Lost day

[Ed]

Anybody seen a day lying around somewhere?  I seem to have lost one

There was me thinking it was Thursday today, and it turns out to be Friday   Which is almost as good as waking up thinking it's a work day and then realising it's Saturday

Dunno why I'm looking forward to the weekend so much - all I'm going to be doing is finishing the plastering upstairs

Anybody doing anything exciting?

[Geoff_N]

Writing and revising as I go, the sequel to my SF Left Luggage.

Laughing my socks off at the sad news that the town of Maryport in my ER had real drug raids a few days ago - l'm looking forward to headlines "Author's grim predictions come true!"

Trying to read through my Book Group's choice of The Shadow of the Wind by Zafon. A woman's* book - unfair, probably, but that's how it's coming over. Too many contrived coincidences, OTT emotions, woe is me meets Les Miserables but in Barcelona.

I will also be avoiding Chester shops. Pretty town, great retailing, horrendous crowds.

Geoff
* no offence meant.

[Ed]

I know what you mean, Geoff

Going into town, shopping, this near to Christmas, is a nightmare.  I went mid-week, last week (for the first time in years) thinking it would be quiet on a Wednesday morning.  Was it hell - I had a job finding a parking space.  To cap it all off, after fighting my way there, parking, battling through the hoardes of pensioners doddling along like ants in a fire, only at a thousanth of the speed - I get to the Carphone Warehouse - and it's closed for re-fit   It was the only shop I wanted to visit.

Good luck with the editing, Geoff

[SharonBell]

I think I found your lost day, Blunt!  I was supposed to meet with my Dean yesterday morning, then spend all afternoon working on a must do student survey before the buggers leave the University, and the Dean cancelled my meeting.  Much cheering in my house.  My meeting was re-scheduled to Monday afternoon.

Got in some exercise--then, like a horror movie she wouldn't go away. Emails, phone calls, cell phone messages, she wanted to meet by phone now. Called her. Not now, she's in another meeting, more emails, then at last, she calls me back for a 15 minute phone call, after chopping up hours of my time that would have been better spent on the frigging survey (that I now couldn't concentrate on) rather than waiting for her USELESS 15 minute call!

That's okay. I'm in Florida now, away for a long weekend. No one can piss me off now.


Good luck with the edits, Geoff. Very funny about Maryport!  No offence taken on woman's book. I don't like that kind of writing, either! Sounds like a romance novel.

[Ed]

Oh, I really hate people wasting my time like that.  It's even worse now, since the advent of mobile phones.  I leave mine switched off a lot of the time (and I've deactivated the voicemail thing), because sometimes all I want to do is work without interruption and the last thing I want is a pile of messages waiting for me later.

I used to have an answering machine, but this one guy I do some work for used to fill the piggin thing up - every day!!!   I'd come come at night and find a dozen messages, each more frantic than the last, "Are you there?  It's very important, please ring me as soon as poss."  *beep*  "Ed, it's me again - are you there?  It's urgent - ring me." *beep*  "Ed!  It's me!  It's really, really urgent!  If you don't ring me back I'll have to get someone else!" *beep* and on it would go.

I'd get home, listen to them all, worry about it - because he NEVER left a message saying what it was about - just 'ring me'.  And then I'd ring him, at home, at 8:30pm or even later, only for him to say, "Oh, that was earlier on today - I've seen you since then."  And it was never that urgent - never anything that couldn't have waited a few hours, days or even weeks!

In the end it came down to a choice between killing him, or smashing up the answering machine, so I got home one night and finally lost my rag with the damn thing.  No more messages.  He hates that he can't get hold of me, but it keeps me sane.

Enjoy your weekend, Sharon - you deserve a break

[JoyceCarter]

We have an answering machine, worked from the keypad of our digital phones.  Unfortunately, the buttons are small and closely placed, and it's quite easy to  hit a combination you didn't mean to.  My husband keeps doing this and wiping the outgoing message.  The system then switches an incoming call straight to the fax machine.  Sometimes, he's inadvertently recorded a slice of life as the new outgoing message, as in '****ing *******.  You're ****ing useless...'  As I said to him, he's got to NOT SWEAR at the phone, EVER, or he may lose me work!  And once, interestingly, as we can't think of any context for it, my voice saying, 'Crime and punishment...'

[SharonBell]

Here's what I think you meant to record:

"You have reached Crime and Punishment, Joyce's Dominatrix Parlor. We have someone tied up right now, so please leave a message at the scream."

[JoyceCarter]

Ha!   Could be an interesting new venture...

[SharonBell]

Ah, good, you did see this! Yes, a little sideline that could bring in some Christmas cash, doncha think? 

[JoyceCarter]

Remember my Penny Pain story?

[SharonBell]

Hmmm...coulda been before I found CD.  I'd love to read it.

[JoyceCarter]

http://www.cafedoom.com/forum/index.php?topic=310.15

I changed the beginning from this first version, so when he arrived she thought she heard him say, 'I've come to suffer.'

(Isn't it alarming how long ago this was?)

[SharonBell]

And isn't it alarming how bad my memory is? Now I remember that tale! 

[JoyceCarter]

Garn!  No special reason why you should remember the mc's name.