Weekend Edition

Work: Things at work are the same as to be expected. The end of August was extremely busy, but I had a brief moment of quiet early this month. It was very brief, however. Over the past week I got three new projects and all of them are on short schedules. So, needless to say, I've been busy over the past few days. In other news, our furlough period will be coming to an end. Beginning in October we will return to our normal paychecks. Granted, our pay checks were never huge to begin with, but it will be nice to have more money going into the bank. Hopefully this will improve the morale in the office. But, then again, I'm sure there will be something else for people to get upset over.

Weather: For the past few weeks the weather has been absolutely beautiful. It has been warm and sunny and clear. Temperatures have been in the 80s or upper 70s. A cold front must have blown in. When I woke up this morning it was cloudy and grey outside. Even though it was already 9:30, I also realized that it was really cold—it was only about 55 degrees. It has been raining for most of the morning, but where there was a break in the weather, I made a quick run to the grocery store. By the time I got out of the store there was a lot of wicked lightning and loud crashes of thunder. Standing in an open parking lot while holding onto a metal shopping cart probably wasn't the safest thing to be doing at the time. As I was driving home, I could see how bad the weather was getting. Really dark grey, low-lying clouds had rolled in. You couldn't even see the mountains. These clouds were really scary and ominous looking, and add to that the lightning and thunder and you'd think the world was coming to an end. Right now it is still raining and it is still quite cold. I guess this is a reminder that winter is right around the corner. It won't be long before this rain turns into snow.

Current mood: chilly
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Sarah McLachlan "I Will Remember You"
Current drink: water for now; wine will come later

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Oh My God, Hide Your Children!

Today it was announced that on Tuesday, September 8, President Obama will deliver a welcome back to school speech directed toward students from kindergarten to the twelfth grade. This speech is supposed to encourage children to set goals, to work hard, and to stay in school. This is a great thing, right? Here we are, encouraging children, building them up, filling them with confidence, and telling them to take advantage of all of their educational opportunities. Education is important and we need a bright, intelligent workforce for the future, right?

Well, not everyone is so happy with the president's planned speech. Naturally, several members and sects of the right wing party are going absolutely crazy! There is mass panic among the right wing, and you'd think that Armageddon was upon us. Some school districts in six states (Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Minnesota) are already refusing to air the president's speech. Parents are threatening to pull their children out of school that day if their school has the audacity to air the speech. Why? Some are saying that the president shouldn't use government time and money to take away time and money from state schools by giving a "politically motivated" speech. After all we have wars, an economic crisis, and health care reform to think about! Others are afraid that this will be an indoctrination and that the president will use this as a platform to impose his "socialist" ideas upon the poor, unsuspecting children of the country.

Naturally, this is all completely nuts. And the right wingers should be reminded that Obama is not the first president to give a speech directed toward children. In 1991, George H. W. Bush gave a speech that encouraged children to study hard and to get a great education, especially in science and math. In 2001, George W. Bush gave a speech and encouraged children in the United States to each donate $1 for a charity to help needy children in Afghanistan. And let us not forget that almost every president, especially saint Reagan, warned children about the dangers of drugs.

Throughout the years, decades, and probably centuries, almost every president or world leader has spoken to children about the importance of education. But for whatever reason when President Obama is set to give this kind of speech, people are up in arms and think it is part of some grand conspiracy to take over the minds of the children. It's just silly. You would think that any parent—or any sound minded, clear thinking individual for that matter—would put a high price and value on education. And, let me remind you, part of a good education is learning critical thinking skills. And the most important part of critical thinking is learning to listen to both sides of an argument or story before forming an opinion. People might not like the president, but what is the harm in first listening to what he has to say. If he tells children to do their homework, who is harmed? If children learn from him that they can grow up to be anything they want, including president, what is the harm in that?

Current mood: annoyed with the Wingnuts
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Jewel "Again and Again"
Current drink: water...yes, water

Moderation Is a Good Thing

There is a family down in Arkansas that is famous for one thing and one thing only. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar—and, yes, his name really is Jim Bob—are famous for having children, lots of them. At ages 42 and 44, Michelle and Jim Bob already have a total of 18 children. As I was getting ready for work on Tuesday, I was watching the Today Show and Meredith Viera dropped a teaser before the commercial break that the Duggar family had a "big" announcement. Well, when the Duggar family has any kind of announcement, it can be only one thing, that another baby is on the way. And, as expected, the Michelle Duggar announced that she is pregnant once again and their 19th child is on the way. This pregnancy comes only 8 months after she gave birth to her last child.

The general population greeted this news with shock and awe. Most people in the world think that this family is insane and crazy. People wonder how any family can afford to raise so many kids. I question how it's possible for any of these children to get any kind of individual attention and love. You wonder what kind of life the older children have, because they are probably responsible for taking care of their younger siblings. And we could also mention that this family is probably single-handedly depleting half of the world's resources. Or maybe I should say multi-handedly.

Anyway, this is a huge family, and most people, quite rightfully, think that they are crazy. However, the news of the big announcement was greeted with great excitement and many bright smiles from the media. Everyone is absolutely giddy about a new baby being added to the brood. One question, however, keeps popping into my mind whenever this family has another baby. Would they be treated the same way, would they have the same "celebrity" status, if they were anything but white and Christian? Somehow I doubt it. I have a hard time believing that the media and good Christians around the world would be as welcoming and excited if this family were African American or Latino. If they were African American they would probably be called ghetto trash or there would be hour-long documentaries about the irresponsibility of black men. If they were Latino they would probably be criticized for overpopulating the good old USA with illegal minorities. Yet, because they are Christian and white, this is a beautiful, wonderful thing meant to be celebrated. Yes, double standards do still exist.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Sensitivity

I was born in Colorado, but I have lived in several states. A few years after I was born my family moved to Michigan, then Texas, and then California. Even though I had wonderful years in Michigan and Texas, California and Colorado have always had the greatest pulls on me. I spent my teenage and (many) college years in California, but something was always pulling me back to Colorado, so I came here for graduate school. I consider both home. Lately Colorado has become a refuge or a mecca for Californians. A lot of Californians have been moving here, and there is often a resentment from the Coloradoans toward the Californians. Quite frankly, a lot of people in Colorado hate Californians for the simple reason that they are from California.

Right now fires are raging in California and at the time of this posting about 127,000 acres have burned. The fires are so bad that the smoke has actually made it's way to Colorado, and our skies are so hazy and polluted that you can barely see the mountains. The land in California has burned, homes have been destroyed, and wildlife and people have been killed. What is happening is horrible, and you would think that people would feel sympathetic, but unfortunately that is not always the case. When reading the newspaper or watching TV, it's sad to see some reader or viewer comments saying things like "good, let it burn," or "we'd all be better off if California just fell into the ocean," or "they deserve it for building homes in the hills," or my personal favorite, "God is punishing California for their tolerance of gays." Well, if God punishes people for their tolerance of gays, then why does God always drop tornadoes on mobile home parks, because, let me tell you, gays don't live in mobile home parks! But I digress.

The point is, why do people feel the need to make these ludicrous comments when something this terrible is happening? Why bring your personal resentment or hatred or politics into the issue? This is an issue about humanity.

The ones making these types of comments are obviously worthless, pathetic trolls who have nothing better to do with their lives and who have absolutely nothing to offer the world. These are the people who are spineless and heartless and worth less that the foulest smelling thing in the sewers.


Fortunately I know that Colorado is a great state with a lot of great people, and the ones making these comments are just an isolated group and don't represent the state as a whole. This is a state that loves nature and the environment and we've had our own share of fire disasters. We're a lot more sensitive and sympathetic than the fools who spend their entire day posting comments to newsboards.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

This and That, Weekend Edition

I apologize to my loyal readers for the lack of updates over the past week or two. I've been busy, yet at the same time there hasn't been too much to report.

Work: Work has been busy, and that is a good thing I suppose. I managed to send a lot of books to press, and now I'm just waiting for more projects to come in. It will be nice to have a brief rest before things get busy again. Technically our furlough period is supposed to end next week, but we're still not sure what will happen next. I'm not sure if we'll still be on furlough for the rest of the year, or if we'll go back to our original salaries. I'm hoping that we'll go back to "normal," because maybe that will improve the morale of the office. But we'll have to just wait and see what happens. Other than that, there really isn't that much to report.

Weddings: On Friday I had the pleasure to go to an absolutely beautiful wedding. The wedding didn't take place until the evening, but I took the day off of work to rest and relax before the big event. The wedding ceremony was in Denver at the Cheesman Park Pavilion. It was the first time I've been to the park, and when I saw it I wondered why I've never gone there before and wondered why no one told me about it before. The pavilion itself is a small Greek temple, just the kind of thing I love. The weather throughout the week had been hot with severe thunderstorms in the afternoons, but on Friday, the day of the wedding, we were fortunate to have beautiful, dry weather. The ceremony itself was beautiful, and the bride, my co-worker, dear friend, and one of the loves of my life, was absolutely stunning. After the ceremony we drove across town to a small art gallery for the reception. There was good food, good wine and cocktails, beautiful and heartfelt speeches, and lots and lots of dancing. All in all it was an absolutely beautiful evening, and I'm grateful to have been invited.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Disconnected

On Sunday afternoon I went to downtown Boulder with a mission to find the perfect wedding gift for one of my friends, who is getting married next week. While walking along Pearl Street, I was taking in the sights and mingling around booths that filled Pearl. It was the Boulder Asian Festival, so it was busy and there was a lot to see. At one point I stopped to sit on a bench to rest and to watch the people wander by. I happened to be near a restaurant that had a patio. At one table were four girls, all were otherwise engaged with their cell phones, BlackBerry, or iPhone. Two were talking on their phones, while the other two were frantically typing away with their text messaging. They didn't say one word to one another and hardly even looked up to make eye contact. Maybe the two on the phone were talking to each other, and maybe the other two were texting each other. Who knows?

I'll be the first to admit that the new cell phone technology is pretty awesome. The fact that you can browse the Web and send e-mails through your phone is pretty cool. Then there is there is that other, occasionally used feature, the ability to make an actual phone call. I'm a technology geek, so I like these things. But I all too frequently see people completely absorbed and taken over by these little machines. Even in the fanciest restaurants where people are dressed up for the fanciest dinners, you'll see more than a few people fiddling with their phones. You know that your life has been taken over when you can't go more than twenty minutes or an hour without checking your e-mail or reading your text messages. You know that your life has been taken over when you can't take more than a few minutes to engage with the person sitting across from you. Technology is cool, but the complete inability to interact with someone unless it is through a screen of some kind is kind of sad. So put your phones down people! Take a minute to actually look at the person sitting across from you. Look into their eyes, watch their expressions, listen to their voices. It might be an old fashioned way of talking to someone, but it's pretty rewarding.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Mixed Messages *Updated*

Lately, I've been quite confused by the right wing attacks on Obama. The same people who have been calling him a Nigerian-born Kenyan-born Muslim are the very same people calling him a Nazi. Weren't the Nazi's generally white and Christian? How can you be both a Nigerian-born Kenyan-born Muslim and a Nazi? Doesn't seem to make much sense to me.

**Updated from my initial post. They say he is a Kenyan, not a Nigerian. Apologies!**

Friday, August 14, 2009

Money-Saving Tips for Cheap and/or Tight-Fisted Publishing Professionals

**Long Post Warning**

As I have written in previous posts, publishing is not exactly a lucrative career. We make a decent income. It's not always a great, high income, but it's also not a low income. Still, money is tight for many of us who work in this industry. We're watching our pennies and dollars just like everyone else in this country. And things are getting worse and more volatile in our office. People are getting more angry and frustrated about contributing money to department or office events. These days a $3 or $5 contribution is cause for a riot. Things are so bad that there is a good chance that our department will stop celebrating our co-workers' birthdays because people are getting tired of contributing money to bring in food or treats. I think this is really sad, because getting together and celebrating birthdays is one of the ways that we try to take a break from work and try to boost morale. However, how can you boost morale when half the people are angry and resentful about their $5 donation? And maybe this will be a good thing for me, considering I'm often the one who contributes more to cover any shortfall. While others might complain about donating $5, I'm usually the one contributing $10 or $15. Why should I keep doing that?

These birthdays happen maybe once a month. We've even tried to combine an entire month's birthdays on one day so that it is less of an inconvenience. So it's basically a $5 donation once a month. But still this is a problem. Like everyone else, I'm trying to be careful with my money, but I have my own tricks and tips that help me save money. Here are a few ideas that might help frugal and fiscally conscious readers.

1. Don't buy coffee from a coffee shop every day. There is a wonderful ritual about going to coffee shops. There is the smell, there are the nice and/or cute baristas, there is the tasty, freshly ground coffee. It's wonderful, and I used to go to coffee shops all the time when I was in school. But the money you spend on coffee adds up. $3-4 a day equals $15-20 a week. If you still want to go to a coffee shop, try going every other day. Or if you have enough will power, save it for Friday and consider it an end-of-the-week reward/treat. Or, better yet, brew your own coffee at home and bring it to work in a thermos.

2. Don't eat out every day for lunch and/or dinner. Some people, many of my co-workers included, just don't like to cook. And I can understand that. There are days when I don't feel like cooking after work. But eating out every single day really adds up. $7-8 a day for lunch equals $35-40 a week. A $10-20 dinner every night can mean $50-100 a week. All of that money can be spent on groceries and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. Take a little time to make your lunch or cook your dinners. I might get teased at work for loving peanut butter sandwiches, but when you add it all up, that sandwich probably costs about $0.50. I'm one of those types of people who like to cook, and when I cook, I tend to make a lot of food. Even when I try to cut recipes in half, I always seem to have enough food for 6 or 10 people. I eat leftovers at work for lunch, or I freeze the leftovers and save it for one of those days when I don't feel like cooking. One meal could possibly be stretched for a week or more.

3. When you go to happy hour, drink maybe 2 or 3 drinks instead of 6 or 8. I love alcohol as much as anyone and I love getting together for happy hours, but I also know that it can get expensive. Binge drinking in a bar is not cheap. So be careful with how much you spend in the bars. This is good for your wallet and for your safety! If you want to binge and drink a lot on one night, buy your booze form a liquor store and celebrate at a friend's house where you can spend the night. It will probably be cheaper in the long run and it will be safer too!

4. Cut unnecessary expenses. If there is something that you absolutely don't need, consider consider getting rid of it or putting it on hold. I've canceled a lot of magazine subscriptions. I don't have much time to keep up with these magazines, and when many of them are online for free, why spend $50 dollars a year for a subscription. I also canceled my Netflix subscription. I might sign up again when we get out of this furlough period, but saving even $14 a month on this helps out.

5. Clip coupons. For whatever reason people laugh at me when they hear that I clip coupons. I think they think that coupon clipping is something that only old ladies do. But, hey, pennies saved are pennies saved. Who cares when a fistful of coupons can save you $5 at Target or $10 at the grocery store. Do you know what $15 equals? Lunch at Wahoo's: 2 tacos, rice, black beans, chips, salsa, guacamole, and a beer! And you'd probably have money to spare. $15 can also equal a very good bottle of wine.

These are only 5 examples of how to save money, but I'm sure there are dozens more. The basic rule is just be sensible and know what is worth the money and what is not. Save where you can, but splurge and treat yourself (and others!) every now and then. These treats and rewards will be good for your mind and soul. And most of all, stop whining. That's bad for both your soul and the souls of others!

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Connected

For the past week or so, I've been thinking about getting a new cell phone. My now previous cell phone was perfectly fine. Even though it was four years old, it still worked well, always got great reception, never dropped a call, and in general was a perfectly fine phone. But, I just got it in my head that I wanted a newer phone and an upgrade. Quite frankly, seeing my nieces and nephews with all kinds of fancy, high-tech phones put the idea into my head. So, for the past few days I've been doing a lot of research online and looking into some of the latest phones. The LG enV Touch got a lot of great reviews on cnet and the Verizon Web site, and today I went to the Verizon store to give it a closer look. I liked what I saw and decided to buy it. Actually, "buy" it isn't even an appropriate term. The phone itself is about $200, but with the in-store discount, "new every 2" program, and rebates, the phone cost $o.00! I had to upgrade my plan, but I can live with that.

The phone is super fancy and is filled with quite a few features. In addition to the standard calling features, it comes with mobile web, mobile e-mail, and your basic text messaging abilities. So if I wanted to, I could check my e-mail or browse the web from my phone. The phone also has a camera and a music player. And in addition to all that, it also has some fun tools like an alarm clock, calendar, stopwatch, world clock (in case I want to know what time it is in Athens or any other city, like Tokyo), notepad, drawing pad, calculator, and even a tip calculator. I'm pretty excited about the tip calculator. Being an editor and one who often has lunch or dinner with a group of other editors, calculating the tip and dividing the bill among 5 or 6 people can sometimes be quite the ordeal. None of us are paid for our math skills, so now it's nice to have a handy calculator rather than trying to spend 10 minutes sorting out our bill!

I'm still figuring out the navigation of the phone and all of the menus and features, and I've already accidentally called two people while playing around in the address book, but eventually I'll get the hang of it. So far this new phone seems really nice.

Current mood: relaxing
Current music: Tori Amos "Spark"
Current drink: Fat Tire

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Empty

I am now coming to the end of a wonderful vacation. For the past week, I've had most of my family in town. My parents and one brother stayed with me, two other brothers and their families stayed in nearby hotels, and my sister and her family lives not far from me. The only person missing was one sister-in-law, and she was missed. We were all gathered together to attend my nephew's wedding. The wedding and reception were beautiful, and what was most wonderful was simply having the family together in one place. We are a tightly knit family with very strong bonds. Even though we might not see one another every year and, unfortunately, we often go several years without seeing one another, but when we reunite, it is as if we never left one another and it is as if no time had passed. Whenever we get together, the rooms get loud and filled with laughter. We enjoy reminiscing about the good old days and reliving cherished memories. We simply enjoy one another's company, and you can actually feel the love filling the room. Everyone went home today and my home is now empty and quiet, and this makes me really sad.

Whenever I hear friends or co-workers talk about how much they hate their parents or their siblings, I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry that they don't know the same love and affection and bond that my family knows. And I know that I'm extremely fortunate and blessed to be part of such a wonderful family.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Storms and Sacrifices

I apologize to my loyal readers for my scant posting over the past few weeks. Things have been extremely busy lately. Work has been busy, as usual, but I will be taking a vacation that begins today and ends next Tuesday. Although this is a much-needed vacation, I had a lot to do to get my projects in good order before I left. So that has been keeping me busy.

This week's vacation also involves my family coming out to Colorado for my nephew's wedding. So I've been busy getting my home ready for everyone's arrival. Most of my cleaning is done and most of my laundry is washed. Tonight I was planning on making a big shopping trip to make sure I have enough food and drinks to last through the week. It is pretty much the last big thing I needed to do.

The weather has been bad for most of the day with lots of rain and lightning and thunder. By the time I got home and had my dinner, it looked like the weather had cleared up. But when I left my apartment there was a light drizzle. I didn't think it would get any worse, so I went on my merry way to Liquor Mart to pick up some beer, wine, and other adult beverages. When I got out of Liquor Mart the clouds were looking darker and I could see some lightning and hear some thunder in the distance. I wanted to go to the grocery store to get the food, but the closer I got to the store, the more it started to rain. As I was driving I also saw huge bolts of lightning shooting across the sky and the thunder was ripping through the air. Then the rain really started. Things were looking pretty bad so I just gave up on my grocery shopping trip and decided to go home. By the time I pulled into my parking lot, it was pretty much a hurricane and there was a torrential downpour. I grabbed a case of beer and ran frantically to my building hoping that I would make it inside before I got struck by lightning. By the time I got to my door I was soaked. I looked out the window and the lightning was intense. It was so bad that I left a case of wine in my trunk, because I was too afraid to go out there!

Fortunately things have calmed down a bit and I've been able to retrieve my wine. But, man, that was a crazy storm! Maybe God is trying to tell me that I drink too much...

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Busy, Busy, Busy

I apologize to my loyal readers for going an entire week without an update. I've been busy and haven't had much time to write. The week at work was another busy one, but fortunately it was a very productive one. There was something about our department lunch fiasco and what I, in turn, wrote about it in my last post that recharged me. Writing about it was freeing and it somehow helped me to purge a lot of the toxic emotions. Surprisingly, I was able to come into work on Monday with a new focus and energy, and because of this I felt very driven and was able to get a lot accomplished. It's as if my world got a much-needed shift and turn and now I'm back on the right axis. I'm focusing on the things that matter, the people that matter, and I'm learning to let go of the things that don't matter as much. It is quite liberating!

Things have also been busy because next week, I will be taking a vacation/furlough while my family comes out to Colorado for a visit. So I've been busy getting my place in order before their arrival. In spite of living in my new apartment for about one year, there are still a lot of things I haven't done and things I haven't finished. Now that this place is bigger, I have a lot more walls and bigger walls and some of these walls are still in need of decoration. The bookcases that I've been meaning to buy for months and months still need to be bought. On the other hand, there is something almost charming about having some books just stacked against the wall or piled into a box or crate. But I suppose none of this will matter to my family considering all that we care about is being together. All I need to do is make sure everything is clean, and I'll be happy.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Appreciation and Happiness

The financial pain of the struggling economy and company belt-tightening are really starting to take a toll on some of the employees at work. No one likes the mandatory furlough days. OK, so people might like the time off, but no one likes the reduced paychecks. When each person is struggling to pay his or her own bills or to take care of his or her own family, it is natural to get frustrated when money is so tight. It is natural to be angry. But, in my opinion, it is only natural up to a point. Some people are really angry and really miserable. Though these are natural emotions given the times, it becomes exhausting when people are angry and miserable ALL THE TIME. The atmosphere becomes toxic when a person comes into the office every morning with a loud crash after throwing their bags, keys, water bottles, coffee mugs, or whatever on their desk. You can just sense the resentment they are feeling with just being in the office. It becomes toxic to see people stomping around the office all day with scowls on their faces. Being a Pisces I tend to feed off of the emotions of those around me. When people around me are in good moods, then my mood is happy. When people around me are angry or frustrated or in a foul mood, then that brings my mood down. I'm sure my blood pressure has been through the roof over the past week or two.

Whenever I find myself in this situation, I try to collect myself and try to calm myself down. Usually all it takes is for me to think of the people in my life who are happy and who have a more positive outlook on life. Although I have many friends who have positive attitudes, the one friend I think about often is one who unfortunately passed away several years ago. We used to work together and she had stage-four cancer. If anyone had a right to be angry or bitter or miserable or selfish, it was her. She, however, was NONE of those things. She knew her fate, but she dealt with it with quiet acceptance. She never looked for or asked for pity or sympathy.

The company we worked for at the time was in awful shape. Our CEO was incompetent, and our manager was incompetent, dumb, and ignorant. The place was run into the ground and we were all angry and upset about what was going on. My friend was upset, too, but she didn't let it overwhelm and consume her life. She knew that there are things about life that you can change and things that you can't change. There was nothing we could have changed about the company, so you sometimes just have to deal with it. She wasn't giving up and she wasn't settling, but she was being practical and keeping things in perspective. There are some things worth getting upset over, but there are many more things that aren't worth it. She knew what was important in her life and she focused on those things intently and passionately. She knew that her time left was limited, so she appreciated and cherished the things that were most important to her. In spite of whatever pain she was feeling, the love in her soul brought her a happiness that far outshines the "happiness" that I see in most of the people I know. All of this hinged on her appreciation for what she had and her willingness to let go of the petty, insignificant, and unimportant things.

My friend's attitude and approach to life does many things for me. One, it makes me disgusted to see people obsess over petty, unimportant things. But the most important thing it does for me is that it reminds me to cherish and appreciate all of the wonderful things and people I have in my life. I might not have a huge salary, I might not have a huge house, I might not have a fancy car, and I might not be able to spend money on frivolous things, but I have everything I need to survive. I'm able to pay my rent and my bills, I have a nice apartment, and I have a dependable car that will last forever. I have a wonderful and beautiful family and group of friends, and that is what I cherish most.

Recently some of my co-workers were expressing outrage over having to pay for their own meals at a department lunch to welcome a new employee. There was quite the uproar as they stomped about angrily expressing how unfair and outrageous it was for us to pay for our own lunch. Overhearing this initially made me extremely angry, and I pretty much flew off the handle and told them that they were being selfish and unwelcoming. Now it just fills me with pity. This, paying for a meal at lunch, is what causes anger and outrage? This is what can put a person into such an ugly and foul mood and ruin the rest of a person's week? Try spending three or four years of your life battling cancer. $10 or $12 for one lunch on one day doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Monday, July 06, 2009

The Rewrite

When I graduated from high school, I didn't go straight into a four-year university. Instead, I went to a community college. I had friends that went to places like USC, UCLA, or Boston College, and I was somewhat of the laughingstock of my circle of friends because I didn't immediately go to a big name university. I didn't really care what they thought. When I was enrolled, I was paying only about $12 per unit, while they were probably paying $1,200. And I was lucky to have professors who actually cared more about teaching than publishing articles or books. Even though I was at a community college and getting a "cheap" education, I nevertheless got a great education.

One of the best classes I took was a college writing course. I had an amazing professor and one of the things that she stressed was rewriting. She thought that one of the best ways to improve your writing skills and to strengthen your arguments was to constantly rewrite. Some rewording and some restructuring can make a world of difference in your writing. So, having been trained in that way, I'm still constantly reworking everything I write. And that includes this blog. I am not a journalist, and this blog isn't known around the world. This blog is personal and casual and informal, but I usually try my best to sound literate and coherent. I often write in haste, surely leaving behind a trail of errors here and there. But I think I also leave a trail of errors by overwriting. Restructuring sentences and rewording can leave their own trail of embarrassing errors.

Where am I going? What is the point of this post? Oh, I suppose this is in response to my own personal horror that I felt after rereading some of my recent posts and noticing a few errors. Apparently I don't always make use of my career as an editor before posting what I write! Anyway, all of this is a disclaimer to say that eventually I will fix all those errors that you might read in this blog.

There really isn't much of a point in this post...

Furlough

I'm at home today and we're coming to the end of a four-day weekend. Friday was considered a holiday because it came before the Fourth of July. We are off today because this is the week when we start our summer furlough period. Everyone at work is excited to have an extra long weekend right now. I'm somewhat excited to have the time off because I work myself to near death on most days. I like having the extra day to sleep in, to be lazy, and to get some chores done or errands run. However, this isn't exactly a vacation and it isn't a holiday. It's a mandatory day off and we're not getting paid for it. I suppose this day off is a double-edged sword, or it is bittersweet, or it is whatever cliche you might want to use right now. I am grateful for the day off and for a chance to rest, but I would really like the money more. However, I suppose that I need to look on the brighter side. I need to endure the negatives and appreciate the positives. My salary might be reduced for the next three months, but I'm fortunate to still have a job. There are a lot of people out there in the world who are in worse shape than me right now. And, I'm not only fortunate just to have a job, but I'm fortunate to have a cool job. I help to make books, books that are sold in bookstores and books that people actually read. How cool is that? I might not be making $50,000 or $60,000 a year (or more), but I genuinely enjoy what I'm doing. Money can make things easier and it can buy a lot of things, but, as the old saying goes, it can't buy happiness. And, in spite of somewhat rough times right now, I still have a wonderfully supportive family and a few thoughtful friends. In the end, that is all that matters to me.

Current mood: resting and rejuvenating
Current music: Heather Small "Proud" (QAF mix)
Current drink: coffee

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Saturation

I'll be the first to admit that I am a Michael Jackson fan. I grew up in the 80s and I used to live in Michigan in a city not too far from Detroit (i.e. Motown). You would hear his songs on the radio and my brothers had all of his albums. I had a VHS tape of "Thriller" that I would watch all the time, and I even had a little red, faux leather jacket that looked like the jacket he wore in the video. I even had a Michael Jackson action figure/doll. So when I heard that he died, I was shocked and sad and thought that it was a shame. I thought it was a shame because he never had the chance to live a normal life. Immediately after his death there was wall-to-wall coverage about him and what might have happened. A small—very small—portion of the coverage was positive. Stations like MTV and VH1 were showing his videos. Considering MTV and VH1 have turned into Reality TV and seem to have not shown videos in about 15 years, this is huge for them and it is almost sad that it takes the death of a singer for them to go back to their roots. But here you saw the creativity and genius in his videos and you could appreciate his talent as a singer and dancer.

But most of the coverage of Michael Jackson's death has been in the style of a tabloid magazine. Once the news broke of his death, CNN had non-stop coverage and discussion about his death. On one side of the screen, some "expert" or "friend" would be talking about something, but on the other side of the screen was a parade of images. You saw him dangling his baby over the balcony, arriving to court in pajamas, going to Disneyland with a group of children, all suggesting strange or salacious behavior. Then they showed a series of images of how his appearance has changed over the years. CNN is not alone; other TV stations have been doing the same thing. There have been shows that are supposed to be "tributes" or "remembrances," but what they showed was every questionable or "freakish" thing that has gone on in his life. Then at the end of the show, in the final five or ten minutes, they would say "when we come back, we look at what really mattered, the music and the talent." Well, if that is what really mattered, why did you spend 50 minutes showing the scandalous aspects of his life?

Although his death is sad, I'm really getting sick of hearing about it on the news. You can't get away from it. Just when you think that some other important event occurs in the news—like a war, a governor getting caught with a mistress, another governor resigning before finishing out one term, or what is supposed to be an important holiday—some other Michael Jackson news story takes over. Who is going to get custody of the kids? What prescription drugs did he have? How much is he in debt? How much will he be worth now that he is dead? Why didn't he like his appearance? What is Bubbles the Chimp doing now? It is sad and pathetic that even in death every detail of his life is being picked apart. I wish they would focus on him more as an entertainer and less as a freak show. But because of the kind of coverage his death has been getting, I really am sick of hearing about it and I want to know what else is going on in the world. It is all a little too much. You can't turn on the TV without hearing about it.

Where is a good
Law & Order episode when you need it?

Friday, July 03, 2009

Huh?

I've been sitting here for nearly 20 minutes watching Sarah Palin's resignation speech, and I have no idea what the hell she is saying. For a brief moment I thought that maybe it was Tina Fey mocking Sarah Palin, but sadly it was the real Sarah Palin. It had to be the most rambling, babbling speech I've ever seen and heard. I've seen grade school kids give better book reports than that.

So why is she resigning? Who knows. Maybe she plans on running for senate in 2010 or president in 2012. If she is going to run for senate or president, she will need to start reading a few newspapers and that could take a year or two (or three) to do that. So maybe she just wanted to clear her schedule and free up some time.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Donations

Once I graduated from high school, I suddenly got smart and studious and spent a lot of time in college. I first went to a junior college and got an associates degree. Then I went to a state college and got a bachelor's degree. Then I went to a different university and got another bachelor's degree. Then I went to yet another university and got a master's degree. So I have an associates degree, two bachelor's degrees, and one master's degree. The only problem is that my degrees are an AA in English and General Studies, a BA in English, a BA in Classics, and an MA in Classics. They aren't degrees in engineering, computer science, medicine, or law. In other words, in spite of my four degrees and in spite of my stunning brilliance and intelligence and my intellectual superiority, I'm not exactly rolling in the dough and banking a six figure salary. However, I'm a very humble person—obviously—and pretty romantic in the sense that I put my passions and interests above money. I'm very content with that decision, in spite of the fact that it might sometimes be nice to have a six figure salary.

But the point of all this is that there is a downside of going to so many colleges and universities. Almost every month I get letters from university foundations and alumni foundations asking me, yes me, for money. I think that these foundations need to start looking at their former student's major before asking for money. If they want money, they need to start hitting up the engineers and lawyers for money. I got nothing.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

A Drug for Everything

Just when you thought there were enough drugs on the market, you learn about a brand new drug. While watching TV this evening, I saw a commercial for a new prescription for your eyelashes. Yes, your eyelashes. You rub the ointment on your eyelids, and it is supposed to make your eyelashes longer, thicker, and darker. I can see how something like this would be important for someone with health problems or for people who have lost their eyelashes because of chemotherapy. For that and for those people, the new drug makes sense and I wouldn't object to its use. But when the commercial shows tall, beautiful women mingling at a party and batting their eyelashes at handsome men, you can't help but think that the whole point of the drug is for vanity purposes. If you use this drug, you will have full eyelashes and therefore you will be beautiful and you will be the center of attention. Show me a cancer patient in your commercial and your drug will be a little more noble and a lot less laughable. But, no, this is for women who are not quite beautiful enough because they don't have full lashes. So let's have them pay around $120 a month to make themselves feel beautiful. I suppose when pride and vanity are at stake and when pharmaceutical companies have dollars to make, who really cares? If you are not happy with yourself and what you were born with, when all else fails take a prescription drug.

I wonder if there is a prescription drug that will make me 5' 10"?

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Family Values

It has been another busy week at work, so I'm going to try to catch up on some of the things that I've been meaning to post over the past few days. The big news stories of the week—before Michael Jackson's untimely death—were the adventures and antics of Mark Sanford, the Republican governor of South Carolina. After a "busy legislative session" he went missing and no one knew exactly where he went. This should have been the first clue that something was seriously wrong. If I disappeared after every busy week at work, well, I would never be found because every week is busy. And I would probably also be fired if I stopped showing up to work. But that is beside the point. Sanford disappeared and at first it was believed that he went for a hike, but as it turned out, that was a lie. He was, in fact, in Argentina visiting his mistress. Apparently he has known her for eight years and the two have been having an affair for the past year. Whenever something like this happens the questions of family values and the sanctity of marriage immediately come up.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a democrat—as if there were any question. However I will be the first to admit that infidelity is not a problem only of the republican party. There have been quite a few democrats who have been caught with their pants down with someone who was not their spouse. In general I like to think that a politician's personal life and private escapades are irrelevant to their public service. I couldn't care less what they do in their bedrooms. What I care about is how they stand on the issues and what they do or are attempting to do to improve the lives of the people in their city, state, or nation.

So why is there such an uproar and outrage over Sanford's and other republicans' trysts? I think that it has to do with hypocrisy. This is supposed to be the party of morality, the party that preaches family values, the party that tries to protect the sanctity of marriage. So when these sanctimonious politicians fall from their pulpits, their hypocrisy is revealed in the brightest spotlight. Sanford is opposed civil unions and domestic partnership benefits, and when asked to address the issue of gay marriage he said that marriage is between one man and one woman. However in his personal life marriage is apparently between one man, one woman, and one mistress. For many people, monogamous and committed gay couples especially, Sanford's holier-than-thou preaching and actual actions are morally outrageous. This is someone who is denying an entire community of their rights while at the same time he abusing the very rights that he is fortunate to have. The cheating is bad enough, but the hypocrisy is worse.

Current mood: relaxed
Current music: Maroon 5 "If I Never See Your Face Again"

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Changes

It has been a few days since the announcement came down at work about our summer furlough. Naturally the mood and morale in the office are fairly low right now. I think that everyone is starting to realize that we are getting paid less to do more work in what amounts to a shorter amount of time. It is difficult to accept, but, again, we have to look on the bright side, no matter how dim it might be, and recognize that we're all fortunate to still have jobs right now.

Right now things are a little more difficult in our department because two editors resigned. With them gone, the rest of us are picking up projects that they had to leave unfinished. In addition to this, new projects keep coming in. Within a few days, my own workload went from about 7 projects to 15. But I guess it is better to have too many projects rather than none at all, and I suppose having too much to do keeps me indispensable.

I am mostly sad this week because one of the people who left is a very good friend. We've worked together before at a previous job—my very first publishing job, in fact—and she was the one who did most of my training. I think I owe her a lot of credit for what I've done with my career over the past five years. But I'm losing more than a mentor; I'm losing an absolutely wonderful friend, one of my best friends. So it made me really sad to see her go and it was sad to say good-bye. But I'm happy to know that she is leaving us to do something more exciting, like getting married and moving to Australia. Heck, if I were in her position right now, I would quit and move out of the country too! It is nice to know that she is leaving to go on a wonderful new adventure, but I am still going to miss her.

However, in spite of losing one best friend at work, I'm lucky that the person who is going to replace her is another one of my best friends. We've also worked together before—the publishing world around here is very small!—so I'm looking forward to working with her again. We ruled the office at our previous job, so I assume that it won't take long before we rule this office. I'm looking forward to it!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Economy

I knew that sooner or later the state of the economy would eventually catch up to me and my company. Like almost every business out there, we are feeling the pinch of the bad economy. Publishing is one of those industries that generally does not do that well in a recession. Books are a luxury expense for most people, and when money is tight people don't buy books. They go to the library, which is great for the libraries, but not good for publishers. For the past few months our company has been doing a wonderful job to "tighten its belt"—to use a cliched phrase—and they have been doing everything possible to try to minimize the direct impact on the employees. I laud them for that. But I suppose this is something that you can do for only so long. The company has started to cut deeper. Yesterday morning we received a message from the director of operations of our office and she called an unannounced, all-hands, mandatory staff meeting. An office-wide staff meeting rarely happens spontaneously, so we all got the feeling that something serious was wrong. It turned out that the company has started to lay off employees and has instituted a summer furlough program. Employees were laid off throughout the company, but in our office we are losing only two people. It is possible that we would have lost more, but we recently have had people resign so most of these positions simply will not be replaced.

The summer furlough will last for the next three months. Everyone will be required to take six days of unpaid time off. Fortunately—I suppose—I was already planning on taking time off in late July, so I can use these furlough days to cover that time. I suppose the bright side is that I won't have to lose any vacation or personal days during that time, and I can save these days for my vacations at the end of the year. (And hopefully I still have a job at the end of the year!) But, these furlough days are still unpaid, and that is what really hurts. For the next three months, 9-10% will be deducted from every paycheck. For me that amounts to about $300-400 a month. That might not sound like a lot to some people, but when you already don't make a lot of money and when you are supporting yourself, that amount is still pretty big and I'll be feeling it. Unlike some of my friends, I don't have a spouse or significant other who is willing to pay my rent and all of my bills and tell me that I don't have to have a job if I don't want one and that I can just sit around looking beautiful. I'm not that lucky. Everyone I'm close to is poor, like me!

So this weekend, I definitely have to go through my "budget" to see what unnecessary expenses I can cut and figure out what I can do to save what little money I'm going to be making over the next few months. I am looking on the bright side, however, and trying to count the blessings that I still have. I feel bad for the people who were laid off, but I consider myself very fortunate to still have my job right now.

Current mood: frightened and stressed
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Goo Goo Dolls "Let Love In"
Current drink: water. I can't exactly afford Cognac right now!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Birds

Things have been unusually quiet at my home over the past few days. On Tuesday after work, we had a special happy hour for two co-workers who will be leaving the company soon. I got home at about 9:30, did a few things around the house, and then went to bed. I woke up the next morning and it occurred to me that it was much quieter than it had been over the past few weeks. I didn't hear any chirping and I didn't hear any wild rustling in the wall. Then it also occurred to me that I didn't hear any rustling in the wall all night. When I came home from work later in the day, I still didn't hear any rustling or chirping. The birds, obviously, are gone. I'm wondering (and hoping) that the babies are simply big enough to fly and the bird family just flew away. But I also noticed that our gutters were recently cleaned, so it's possible that the maintenance staff saw the gaping hole in the side of the building where the nest was built. The hole, however, isn''t covered up. As much as I've been enjoying the peaceful sleep I've been getting over the past few nights, I'm still hoping that the birds weren't harmed or killed. Hopefully they flew away to another nest.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Weather, Update

We had some interesting and wonderful weather last night. We had a late afternoon thunderstorm, but the lightning and thunder were pretty mild and it rained for only 20 minutes or so. Things then cleared up and calmed down again, but a second storm blew in later in the evening. It was just starting to get dark and I was lying on the couch in my living room reading a book. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of lightning and then heard the thunder. Being one who loves lightning and thunder, I immediately put my book down and went out on the balcony to watch the storm. It turned out to be an incredibly wicked lightning and thunderstorm. The lightning wasn't just flashing behind the clouds, but you could actually see the bolts streaking across the sky. The storm was so powerful that I wasn't the only one outside watching it. I heard several other people on their patios or balconies shouting oos and ahs with each flash of lightning. It was as if we were watching a fireworks show on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, though, the storm passed quickly. The lightning and thunder subsided and the clouds began to drift away revealing an almost full moon. It was an absolutely amazing and beautiful night.

Current mood: resting and relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—TATU "All the Things She Said"
Current drink: coffee

Friday, June 05, 2009

Weather

We've had quite a few strange turns of the weather lately. I think that when I last posted I was talking about thunder and lightning and afternoon or evening storms. Earlier this week, the weather has been pretty cloudy and gray. At one point a cold front moved in and the temperature got so chilly in the evening that I actually had to turn on my heater for the night. How often does that happen in June? After that one night, the temperature slowly started to return to normal. We're probably nowhere near as warm as we normally should be at this time of the year, but at least it is a little more normal that temperatures in the 50s or 60s. The air is just different, too. It's been humid. For those of you who haven't lived in or been to Colorado, it is usually bone dry. It is not a place that is known for its humidity, and even the slightest trace of humidity is something that we all immediately feel. Certainly it isn't like the humidity in back east or in the south. That humidity, as my friend once charmingly said, is like a solid. Having gone east for various business trips, the humidity was something that I immediately noticed. When you step out of the shower, you immediately feel as if you need another shower. When you walk out of an air conditioned building, the air does hit you like a solid. It is like you've walked into and surrounded yourself with some hot, heavy, wet drapes. Today I was hit with that feeling as I was leaving the office. It might not has been as severe as that, but you could definitely "feel" the air.

Current mood: relaxing after a busy week
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Filter "Take a Picture"
Current drink: Corona