Of apples and malls and nasty toilets.
I think everyone should begin each and every goddamn day with something that scares the absolute bejeezus out of them. It's better than coffee, really. To wit, please note that President Asshole has now removed from the US Army Field Manual any reference to Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits torture and "outrages on personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment" against prisoners. There. I've done my vile deed for the day. I suppose I should take heart in the knowledge that world history will remember this Administration as the thugs and bullies and outlaws they are, but I'm not that optimistic. Or certain there's any substantial amount of "history" remaining for such remembrances. Besides, hindsight's not much consolation for tortured and degraded prisoners.
Yesterday was not so much a disaster as a dratted nuisance. We made it to the Apple Store about two p.m. Oh, how I fondly do recall those days of yore, when Apple was much less popular, there were no iPods, and you could walk right up the bored geek @ the Genius Bar and get down to business. Now the Apple Store's swamped with people, half of them waiting in line for technical support. Which meant we were at the mall until almost 5 p.m., waiting, waiting, waiting, for a tech to see us and tell us what we already knew, that the logic board on Spooky's iBook was fried. When our turn finally came, it took maybe five minutes. The good news is the repairs will only cost $290 (despite the fact that the logic board's a $700 part) and that we'll have it back early next week, at the latest. But the whole day was lost. No proofreading, and everything that should have been done yesterday must, instead, be done today. At least I got a scoop of red apple Jelly Bellies out of the affair, as the Sweet Factory is directly across the mall from the Apple Store.
And frell me dead, but mall's just keep getting more unpleasant. I'd not been inside one in almost a year. The photo below (behind the cut, because, you know...), taken in the unbelievably filthy women's restroom @ Macy's, nicely sums up yesterday. And no, I don't make a habit of taking photos in public restrooms, but I was very, very, very bored.
I did learn yesterday that the CEM of Daughter of Hounds should reach me on June 30 or the following Monday. So, now I know when to lay in extra pills and booze. And speaking of Daughter of Hounds, it occurred to me last night that I could place the appendices online, with a note in the acknowledgments/author's note, directing readers to the appropriate URL. I got the idea from the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, as many authors are now including URLs at the ends of papers, directing readers to supplemental material, usually elaborate and lengthy character matrices or colour figures, thus cutting down significantly on page and printing costs.
To help pay for the iBook repairs, Spooky will be auctioning Snapdragon, the new doll, on eBay very soon. As soon as she's finished with Snapdragon's clothes. I really will hate to see her go, now that I've based a character in Joey LaFaye upon her. Anyway, details to come.
Nothing much else to say about yesterday, really. Last night, we made it through Chapter 15 ("Old Craft, New Craft") of The Triumph of the Moon. I wasn't quite sleepy when we went to bed, so Spooky read me Robert McCluskey's Lentil, which did the trick, and no frelling Ambien was required. Okay. Time to dance...
Yesterday was not so much a disaster as a dratted nuisance. We made it to the Apple Store about two p.m. Oh, how I fondly do recall those days of yore, when Apple was much less popular, there were no iPods, and you could walk right up the bored geek @ the Genius Bar and get down to business. Now the Apple Store's swamped with people, half of them waiting in line for technical support. Which meant we were at the mall until almost 5 p.m., waiting, waiting, waiting, for a tech to see us and tell us what we already knew, that the logic board on Spooky's iBook was fried. When our turn finally came, it took maybe five minutes. The good news is the repairs will only cost $290 (despite the fact that the logic board's a $700 part) and that we'll have it back early next week, at the latest. But the whole day was lost. No proofreading, and everything that should have been done yesterday must, instead, be done today. At least I got a scoop of red apple Jelly Bellies out of the affair, as the Sweet Factory is directly across the mall from the Apple Store.
And frell me dead, but mall's just keep getting more unpleasant. I'd not been inside one in almost a year. The photo below (behind the cut, because, you know...), taken in the unbelievably filthy women's restroom @ Macy's, nicely sums up yesterday. And no, I don't make a habit of taking photos in public restrooms, but I was very, very, very bored.
I did learn yesterday that the CEM of Daughter of Hounds should reach me on June 30 or the following Monday. So, now I know when to lay in extra pills and booze. And speaking of Daughter of Hounds, it occurred to me last night that I could place the appendices online, with a note in the acknowledgments/author's note, directing readers to the appropriate URL. I got the idea from the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, as many authors are now including URLs at the ends of papers, directing readers to supplemental material, usually elaborate and lengthy character matrices or colour figures, thus cutting down significantly on page and printing costs.
To help pay for the iBook repairs, Spooky will be auctioning Snapdragon, the new doll, on eBay very soon. As soon as she's finished with Snapdragon's clothes. I really will hate to see her go, now that I've based a character in Joey LaFaye upon her. Anyway, details to come.
Nothing much else to say about yesterday, really. Last night, we made it through Chapter 15 ("Old Craft, New Craft") of The Triumph of the Moon. I wasn't quite sleepy when we went to bed, so Spooky read me Robert McCluskey's Lentil, which did the trick, and no frelling Ambien was required. Okay. Time to dance...