7 Quick Takes (Vol 217)

Well another week older and deeper in blather. I think I have said that before. You know the rules. After you have harvested all the blather here you need to click on the picture above to be whisked, at the speed of the NSA reading little old ladies emails, over to Conversion Diary.

All the blather that’s fit to be intercepted and read by the NSA.

1.
I am taking just one of these little quick takes to complain.

I really, really dislike it when an author uses a fiction book to flog his point of view. I mean REALLY flog it, to the point that I want to throw the book across the room.

I honestly don’t care if a work of fiction, or non-fiction for that matter, expresses a view that I don’t agree with. It is the author’s prerogative to write what they choose. It is my choice to read the book.

BUT, when they use that book as a bully pulpit, especially when I am reading the book for pleasure…..

It really miffs me.

Obviously you can guess that I read a book like that last week (or perhaps the week before). I am currently reading through the “Body Farm” mystery books by Jefferson Bass. Jefferson Bass is actually two people, Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass (who happens to run The Body Farm).  I enjoyed the first book immensely. But the second book tried to ram down my throat the idea that anyone who believes in Intelligent Design is an idiot who has no smarts, no learning and must come from the back woods. I am not a believer in Intelligent Design, that is just a way to get around saying that God created the world. Say it and mean it. And I don’t have a problem if you disagree with me on how the earth was formed. But, do not use a THIRD of your mystery novel to try to ram your view down my throat. ESPECIALLY when it has nothing whatsoever to do with the story. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I was reading the book electronically I might have flung it across the room.

iPads don’t like to be flung across a room.

Getting off soap box now.

And by the way, the link that I have provided for The Body Farm is a video. It is not for the squeamish is all I am saying.

2.
In another instance of weather people not knowing what they are doing…..

The weather forecast for today was “mostly sunny and pleasant”

Currently it is deeply overcast and hovering right around 59F.

That is not sunny and pleasant.

And yet these people collect regular paychecks even though they are wrong.

Edit: The sun did come out….barely.

3.
I am HOPING to be done with editing the photos from this cute couple some time next week.

But there are a lot of pictures. The number of pictures that I give to a client after their wedding is always the issue. Erica and I took A LOT of photos, that is just the nature of shooting a wedding. But if I had to guess I would say that in general over 50% of the photos won’t make the initial cut. But that still leaves too many photos so another culling must be done.

And then another culling.

And then editing.

It takes a while. And I am a generally slow editor.

And if I could just shoot in black and white I would be so happy. I do love black and white.

4.
In my continuing quest for the perfect list making app I have actually spent money on something.

I hate spending more than $1.99 on any kind of app. And yet this week I spent $7.99 on a list making app. It was on the glowing recommendation of the above pictured bride, who is a list making fool.

And so far I am loving it.

But it is still in “Debbie Beta testing” so we will see how it works. The one thing that I am not all that happy about (you knew there had to be something) is the fact that I have to PAY a yearly fee for the privilege of being able to sync the app on more than one device. I am not sure if it is worth $29/year for the privilege of pushing a button to sync between iPad and iPhone and to be able to use the online version. I have about 21 more days to decide that.

But the rest is all good so far.

I do love lists but I need to be better about having them all consolidated in one place.

5.
We are kicking around the idea of getting cable again. Just talking about it but no decision yet. And we will get the bare minimum basic cable that gives us only 20 channels. I am not sure we would even think to re-up with cable again except we have been SO UNHAPPY with the internet speed we are getting through Windstream.

You know it is bad if we are even thinking about signing back up with Time Warner. We seemed to have a choice with TWC. We can EITHER have more TV channels OR faster internet. But not both without paying a boatload of money to them.

And we are not willing to do that.

There is a “special” running for something like $89/month but when you look at the fine print it comes out to a lot more than that.

Why am I not surprised.

I haven’t missed cable nearly as much as I thought I would and I am surprisingly reluctant to sign back up with cable after thinking about it.

Will keep you posted on what we decide because I know you are dying to know.

6.
Shoe Queen and Slim Jim are here for the weekend.

Yeah!!!

They are meeting with the DJ and the photographers. We might go out to dinner. I might serve my youngest child a glass of wine which always throws me. How can she be legal!

7.
Let’s end with a video today shall we. You know I do this sometimes because….I cannot think of a number 7.

Lame.

This is the second Cat-Friend vs Dog-Friend video.

Genius