It was a funny old day yesterday, a little like a return to a half-forgotten and best-forgotten way of life, a rendezvous with an unwelcome past: I was working to a deadline. The deadline was self-imposed, or perhaps I should say ethnically-imposed, for I am a Yorkshireman and Yorkshireman have a natural antipathy to wasting brass (Note to non-Tykes, brass = money). For some time now I have been lazily working my way towards publishing the third selection of extracts - covering the year 2011 - from News From Nowhere. I had done a little bit of cutting and pasting, and then had a rest for a week or two, attempted a touch or two of editing and then had a rest for a month or two, and even flirted with the idea of a little gentle formatting, but abandoned the idea as being over-stressful.
It was only when I visited the Lulu website on Tuesday evening (I have always used Lulu to publish my blog collections), that I realised that they had a special pre-Christmas offer going that would give me 40% off the price of my published books. The only problem was that the offer ran out at midnight last night!
I was therefore left with 24 hours in order to cut and paste a years' worth of blogposts, index them, check them for errors, format them, upload them and prepare covers. Yesterday I worked with the zeal only a Yorkshireman can muster when in sight of the treasured goal of either making or saving money. As the deadline approached, I made more and more errors and cut more and more corners. I managed to put something together and order a couple of copies before the midnight hour struck, but I have no idea what the finished product will look like. I will report back in due course.
Deadline or no deadline, Amy demanded to be walked yesterday and for the first time this year there was a frost on the ground. I took a photograph and attempted to sharpen it using Photoshop, but yet again I seem to have pressed the wrong button. Nevertheless, swirly lines make a welcome change from the dead variety.
Ever thought of Vlogging, rather than Blogging?
ReplyDeleteA frightening thought. But seriously, it is words and still images that I love the best
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ReplyDeleteMy, you are busy bee but you will manage it!
ReplyDeleteNo, no, it is you that is a busy bee, bee, not me bee.
DeleteJust frost, no snow yet? Lucky you. I had to zoom in on the city scene, I swear, I know it reads about a Boston Public Line, but it really looks like a photo from my own city of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
ReplyDeleteYep, it was in Boston. Taken back in 2011 during my very brief visit to that wonderful city
DeleteOh, my! I love the swirly leaf shot here as well! I've never thought of publishing my blog, though sometimes, I wonder where it will end up when I pass on. Hopefully not a concern for a while :) Bravo to you for completing your project under huge time pressure. I hope your eye problems are resolving. From your account, it sounds as though the U.K. medical system works well. Canada's is much appreciated too, and I say that with a childhood memory of what it was like for my parents before medicare was established when my father was hospitalized for 6 weeks following surgery.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness Alan! At work I get kudos because no-one there knew how to make a photo book until I showed them (yes, even those younger than me) and no-one knows how to make their own personalised calendar (yes it's really easy), and no-one gets personalised cards printed except me.... and no-one writes a blog but me (which you taught me) and now I learn another new thing from you. Interesting. And thank you.
ReplyDeleteI hope your book turns out just grand! That is a different photo..that new camera must have oodles of settings:)
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