Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday Fabulous Fiver

1. Very tired. Not coping well with medical insurance drama. Need to breathe and calm down.

2. Work is almost done for the week. Once I'm done at around noon, I'm turning off the computer and going for a walk.

3. Kindle has shipped for arrival Monday, April 21. So 19 day wait. Not bad at all.

4. I have piles of books to read, so this weekend, that's what I'm doing.

5. Next week is marketing, marketing, marketing. (Hint: when you're not sure which direction to take, market like a fiend)

Currently listening to: interview with a petroleum company engineer
Currently reading: My notes from the last listen

Thursday, April 17, 2008

A Little Goes A Long Way

Feeling relieved at the loss of our book deal. The timeline might have been a tad tight. I met a lot of great people during the pitching process and I'm not deterred. It will happen someday.

In the meantime, I'm reading a lot of Penelope Trunk and Michael Port and Seth Godin. These are my gurus.

I liked this review of Ben Stein's new movie, Expelled.
I agree even though I have not yet seen the film (will go this weekend) that if the film is presented as a sob story, I will be disappointed a bit. If ID is a viable belief, then let's give it a fair chance. However, I'm going to see it. The intersection of faith and science is one of my favorite topics so this is right down my alley.

My fellow writer (much more accomplished than I), Sara Gruen marks 12 months on the NYT bestseller list. Congrats, Sara! Amazing.

Oh yes, I can commiserate with this story. Facebook fatigue is right!

And Variety again, talking about how studios are chasing book and magazine deals for fresh content. Good news for us print writers!

Thinking through issues of online collaboration as my email flounders, conference calls stack up to hours each day, and documents are lost by the wayside. Especially this week. I'm definitely surfing for best practices right now. I'm headed to London in May and hope to present solutions in person.

Oh and I figured out what I'm talking about at the symposium (not collaboration issues) but reference issues! Whew. Need to just get my talking points together and we're set. I have no problems filling up a 15-20 minute slot. No worries! :)

And that's it for today. Off to write more case studies.

Currently reading: Brazen Careerist (Penelope Trunk)
Currently listening to: Leona Lewis

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Hopes Dashed

My possible co-author and I did not get the book gig. It was for a Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Out of Debt. He's a certified financial planner, but we didn't have a big enough media platform and someone else won the gig. It was half-expected, but still I wished for a chance to get my foot in the door. And it was loads of fun to work on. I really got jazzed about the project and while writing the pitch, really, really felt drawn to the subject matter and to helping people get debt-free.

Anyhoo, so I've decided to entertain the idea of building the web platform for debt reduction anyway. We'll see. Lots of decisions to make now.

And I must mourn a little bit (I really wanted to write the book).

Got an email today asking for more information on writing a blog for someone else (rates, experience, etc.) so that should be interesting.

Turned down an article opp for debt reduction, so need to really think about what my focus should be with journalism work.

Booked our hotel in London (Hilton). Gasped at the cost in US dollars. Thank goodness for company reimbursement.

And I'm not in the mood to scope out interesting links today. Will do some tomorrow.

Currently reading: email from agent about failed book deal
Currently listening to: Pirates remixed

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Rains Came Down . . . Soft

It is a soft spring rain this week. I don't mind it. I am pretty exhausted, and rain is simply an excuse to stay inside with the laptop on the couch and rest up.

Of course, I'm writing case studies for a large IT outsourcing company while I rest, but you get the idea.

Our refrigerator is making very funny noises. I think it's the ice maker coming back to life (it's been dead for years), but hubby thinks it's the fridge cooling system. Either way, it does not bode well. I am starting to wrap my head around a new fridge, but be assured, I will baby this one as long as I can.

Good thing we got a refund.

New Line Cinema, maker of the Hobbit, is at the end of the line, finally folded into Warner Brothers.

And the annual "since it's tax day and too late to do anything, we'll tell you what you should do if you had planned ahead just one week" post from Salon.

May April 16 rise up to meet you.

Currently reading: my blog roll
Currently listening to: Avalon remix

Monday, April 14, 2008

On the Job Again

After a very nice week with our company, it's back to work this fine Monday. It's overcast, a bit chilly, and going to rain at any moment.

After the 70-degree sunshine we've enjoyed, this is harsh.

I accomplished a ton this past week while on A/L from the day job. I contacted a bunch of people that I needed to talk to about various upcoming projects. Heard back from almost everyone. Feels good.

Taxes are done and filing today. Everything on the to-do list is caught up and today is a writing day.

Amazon just emailed to say my Kindle is shipping next week! Woohoo! Just in time for a long flight to London. This is so awesome.

In the news:

Nina Garcia, esteemed PROJECT RUNWAY judge, may be out at ELLE? Woman's Wear Daily reports the latest.

TheStreet.comTV analyzes how to pick a clothing stock, but I liked the comparison between the GAP and J. Crew.

And that's all for today. Must write!

Currently reading: Corey's JCrewaholoc blog
Currently listening to: the heater