The Suspense is Killing Me

My telemarketer avoidance skills have been slipping since I rarely get them with the new number. So when I got a recorded voice calling me today, I actually listened long enough for him to tell me about my reserve copy of Harry Potter. Apparently Bor.ders struck a deal with the audiobook people to have the book's narrator record the phone message. Perhaps having employees call customers was just too much work? I was reassured that while my copy was reserved, I have only until end of business Saturday to claim it or they will sell it to strangers. After the somewhat odd plotting of the last few I'm not entirely sure I'm going to like the book this time yet I'm actively trying to avoid spoilers. I'm still debating the pre-Potter party on Friday night and the midnight line. May as well go. It's not likely a round the world book party like this will happen again.

But this makes me think of how Agonizing it must be for an author to wait for her book to be published so she can speak freely about it to the masses. Or how a movie director/producer/star feels the month before the movie is out. Everything is done and just sitting in stasis waiting for the marketing machine to work its magic. HOW CAN THEY STAND THIS??? I guess one endures what one must. Force of Nature will be out in a little less than a month. I'm merely a fan and I can barely stand the suspense. Add to that the Potter book and movie, the next Bourne installment, the Serenity "collectors edition" DVD, and a couple other flicks that seemed good and a book I'm off to start now... it makes this the best and worst of summers as regards my interest with stories.

And onto making happy lemonade from lemons:

1. Defects. Had a non-null experimental result on a project that has been thwarting us at work. I freely admit that I thought this particular investigation was a long shot, but we are pretty much at wit's end with potential root causes. It will take more doing to find out if this result is meaningful, but having funky pictures of defects is always cheering.
2. Antibiotics. Not always good for the digestion, but on the whole excellent for a less miserable existence. Plus, Grace is the best pharmacist.
   
3. Cable box. I work a quarter mile from the cable company. My box didn't work right so I swapped it before FW2's visit for one, it turned out, which worked even less well than the original. (That was ok because she's not a TV fan.) Then I went on vacation, then I got sucked into all Firefly all the time. I finally remembered to take the bad box with me today. In the space of about 7 minutes I was able to leave work, get it replaced, then get back to work. And lo and behold if it doesn't work like a charm.