Just Checking In

(Edited out an opening sentence that made no sense after I changed the abstract.) The other day I wrote a long rambling episode about why I’d be a horrible boyfriend right now, as it all relates to why there hasn’t been as much popping up here. No need to go into detail but it boiled down to the fact I spend almost every waking moment working and I have no income. Just what every girl dreams of.

Case in point: Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 and my mind was fizzing with new ideas for margin notes in Jer’s Novel Writer. I’ve got a big release coming up and it’s great to see the software moving along every day. I worked, stopping briefly for tea and snacks, until I called it a night about 11:30 pm. That’s all I did yesterday. Nineteen hours with breaks, writing software. Good thing it’s only a hobby. I got up early this morning because I thought of the best way to handle loading old files that don’t have all the necessary data.

Today I got the software to the point I can write without worrying about losing my work, so that’s what I’ve been doing this afternoon. It’s been tougher than usual to switch from the programmer head to the writer head. Programmer head is in the the wide-open leaps-and-bounds part of development, while writer head is mired in the nitty-gritty of finishing novels. At least the product of the programmer head is making things easier for the writer head.

Of that there can be no doubt. One of the things driving programmer head is that the new margin note system will make things easier for writer head. I started using it for the first time this afternoon and while the old margin notes were sweet as honey, the new ones just plain ‘ol rock. Today’s “writing” has been going through the story and flagging areas with different types of margin notes, so when my writer head is feeling a little more creative it can follow along and smooth things out.

I’m at Crazy Daisy now; I’ll head over to fuego’s in a bit and blast this into the blogosphere. The Anti-Amy is here but not working, so I can’t try to overcome the final smile barrier, but I came damn close to flirting with the blonde I mentioned in passing in a previous episode. (The episode where the New Yorkers came in. I hope a few more New Yorkers read that.) I got a big hello from her when I came in, but later I noticed that everyone gets a larger-than-czech-median greeting from her. Still I think mine was better. It was once again my attempts to pronounce “chicken” that really got us started. She was willing to let me slide with my first attempt but I kept at it – I knew the first shot was not good at all. Laughter and joy was shared by all.

In the She-Who-Smiles-Rerely episode I also mentioned the tipping custom. Here you add on to you bill more to make things round off than to reward service. A few nights ago this was really brought home to me. I was in the cheap beer place with fuego, and we had enjoyed a cheap beer or two. The bartender/waitress, a very pretty blonde woman, came by to close up our tab. it came to 148. The way you tip is to give a higher number when they give you change. I struggled, and she helped me. “Fifty,” she said, meaning 150. That’s what a czech would have done – tipped two lousy crowns. Really not tipping at all. And she expected nothing more, to the point she assumed that’s what I was trying to say. I then managed to say 160 correctly and come out looking like a big tipper. Which I was. I would have been embarrassed to leave a tip like that in the US, but here I’m a crazy-ass tipping maniac.

Now it’s back to the novels. A lot of people start things, many people have good midgames, but the finishers are few. I’m striving to be a finisher.

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51 thoughts on “Just Checking In

  1. I checked out your pictures. They’re not bad. How do you feel about younger women who live in Arkansas? (I have all my teeth…promise.)

  2. No marrying Jerry! We need his lonely, scorched soul for wanderin ‘n ritin.

    Happiness=no_blog=evildoers=taliban.

    Goils=Yoko=no_Beatles=Feeding da eels in da crapper.

  3. ok, guys, heres the deal. Im in an internet cafe with wifi but Im not allowd to use it. Good thing they put the sign up.

    So Im using Internet explorer on windows with a computer set up to write in cyech. I have formallz declared that I am no longer goung to fix y-z problems.

    ‘I will not be posting anz new episodes todaz, though I have one readz to go.

    So back to the question = arkansas, zouth, teeth, and despair. i’ve got no problem w’th anz of those things.

  4. MR&HBI.matchmaker.blogcomm sez…

    Dear lew,

    Please answer the following questions so that we may determine your compatibility with esteemed founder:

    1) have you ever had water splash on your butthole?

    1a.) If yes to ques. 1) what temperature was it?

    2) what is your favorite way to eat eggs?

    3) what is the factory spec idle on a Mazda Miata?

    3a.) if you give only one answer to ques. 3) give model year.

    4) write a haiku about marriage. Make sure haiku contains lots of references to international phone and/or email sex.

    5) Provide a definition for the word pervious.

    6) Tell us everything you know about prime numbers.

    7) esteemed founder (ef) is an artist. His medium is stacked rocks. Are you stacked?

    8.) If ques 7 offends, remember, we don’t make the rules we merely enforce them. Also, send pics.

    9) Explain how you would encourage his rock art.

    10) If ef makes a bazillion bucks on stacked rock art, his mission is to buy a caribean island and host single malt whiskey soirees for blogcomm. Explain which island you would encourage him to buy, and what single malt distillery you would seek to sponsor the party.

    11) it is possible that one day ef will inhabit the White House. What china pattern would you buy and why?

    12) You claim you have all of your teeth. Tell us the difference in number of teeth between Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis.

    12a.)What number of teeth do you have?

    12b.) If teeth are important to you, is it a problem if ef’s teeth are in need of some orthodontia?

    12c.) What is your stance on unusual dance styles.

    Thank you for your application. We will review all candidates and get back to you.

  5. Alas, blogcomm, I haven’t got the time to answer questionnaires to ensure compatibility. So I will answer a few questions then I must return to my mundane job.

    1)Yes

    1a)Warm

    4) Never want to marry

    unless to one I’ll not meet

    Older men are best

    4a) Ripe Young 21

    green eyes, loves books and travel

    Email sex is good

    5)Pervious:Open to passage or entrance; permeable.

    7)Yes, Very

    11)as the first lady I would have more important things to do than select a china pattern

    12)I don’t know

    12a)havent counted

    12b)Not a problem (to an extent)

    12c)what does this have to do with teeth?

    I hope my few answers are satisfactory. Thank you for your consideration.

  6. Not a single question about Beer?!?!

    So question

    #13a. Describe the difference between Lager, Ale and Pilsner.

    #13b. Describe which one goes with wich meat.

  7. We have a winner! “Pervious” indeed.

    /she, the sultry bitch, with the fire in her eyes, take her clothes off and bring her hither!

    //obscure?

  8. Muddled Ramblings I can see

    has muddled up its Y and Z

    I wouldn’t mind, but it’s caused me strife

    by muddling up my real life

    For example, a wise man I went to see,

    I asked him “Why?” but it came out “Zee”

    He raised an eyebrow, then he said,

    “We’re in Britain, arsehole, ask me Zed!”

    I quit the wise man and went to the zoo

    is it a coincidence I’m finding you?

  9. My main computer is flaking. this happened once before and I fixed it by hitting it and it’s worked fine ever since, but yesterday `i had to give it another whack and the repair only lasted a few minutes. `until `i get backed up completely (I’m always mostely backed up) and get a new hard drive in (probably not possible here on the weekend) you will have to wait for your next helping of eels.

    We apologize for the inconvenience.

  10. n’v’těva kratoucky k Praze, violoncello n’jemn’

    — fleeting visit to Prague, cello rental

    Dobry den, nazdar.

    Snĕ’i dnes rano (~ 3cm) (ale, rozplynout se; teplota 2 nebo 3 C).

    (Someone please help me [mi pomici pokud jde o gramatika, prosim] with my grammar; můy česky by’t/to př’li’ mnoho v turisticky/slovniky/hloupostniky stupeň/stav. — I think I just tried to say that my Czech is very much in the idiotic tourist phrasebook/dictionary stage and it took me about 15 minutes [čtvrť] to do that!)

    (Jsme v svůj chata/chalupa blizko Heron Lake [“Heron” jezero]) dnes.)

    We want to hear from the International Music School (‘kola musicky internacion’ln’ v Praze?) about the violoncello rental (n’jemn’, tykajici se najemneho).

    They will need a refundable security desposit of 2,400 Euros (about $3200). The music school does not accept credit cards (kreditni karte) for a security deposit or payment (zastrava, zajisteni, jistota).

    I sent an e-mail on Monday of last week to ask for information about how to do the wire transfer for the deposit. I have not yet received their answer.

    Probably the expense of the wire fees (bankovni’ poplatek za převod) alone will be more than $100 / 100 Euros / 3000 Cz. Koruna. I have never used an international wire transfer before. So, it is important to have the correct information (důle’it’/v’znamn’ : přesn’/korektni’ odpověď/informace za bankovni’ převod).

    It would also be very good if we could find a less expensive way to give the security deposit.

    Also, we wonder if the violoncello will be safe in the Hotel U ’em’ka — perhaps we should get a luggage lock (visac’ z’mek na zavazadla) for the case at least.

    Př’li’ kolik/mnoho/velmi ot’zky? Promiňte, pardon!

  11. I’m on a rolling orange chair that I think got thrown up by the 70s. I’m not sure where you can get one. Maybe a junkyard?

  12. When I’m not drunk and falling down (current position), I’m on my feet. You can usually find these at the end of my legs.

  13. Thought … difficult at this late hour …

    Gerald has two big auditions, the bass audition that happens before we go to Prague, and the cello audition that happens after. Working on trying to find an affordable way to get in cello practice in Prague.

    If bass audition is successful, but cello audition is not … Bye-bye, Yo-Yo; hello, Polkacide.

  14. as the ol 14009 closes in, it seems we might should add “importent” to “pervious” when speaking of the Formers. Was there a MOH “be afraid?” Is it supposed to rhyme with something? Like ‘Hairless Braid,’ or ‘Schmee Kinkaid?’

  15. As I sign on, I see we’ve passed 14K9, probably while I was doing my taxes.

    So who’s the dozen-plus-two dog?

  16. And back to MOH14k9. Here’s what I know. If my count is right (and I’m not that good at figgerin’) the new MOH hails from the central time zone and most likely came to the site as the result of a bookmark or typing the URL rather than a link.

    Arkansas is in the central time zone, and the residents are not reputed to be particularly quick on the uptake…

  17. I am not sure why you or bloggcomm (or anyone for that matter) would be excited about my rolling orange chair. That post was for Delia.

  18. About MOH, I am pretty sure that there are at least two people in the central time zone who are regular visitors of this site(myself and the one who introduced me to it.)He uses a link and I have the site bookmarked. Therefore I will claim the title of MOH.

    btw, I merely live in Arkansas, I’m not from Arkansas. That makes me less slow on the uptake.

  19. Looking at the time zone breakdown in Sitemeter…any idea who is visiting from those three asian/australasian time zones? It’s obvious Jer is the visits from the one european time zone, but there are quite a few from a european time zone to the west (Spain or UK). Who is over there?

  20. As the most recent and (most) pervious MOH, I happily hand my keys to office over to the lovely, yet unseen lew.

    Lew, I wish you the best in commanding (OK that’s a bit much, like a bull rider “Commanding” his bull) the minions of Jer. Can you be the first acknowledged female MOH? Hillary, eat your (or Bill’s) heart out.

    Hmmm, bull = MR&HBI? By jove, I think I’ve got it! The code is broken.

  21. Lew, I know what it’s like. My parents retired to AR, Bull Shoals actually. I always append, “My parents live in AR” with “… but I didn’t grow up there!” If I don’t state that, people start looking for my banjo and cousin/wife!

  22. Hello Lew,

    I’d like to be the second pervious MOH to offer congratulations.

    I’d like to, but I can’t until Jer officialy updates the display name below the site meter. In the mean time, all I can do is support the process: picking you out of the lineup of two suspects (err, candidates) from the central time zone makes sense for me.

    I can only imagine the celebrations that must be breaking out all over AR – from the still waters of Bayou Bartholomew to the razorbacks of Fayetteville, from the dusty roads of Piggott to the shady lanes of Arkadelphia – as one of AR’s adopted daughters ascends to such a distinguished office.

  23. Hi Jer,

    We haven’t had a get poor quick scheme in a while.

    Here’s a possible starting point: the 4/8/05 WSJ reported that prize for proving the Riemann Hypothesis, essentially that the frequency of prime number occurance thins out towards infinity, is up to $1M.

    The article went on to explain that this same phenomenon also relates to the energies of particles in atomic nuclei, waiting times on bank lines, and how many cards you have to move to order the hand you’re dealt in bridge.

    The article does NOT mention the obvious (to us) connection with MR&HBI visitor numbers and pervious MOHs.

    Whadaya think?

  24. Congratulations, lew! You are not the official Millennial Office Holder 14k9. Enjoy it while you can; before long you will be joining the ranks of the pervious.

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