First on the list is a further discussion of my fiction reading problem. BV - you are right!! I tell myself all the time to just watch or read and enjoy instead of finding the errors and inconsistencies. I spent some time thinking about this habit and I've come to a realization.
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I spent many years as a typesetter and proofreader. It was my job to find errors. At one point I worked for a company that published scientific technical manuals and had a top secret clearance. YES!!! I did. My kids always fall over laughing when I remind them that the woman doing the laundry once did classified work! Moms are full of surprises that way.
It was my job to read for inaccuracies, inconsistencies and downright sloppy research. Most non-fiction or scholarly works are meticulously researched and woe be the author in those fields who makes a mistake. After years and years of being trained and paid to spot those things they literally jump off the page and grab you by the throat.
I'll try to put aside the old dog tricks and try to relax and read. My niece-the-librarian has promised to suggest some good fiction for me to read.
Wish me luck.
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Lisa D. left a comment reminding us of something important:
"Can I just change the subject for a second and remind everyone that when a school bus is stopped, with flashing lights on, it means children are getting on or getting off that bus - DO NOT PASS! Sorry, it just happened to my children this morning, 20 minutes ago, and I'm still angry that one of my neighbours didn't feel like waiting 2 more minutes for the bus to leave my driveway."
Amen, sister. Several years ago I found myself in small line of traffic behind a school bus. The bus stopped with lights flashing and the stop arm extended. A moment later the car in front of me slowly pulled out and started to pass the bus. I started screaming and grabbed for a pen and paper to write down the license plate number. The guy in the car behind me launched into action. He jumped out of his truck and bolted up the roadway to stop her.
It was a wild scene. The woman passed the bus and merrily continued on her way. I called the police when I got to work and gave them the license number and a description - quite elderly, white haired, pearl earringed old lady.
Did I mention that she passed the school bus on an uphill curved grade on a snow covered roadway in wintertime?
The police confirmed that the car was registered to an elderly woman who lived on a side road near the incident? They couldn't ticket her because they hadn't witnessed the incident themselves but they did have a discussion with her.
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Yesterday was Do-All-Your-Customer-Service-Calling Day in this house. I had to make a few calls that involved speaking with customer service representatives. One was a state agency and I was dreading that call. It turned out to be a terrific experience. I was so shocked that I kept thanking the woman profusely. She must have thought I was completely mad.
The next call didn't go so well. Have you seen the commercial with the Eastern European man answering the phone in Siberia?
"Hello this is Peggy."
Right.
OK, the call centers are being outsourced. We got it. But, seriously, why do you instruct your employees to identify themselves with obviously made up names? My call yesterday went like this:
"Thanks for calling the customer service line. My name is Cindy. How may I help you today?"
"Cindy? Really?"
I stated my problem and "Cindy" began to walk me through an online solution. It was obvious she was sitting in Mumbai. Mentally I named her "Mumbai Cindy". She spoke excellent English and could actually understand the conversation when it veered from the script. I liked Cindy. I wanted to know her real name. I wanted to slap the manager who decided to call her Cindy.
Was she really in Mumbai or was she an immigrant sitting in a call center in Minneapolis?
"OK, I'm going to give you some codes to enter. Are you ready? A as in apple, Z as in Zebra, I as in India."
Bingo. Mumbai.
I hung up the phone and wondered why I didn't ask Cindy to tell me her real name.
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U.S. Astronaut Catherine Coleman was launched into space yesterday in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket. She's going to the space station with two other astronauts, Russian Dmitry Kondratyev and Italy's Paolo Nespoli.
The amazing thing to me is that it was barely reported in the U.S. Press. The Russian press was on this like they were Oscar winners. Do you think we prefer Hollywood and sport stars to astronauts and scientists? Or is that the presses choice on what to cover? I guess whatever sells.
My son walked into the room one day when I was watching NASA TV which was covering the week of preparation before this launch.
"Seriously, mom. You're one of the only people in the country watching this channel."
I don't think that's true. I think there's at least three other people watching.
Kudos to Coleman who comes across as a warm, funny and very smart woman. She just turned 50 and will spend the next six months working on the Internation Space Station. Kudos also because she managed to endure the weeklong calendar of Russian public relations events including planting trees, walking Red Square, placing flowers at a memorial site, posing in front of very large Soviet-era sculptures. They did everything but bake a cake.
The Russian Cosmonaut appears to be a stern, no-nonsense, non-smiling military type. Good luck being cooped up with him. The Italian is a gentle giant. Literally. At 6 foot 4 inches he's one of the tallest astronauts to go into space.
I'll be watching their mission on NASA TV. They'll be on the Space Station until May.
If you follow this link and scroll down, you'll be able to see CNN's interview with Catherine (Cady) Coleman.
CADY COLEMAN INTERVIEW
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More video.
You've got to watch this video about a guy's Christmas cubicle. When I worked for the newpaper we had a cubicle decorating contest. It was fun. We also had a "Warm and Fuzzy Day" and decorated for that also.
This makes me smile.
CHRISTMAS CUBICLE
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That's all for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another episode of "At Home with the Farmer's Wife."