Day 107

I got two jobs approved and on their way to the printer today. This used to mean we were finished. Not anymore. Clients don't like to pay for professional proofreaders these days. They think they can do it themselves. That's fine by me. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually work out very well. I'll get something officially approved and the very next day, I'll get a call with further changes. This can go on for weeks. I've had some jobs "approved" five or six times. After the job has been away at the printer for a week, some folks completely forget what they approved in the first place and look at the finished piece like it came from Mars. We'll see if these two pieces survive. I like them anyway. If we have to reprint because of a late change in plans, it wouldn't be the first time.

Henry was more difficult to transport that I expected. He howled and barked continuously during the entire 40 mile journey. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but Henry is still recovering from surgery and it was hard to tell whether his howls were caused by pain or by the general irritation he felt from having to ride in the car. He wouldn't lie down in his crate, so every time we went around a corner he would fall over. I would stop the car and go back and make sure he was OK and then we would continue our journey. I transport rescue dogs quite often because the Land Rover is ideal for this sort of thing. I wish I could tell the dogs who were unfamiliar with car travel to just chill out and take a nap. Some dogs love a car ride, but the nervous ones seem convinced that I'm driving them straight back to the pound. At any rate, Henry arrived safe and sound. With any luck, in a few weeks he'll be enjoying his new home.

I got a recorded call from AT&T today saying that they didn't repair my phone because they couldn't gain access to the premises. Hey guys, I was here all day patiently waiting for you on the day the repairs were scheduled. It's not my fault that you decided to come the next day instead, when I was away at a meeting. I can't decide whether to try to schedule the repairs a third time or just give up on the phone company entirely and go with Time Warner instead. I wish I could explain to people what Skype was. Skype works great and it's free. Unfortunately, none of the people I need to call on a regular basis have even heard of Skype.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day