Follow-up Visit

Even virtual visits count. Especially when there's a crazy time difference. The kind where oceans and/or continents are involved. Miles and miles and it's been far too long since I've talked to some people.

Which is why I'm grateful for Christmas letters. An annual reason to check out people's mailing addresses. To have them say, nope, that's not going to get to me. And while I get an address so that my mail will find it's way to them, we set up a Skype date or a phone call or something.

And we talk. You may feel like you told me too much about you and didn't hear enough about me, but that wasn't the important part. It is important to know you're still there. To re-establish that you're someone I care about and who cares about me. To spend time together, even if we're doing it on different days.

Unwritten Goal #26

26. Listen to all of the SXSW download tracks during the calendar year I download them.

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I made it through the 2009 tracks, but didn't complete until sometime this summer. Secretly I'm hoping that I'll finish the 2010 tracks before December 31.

I have 361 tracks left to go.

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I have a rule to only save the tracks that get 4 or 5 stars. Occasionally one with an awesome name or story will get by.

But mostly, as soon as I decide that I don't really like the song, it moves to the trash. Free up some memory for my poor computer.

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I love when I fall in love with a song (and later a band) that I first heard on the downloads. A quarter of the songs on this year's review CD are from SXSW.

I should probably start the process of sending those. At least write the letter to go with...

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Some awesome names I wouldn't have heard of otherwise. Written here because I'm not keeping the songs, so I'll forget them after tonight otherwise.

Band: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
Songs: 100 mph (in 2nd Gear)
It's Better to Spend Money Like There's No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There's No Money

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Been listening to songs as I've typed this up. Down to 354 to go. Yikes, this one gets deleted. 353 songs in the next few weeks.

Notes to Self

Finals are done! As is the rewrite of the midterm that I was whining about. Whew. This is a finals period I will not miss. Though it did mark my first time ordering delivery pizza to the office. Or really, maybe, ever.

While I was trying to churn out pages, I left a lot of notes to myself in the margins. The two people who read my drafts when I was present laughed at one or the other at some point. So I'm saving some of my favorites. (And then deleting extra files from the computer. Common theme tonight.) Not sure this will be interesting to anyone other than future me. And not positive about that one either.

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• Blargh. Need to get something done here, but just don’t wanna. Whine whine whine. But I’m spoiled by this lifestyle and really should work for it.
• I thought I knew what I was talking about, but now I’ve lost all confidence. It’s hard to care anymore.
• Same word? Really?
• Right word?
• Ditto.
• Ugh, that word again. Suggestions for what to use instead?
• I got sick of typing curricula/curriculum currici-ick new word please! Can change it back if you think I should
• I wanted to use prognosticate but I didn’t. Marvel at my restraint
  
• Feel like [prof] won’t like my phrasing here. But it makes sense to me. BAH.
• I like this paragraph. Please tell me it’s okay.
  
• Don’t need [the author's] first name. Even if I want it
• Hate this sentence. Just needed something here
• Bullshit
  Not including it as the close of the sentence, but kinda want to
  
• Okay that citation is ridiculous
• Add a bit more here. Make it fancy

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Closing observation. Apparently I don't use punctuation to close the last sentence in these notes to myself. Work on that

Cheese, please?

I have no sympathy for my own whining. So I don't expect anyone else to either.

That said, the snowball fight happening outside my window sounds a whole lot more fun than the paper I'm fighting to convince myself to work on.