10th July Weekly Roundup

It’s not a race*! I won’t rush this week. Here’s my roundup, in no order, with a photo of me writing this post (at right).

• I’m 32 now. I don’t feel any different. As a surprising part of an epic Wednesday-night birthday party, I danced my brains out in a packed bar downtown. Even when I was a younger person, I never danced like that. I hate dancing, usually. But it was wicked fun. Also, we were old, we 30-somethings in that bar. Children these days wear an awful lot of no clothes.
• On a related note, congratulations to my friend Ian’s band, Werewolves of Creston—perhaps the most creative and kickass cover band in all the land—for winning the Wednesday-night slot at the Ceili’s Irish Pub (Granville & Smithe) for the rest of the summer, and for managing to smoosh The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald and Stairway to Heaven into one medley. They rock. Literally.
• The man gave me the best birthday present, ever. He searched all of Main Street for a dress dummy for me, and came home with this gorgeous creature:
• I love my desk on Granville Island. I like my office-mates very much. You might have noticed a difference this week if you were needing an email from me; there’s a good chance (though not a certainty—I still have a lot of catching up to do) that I wrote you back.
• Being in a tourist attraction all day long is fairly absurd, in a good way. Except when the pan flutist is the busker of the afternoon. Then it’s a nightmare that can only be handled with in-ear earphones and the constant surprise of shuffle songs.
• There was not one moment in the last nineteen months that I didn’t have a feel for what was at stake if I were to fall behind in my job. I was right. Having fallen behind is a nightmare for me and for those I work with. There are two things I’m extraordinarily grateful for at this time: That the people I work with and for have not brow-beaten me; I have felt comfortable expressing the tough time I’ve had, and, despite the challenges I’ve created, I have felt respected. If this weren’t the case, I imagine I’d be in a far deeper rut and would have a much more difficult time catching up. Second, some of the freelancers I work with, some of whom read this blog, have indicated they’re taking on a tighter deadline than would be desirable in part because of our relationship. I consider these to be favours I will pay back whenever called upon, and I thank them from the deepest depths. To those freelancers who might not think the deadlines I’m asking of them are tight, well, I thank you for that, too. And I’ll do my best to give longer deadlines in the future.
• Perhaps my next On Editing post will be about the timeline of an issue of the magazine.
• Most fascinating to me about the Rogers Wireless iPhone debacle here in Canada has been the evolution in concessions Rogers has made in response to the PR nightmare of the massive public outcry against their announced iPhone plans. (I’m fascinated by PR.) Although far from perfect, the concessions made have dulled the pain quite a bit, and I’m now back to planning on getting an iPhone**. Likely not tomorrow, but who knows. The following bullet contains a shocking confession about why (not really).
• The thought of watching Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on an iPhone when it debuts online next Tuesday was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
• Though I’m a through-and-through a geek in many respects, and though I certainly knew all the words to a couple of their songs when I was in high school, I’ve never had a deep love of They Might Be Giants. My lack of love for TMBG might be overshadowed in the geek-cred department by my adoration of Common Rotation‘s cover of Don’t Let’s Start, which I’ve listened to nonstop for several weeks. You tell me why that’s geekier. I dare you. (And yes, that’s how I found out about Common Rotation.) (Also, I really like their music. For shiz.)
• I sent in the paperwork to renew my Permanent Resident Card. This is a huge relief***. Except I learned that Canada Post doesn’t offer overnight service from coast to coast. The fastest I could send it to Nova Scotia was 3-day. Canada = big.

* Funny movie = Rat Race.
** Assuming there isn’t appalling fine print and my questions are answered adequately by a human at the Rogers store.
*** In part. It will be a further relief when I track that the package has arrived. It won’t be total relief till I have a replacement card in hand before my next trip (in August).