Argh. Why does it take laying a book out to catch certain errors? Maybe because the formatting really emphasises the flow of things, so you can see where it kind of breaks down. At this point, though, only absolutely essential edits are allowed.
In other news, I’m really liking the proofreading and edit-making directly in the PDF file.
I’m going to have to stop at three, though, because I have to pack for the trip.
So I am not at the salon, and my hair is not being cut. There was a death in the family and my stylist is understandably unavailable. We’ve rescheduled for next week.
I still wish my hair was going to be cut before we go down to see my parents.
In other news, my extended extension was no only accepted, my editor told me to take two extra weeks, which was lovely of her. It also confirms my suspicion that she may have been laughing at my original request for three extra days. So now I can go back and forth between the pregnancy page proofs and finishing up the hearthcraft book with no feelings of impending doom or crazed and obsessive calendar-checking. I can also sleep. Which is a good thing.
And in yet more unrelated news, cellists may have an edge when playing Guitar Hero:
On the whole, a musical background seems to help Guitar Hero players. Zach Whitsell’s mother, Betty Whitsell, said her son has played violin, cello and saxophone in the past.
Ming Cheng, a 17-year cello player, said he was able to play the game on the medium level in the store before purchasing the game. He placed fourth in the 16-and-up age bracket on Saturday.
Cello players might have an advantage in the game, Cheng said. He explained that the spacing between the buttons on the controller is almost identical to the spacing between fingers on the strings of a cello.
“It keeps my fingers in shape for cello,†Cheng said. “I don’t have to practice as much.â€
Except:
[Guitar player] Bloomfield is able to strum the notes up and down, which helps boost speed, Cheng said.
“I normally only strum down,†he said. “It’s more accurate, but I get tired faster.â€
Which is a problem I have encountered myself. So when I saw this really interesting video called ‘Taking Trips to America’ promoting the album Block Ice and Propane by cellist jazz alternative musician composer-type person Erik Friedlander yesterday, I was fascinated. Don’t miss the video of Erik performing ‘Yakima’ at the bottom of the page.
The thirty-three months old post has been published and backdated to March 11. Enjoy!
We had a lovely brunch with the Preston-LeBlanc clan this morning. Liam is uncharacteristically subdued; we think he may be fighting off something.
Unfortunately, the oven has died. I discovered this when I went to bake a batch of scones to take over. It’s not the fuses; it’s not the elements being loose. We tried both of those.
As the creature is only four years younger than I am, we’re fairly certain that the cost of a service call plus whatever repairs might be required, if they are even possible, will be more than we’d pay for a second-hand replacement stove. I already have sent queries out to two or three people who’ve listed very affordable stoves on Craiglist, asking year of manufacture and model numbers.
It couldn’t have waited three more months till Ceri and Scott could sell theirs to us before kicking the bucket, oh, no. Of course not.
I worked for another two hours last night, moving things around, cutting things out, and generally garnering more carrots.
I e-mailed my editor to ask for a three-day extension, and hated myself for it. She e-mailed me back this morning telling me that of course I could have an extension, that my books were always clean and she didn’t have to worry about them, which was appreciated on her end. I love my editor. With one sentence she wiped out all of my stress. Of course, she probably laughed like a loon at a request for a three-day extension, too. I suspect most requests are for weeks or months, not days.
We took Liam to the mall to see the Easter display of farm animals this morning and it was great fun to watch him scurry around, crouch down to peer through the fences, and laugh at the animals inside. His favourites were the fancy chickens and the goats. He had a good lunch and went down very easily for his nap, so now I have two hours to spend sorting through the MS, finishing sentences and making notes of places that need work.
While we were out I found the mp3 player I will buy after payday. It’s only fifteen dollars more than my first one cost (much less than I expected it to be), and this one is new so it will be fully guaranteed. I may even buy an extended warranty for it.
Oh, and the cinnamon toast made from the failed sweet buns? Big hit. “Mama? I like cimmamyum toast,” he informed me, cinnamon sugar and butter smeared all over his face. So do we, kid.
My mp3 player died last night.
Yes, the refurbished one I got exactly two months ago. No, it’s no longer under warranty. I have no idea why it died; it worked perfectly well the night before, and would not turn on yesterday. And no, it’s not the batteries. I’m not going to be able to replace it for at least a week.
I had a very bad night. Listening to music via headphones helps me fall asleep, and it’s been invaluable. Also, I am understandably cranky because it died after only sixty days of use.
Rawr. And I forgot to pack Sparky’s heavy mitts and snow pants before he left for grandma’s house today. And I forgot to replace the spare clean top and pants in his bag. When I take him somewhere, my mind is working the right way and I remember everything. If HRH takes him, it’s like my mind disengages from the packing mode and won’t access the preparation subroutines beyond making sure he has his drink, his slippers, and his toys.
I used the breadmaker to mix and knead a batch of dough for sweet buns and forgot about it, so the machine tried to bake it before I got to it to turn off the cycle and take it out to shape it and leave it for a second rise.
And it’s dark out. Rawr and grr.
But when the cats knocked over my hurricane lamp that was on the altar, neither the chimney nor the base shattered. I put the half-baked loaf in the oven to finish baking, so there will be sweet bread, at least; maybe I’ll make cinnamon toast tomorrow for breakfast and just not mention to Sparky that it was supposed to be sweet buns.
Remember the post I made a month or so ago about the orchestra made from car parts? Specifically, the parts of a disassembled Ford Focus?
The commercial has been released in several forms. This is the full three-minute version, ‘Ode to a Ford’. (The first thirty-second version I saw had me gnashing my teeth because the musicians’ movements weren’t matching the music they were making, something that always drives me up the wall.)
The tag line is appropriate: ‘The New Ford Focus: Beautifully Arranged.’
Enjoy!