Friday, February 27, 2009

The Book From Hell Saga Continues

The Book From Hell got more hellish yesterday. The attorney editor (someone I ordinarily enjoy working with and with whom I have a pretty good rapport) decided to start the pub review after a recruiting trip to a local college campus and before eating lunch, so he was tired and extremely cranky.

He decided the book needed to be rescheduled for early April.

Our immediate supervisor hit the roof because that would push it into the second quarter and our team already has a three-volume book that has been moved out of the first quarter.

At that point, I didn't care. My hard part was done. I'll build the book when I'm told to, with such changes as I am told to make.

By late afternoon, everyone had eaten something and was apologizing to everyone else; the supervisor said we can push it back by 2 days and still get it out by the end of March; the attorney editor realized I'd done a better job than he thought and the review wasn't going to take a week; and the authors weren't going to get to see the page proofs.

Enigman stayed late last night and finished his review of volume 1. I got all his changes made by noon, and told him to go get some lunch and I'd do volume 2 when he was finished with it. The authors promised to be good little boys and return any changes in two days, so when I completed all the changes, I sent .pdf files to Enigman and he was going to pass them on to the authors. The book will build on Wednesday instead of Monday, and then it will be out of our hair until next year.

*whew*

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The First Quarter Book From Hell

Two volumes.

Two authors.

Two MS Word documents.

NO markings on last year's copy as to where the new copy goes.

Late manuscript from both authors.

It's my first full annocode book.

It's supposed to be built on Monday and I just got the page proofs to the attorney editor for his publication review today. The authors are going to have until 9 a.m. Monday morning to review the proofs and sign off on them.

Or not. Right now, I have a feeling this book is going to manufacturing whether they like it or not, because if it doesn't go Monday, it doesn't generate any first quarter income.

Oh, but I did win a bag of Milano cookies today. Woo.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

*Been around the world

and I, I can't find my froggie. :(

The cute little croaking froggie keychain Sherri disappeared from my keys some time between Thursday morning and Friday night, and has not been seen since. It's a cold, cruel world out there, and he will not be a happy froggie. Plus, I am not a happy Jammies without my froggie!

Mom and I did have fun Friday night at a local production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The daughter of a friend of hers played Hermia, and it was a really good production. The young woman playing Helena really made me think of the version of AMND that appeared in the Pibgorn strip, especially with her facial expressions. My only two snobservations were that A. The guy playing Lysander was about the last person I'd pick for any kind of love interest, and the guy playing Oberon was too pale, dark-haired and potbellied to be appearing onstage shirtless. Pleh!

Stitches come out first thing tomorrow morning, and if I didn't have a book to build, I'd be very tempted to take the day off and wallow in the bath tub. But I do, so I shall have to postpone my first celebratory bath until Monday night. If you need to talk to me, do it today or do it Tuesday. ;)


*sincere apologies to Lisa Stansfield!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

It's what I didn't say...

(song title from Saving Jane)

aka Medical Snobservations

When the dermatologist had me sign a waiver saying I knew there would be a scar and I wouldn't sue because of it, I thought but didn't say, "Well, there goes the Playboy shoot."

When he said, "No heavy bending, stretching, or lifting," I thought but didn't say, "Damn, and the new pole was just installed!"

I mentioned last November that I'd seen kind of an odd license plate. Today, I saw one that said IN2BATE. The owners thereof just have to be related.

Monday was 5 hours of neuropsych testing with a one-hour "break" for lunch, during which time I did the 344 question MMPI questionaire. Apparently, there isn't a website anywhere which will tell you what "Raymond Kertecz" and "archery and stamp collecting" mean. Irritating. They probably still won't tell me when I get my results on March 5th.

One small victory for English majors, though. One of the questions on the verbal general knowledge quiz was "Who wrote Faust?"

My answer?

"Well, it started out as a German folktale, then Christopher Marlowe wrote a play, Goethe wrote a novel (I was wrong about that, he wrote a play as well) and someone did an opera.

Perhaps I can't remember to send an e-mail to Codes when I need to, but I can bygolly remember all kinds of useless stuff!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Day Three

No bath.

I think I'm dying. I'm beginning to hallucinate about Kohler tubs and deliveries of mountains of free bath products.

Just ask me--I'll tell you the passwords, the secret recipes, the name of the mole, anything.

All I want is a bath...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Ew, ew, ewwwwwwwwww

I had the cyst on my back removed today. It took about 90 minutes, and the doctor didn't listen to me when I said I didn't want to hear details, so I know that it was the size of a Ping-Pong ball, most of it under the skin, and that I now have 20 stitches. I did manage to keep him from (eeyurgh) showing it to me.

*sigh* No baths for two weeks. :(

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Wishlist

I could use some retail therapy, but since I'm broke, I'm internet window-shopping.

I want this shirt; these socks in Geranium, Peacock, Purple Haze and Space Ocean; these socks in Nightshade and Waterfall; a sock zombie cat; a Konad Build Your Own Kit and a ton of Lush, Skindecent and BPAL.

And as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony, too. ;)

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Meh

I'm so freaking tired of being manic-depressive it's not even funny. Even with the Lexapro, I go from happy and bouncy (Tuesday) to utterly flat and meh (today). Of course, yesterday's little adventure combining standing-still traffic and a migraine didn't help any.

At least I will get my niece's birthday present mailed out tomorrow--it will wind up being just shy of a month late, but at least it will get there. I hope she still loves "Mickamouse."