Resisting an Immoral War

Despite what the evening news on the major networks would have us believe, a good number of U.S. soldiers are refusing to fight the criminal war in Iraq. Here is one soldier's story:

While stationed in Iraq, Ivan Brobeck was assigned to security at checkpoints in the city of Mahmudiyah and Fallujah. While in Iraq he witnessed the abuse of Iraqi detainees and the killing of civilians by the United States military. Brobeck completed his seven-month tour in Iraq with his unit and returned to the United States in October 2004. Upon returning from Iraq, he suffered symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and went UA (Unauthorized Absence) in March 2005. In April 2005 Ivan Brobeck fled to Canada to seek sanctuary. On Election Day 2006, Brobeck planned to return to the United States and turn himself in to the custody of the Marines.

Read more soldiers' stories here. And then tell me why we're fighting in Iraq.



Iraq war resisters prisoners of war torture war crimes impeach Bush Cheney EditorMom

Scatological Humor Among Docs

In searching PubMed to verify a reference to a medical journal article cited in an article on how to treat hemorrhoids, I came across an article title that proves that physicians do indeed have a sense of humor:

Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. 1988 Apr;31(4):303–5.

"Piles of Defeat: Napoleon at Waterloo"

Welling DR, Wolff BG, Dozois RR. Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Major events of history have frequently turned on seemingly trivial matters. One such situation involves Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo. Napoleon was not feeling well on the day of the battle of Waterloo, despite fighting well at Ligny, a few days before the last, dramatic June 18 battle. There is considerable indication that Napoleon was bothered by very painful thrombosed hemorrhoids. Did this affect his generalship that day? What is the evidence that Napoleon was afflicted with thrombosed hemorrhoids? What contribution could this factor have made to the French defeat at Waterloo?

Why, yes, my work is fun!



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing medical editor publishing EditorMom

The Exciting World of Publishing

This video of how a book is bound will have college grads rushing to get into publishing and bookbinding. My days as a freelance copyeditor go just like that.



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing bookbinding EditorMom

Brain Orgasm

Ooh, I love it when this happens!

I'm doing a substantive ESL (English as a second language) edit of a medical journal article written by a Japanese orthopedic surgeon. I was just able to condense two of his long, unwieldy, verbose sentences into one graceful, complex sentence. And I've worked with this author several times, enough to know that he'll be very pleased.

Yessss! I'm in the zone!



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing substantive edit ESL in the zone EditorMom

What I Give Thanks For, 2006 Edition

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for many people and things, in addition to those I listed in last year’s Thanksgiving post.

• My first grandchild-to-be, created by my daughter, Rebecca, and my son-in-law, Li. I know that the baby will be beautiful and will be raised and loved well by his or her parents.



• That moderation has returned to the U.S. federal government through the 2006 midterm elections. It’s not good when the wishes of huge groups of people are ignored by their government. Here’s hoping that my 2007 Thanksgiving post can include gratitude that U.S. foreign policy is headed back toward sanity and human decency.



• That my husband, Ed, continues to love me as much as I love him and keeps striving to grow with me after 14 years together. He’s intelligent, intellectually stimulating, fun, and an artisan, and he has a heart of gold.



• Rebecca and Li, who have just started out on their life journey together and are good for each other



• My sons, Neil and Jared, whose hearts and minds unfold daily in delightful ways



• My new friend, Misao



• My newly renovated home, now warmer and more attractive



• Health care insurance, for as long as it remains affordable for my family



• Clients, old and new, both for the income they bring me and for the intellectual stimulation that editing their writing brings me

Thanksgiving family friends Bush government renovation health care insurance freelancer copyeditor EditorMom

No O.J. Book

Well, well, well. O.J. Simpson's book won't be sold after all, nor will his interview by his publisher, Judith Regan, be broadcast by FOX Broadcasting Company.

It's probably too much to hope that common sense and decency prevailed in the O.J. book brouhaha. It's much more likely that Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp., which owns both HarperCollins (the publishing house at which ReganBooks is an imprint) and FOX, deduced from the massive criticism coming his way that both HarperCollins and Fox would lose customers or viewers and thus lots of income because of its connection with the lurid murder case.

Whatever the reason for the project's withdrawal, I'm glad it's gone. Ick. Oh, and in the interests of full disclosure, I should say here that HarperCollins is one of my clients.




Judith Regan O.J. Simpson domestic abuse violence murder ReganBooks HarperCollins publishing publicity EditorMom

Superb Christmas Music

If you live on New York's Long Island, in Connecticut, or in New Jersey, you won't want to miss gorgeous holiday music sung by the New Century Singers (listen to a snippet here).




The New Century Singers' holiday concert will be at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, December 10, at First Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Main and South Streets in Port Jefferson, New York. Advance tickets are $20 each; at the door, tickets are $25. You can order tickets at the New Century Singers web site or by calling 631-473-5426.

The group's lush vocals—contemporary, folk music, and classical pieces—will put you in a holiday mood. I'm one of their biggest fans and have attended many of their concerts. I like them so much I even show up to listen to their practice sessions! The group is made up of members and friends of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community on Long Island and has performed all over the place, including New York City's Carnegie Hall.




concert Christmas New Century Singers music Long Island GLBT gay lesbian bisexual transgender chorus EditorMom

Renovation Photos

I'm so excited! My home looks like new on the outside. The bulk of the outside work is done. We just need a new steel door with a window in it for the back alcove and new gutters all around (coming this week), and my husband Ed will have to reface the doors to our "barn" and garden house. Here's the "before" shot of the front of the house, when it was decorated for Halloween, and plenty of "after" shots, taken with Ed's cell phone camera. If you notice any waviness in the photos, it's not in the siding; it's funkiness from resizing the photos. Clicking on them will open up larger versions that don't have any waviness.



The house before renovation, wearing its old red cedar shake shingles; the bushes wore Halloween decorations, including cobwebs





Front of house with siding, which looks grayish here but is a beautiful soft moss green





Another front view





The new front stairs: These take the place of the narrow, crumbling, old cement stairs. There's so much more room now, even though the new stairs are only about 2 to 3 feet wider. No more feeling as if I'm going to fall off the stoop when the boys crowd me while I'm trying to unlock the front door!





Side view of the new front stairs, which are made from pressure-treated wood so that they're rot-resistant. We won't paint them but will let them weather to a pretty silver.





The redone tiny alcove (used as a holding room for recyclables and bags of garbage) and stairs at the back of the house





Another view of the back alcove and stairs; the alcove door is on order





The north side of the house. The latticework, like the new front stairs, is made of pressure-treated wood. It's been in place for several years and has already weathered to a nice silver





This is the south side of the house, which houses our wood shop. When Ed had his own cabinetmaking business, the shop was where he built furniture and cabinets.





This is our "barn," where, when Ed had his business, he would spray lacquer on furniture and cabinets. Now, it's mostly for storage, but Ed does use it when he makes furniture for us. The red Formica on the doors has to be replaced by the light green Formica we bought to match the siding. The barn used to be covered with red cedar shingles, just like the house.





Even our tiny garden house (what most people call a tool shed) got new siding, and after 30-plus years, it got a new roof. It still needs its dark door refaced. You can see our vegetable garden's fence running the length of the left side of the photo. The ancient, rotting boat at the right was Ed's first outboard, a little wooden dory from the late 1950s that Ed restored; he bought it when he was 15 years old. The boat, now retired, is older than Ed is. It's been replaced by the At Last! and must be moved to the town dump.



construction remodeling EditorMom

Clients Don't Warm Up to Robotic Freelancers

Maybe I'm deluded; maybe I just don't get it. But my approach has worked quite well for me for nearly 12 years of freelancing, so maybe I do know something.

About this time every year, colleagues on the editing- and freelance-related e-mail lists I subscribe to start discussing whether and how to send holiday or annual greeting cards to clients.

The arguments go something like this:

• Don't send cards; it'll be seen as crass marketing or sucking up.



• Do send cards; they remind clients of your existence.



• If you do send cards, make 'em all business—no emotions and nothing personal, please.



• If you do send cards, it's okay if they're only imprinted with your greeting, company name, and message; you don't have to hand-write a note, because who has the time?



• Send cards. They're not crass. They remind clients of your existence, you get a chance to thank them for their business, and you get a chance to build on your relationship with them.

If you haven't already guessed, my strategy is the latter.

I view holiday cards (mine are "Happy New Year" cards) as something to personalize. (I also enclose my annual end-of-the-year one-page newsletter.) Yes, I have my cards imprinted with a short holiday greeting and my business name, but I hand-write a short note on all of them. Here is a sample, with names changed:

• Dr. Toyoda, it was been a pleasure editing your papers in 2006. You have a way of presenting your research that more than communicates the facts; you draw your readers in. [For an author of medical journal articles]



• Patricia, thanks so much for all those projects in 2006. But thanks even more for sharing your sense of humor and graciousness. [For a managing editor at a publishing house]



• Jana, I very much enjoyed working with you in 2006. Your memoir was quite touching, and I'll long remember it. [For an author who went on to self-publish her book]

Now, these messages avoid talking about my private life and the client's private life, which is an issue that seems to concern some stiff-necked freelancers. But they're still personal and friendly. And every single time, such messages delight my clients and help inspire loyalty in them. They want to keep doing business with a copyeditor who both does top-notch work and sees something admirable in them and in their work. They want to do business with someone who cares. And I've communicated that caring in just one or two sentences; it doesn't require that much extra time.

So go ahead—send out personalized greeting cards to your clients. They'll like it, and you'll get repeat customers.



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing greeting cards marketing clients EditorMom

I Don't Buy It

Well, publisher Judith Regan talks a good talk, but I don't think I buy what she says is her reason for publishing O.J. Simpson's book If I Did It:

Regan said the book was a way to undo the “criminal injustice system” that let her own abuser go free.

She said she was abused while in her 20s by a man “who could charm anyone” and with whom she had a child. “And then he knocked me out, with a blow to my head, and sent me to the hospital,” she said. She said police initially didn’t believe her story.

“I made the decision to publish this book, and to sit face to face with the killer, because I wanted him, and the men who broke my heart and your hearts, to tell the truth, to confess their sins, to do penance and to amend their lives,” she said. ...

I do believe that Regan suffered domestic abuse, but I can't believe that that is her only reason for publishing Simpson's pseudo–tell-all. Even if her HarperCollins imprint, ReganBooks, sees no money from this book (which I find hard to believe), publishing it sure garners a lot of publicity.

Yes, publishing is a business, and I've been in that business for more than 20 years. But there are some things that should never see the light of a bookstore, and O.J.'s book is one of them. It's not a matter of freedom of the press or free speech but of good taste and human decency.

See update.



Judith Regan O.J. Simpson domestic abuse violence murder ReganBooks HarperCollins publishing publicity EditorMom

My Daughter the Flutist

The whole family went to Stony Brook University's Staller Center for the Arts last night to hear my daughter, Becky (the social-work-master's-degree student, full-time employee, newlywed, and mother-to-be—exhausted yet?), perform in the flute section of the SBU Wind Ensemble. It was fun, and the musicians were great. Here's a still of the whole ensemble:





wind ensemble Strauss Becky flutist EditorMom

Wood Shop Helper

I've written here about the renovation my home is undergoing. The last thing that will be done is the complete replacement of the upstairs bathroom. For that, My Husband the Master Cabinetmaker^tm is building the vanity (the cabinet to go under the sink) and the medicine cabinet. Our two sons, Neil (almost 12) and Jared (5), are being really helpful, doing actual cabinetmaking chores. But sometimes, they're just kids:











Jared decided to take a break
after working hard on the vanity.
He sat down into an old empty
spackle bucket.



cabinetmaker remodeling Jared EditorMom

Master Cabinetmaker Update

On Election Day, I posted shots of one of the projects My Husband the Master Cabinetmaker^tm was working on, which included making corbels.

To satisfy your curiosity, I present here one of the finished corbels:

cabinetmaker corbel husband Ed EditorMom

Woman Kicked Off Plane for Breastfeeding

A New Hampshire woman has filed a complaint against two airlines because she was kicked off a plane for breastfeeding and refusing to cover herself up with a blanket given to her by a flight attendant. Idiot airlines!

Americans are such prudes. And ignorant. If they knew anything about breastfeeding, they'd know that not much breast shows at all when a woman is breastfeeding her child. A breastfeeding woman isn't providing a peep show.

Puritanical morons!

Updated 11/17/06, 7:13 p.m.: Good! The flight attendant who harrassed the breastfeeding woman has been discplined, according to the airline.



breast-feeding breastfeeding breast Delta Puritanical prude EditorMom

War Crimes

German lawyers of inmates of Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison are looking into whether former U.S. secretary of state Donald Rumsfeld can be charged with war crimes for authorizing prisoner abuse.

Also named in the lawsuit are Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA director George Tenet, former commander of all U.S. forces in Iraq Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, and eight more.

A similar lawsuit needs to be filed in the United States and should also name George Bush and Dick Cheney. And after they're found guilty, Bush and Cheney should be impeached.



Rumsfeld Iraq war crimes Abu Ghraib torture lawsuit impeach Bush Cheney EditorMom

South Africa Trumps U.S. at Human Rights

Now the United States ranks behind South Africa in human rights. South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage.

Shame on you, America.



GLBT gay lesbian homosexual South Africa marriage human rights EditorMom

The Perks of Freelancing

On one of the editing-related e-mail lists I subscribe to wrote that for her, the best thing about freelancing is

the chance to get to know my neighbors and neighborhood in ways the 9-to-5-ers can't. I have a dog, and we're out and about for anywhere from an hour to three hours every day. As a consequence, I've gotten to know the people who live up and down the street, storekeepers, the waitstaff at the local coffee shop, etc. And I take note of the natural world in the way the light changes throughout the day, the chirruping and calls of animals from the nearby zoo (as well as birds in the two trees outside my top-floor apartment), how the breeze comes through the window, the scudding of the clouds, etc.

Now, I long to get out and about more. For me right now, the best perk of freelancing is being home when my children are home from school. Now that all of them are in school (or grown), I have more time, but still not enough to allow me to regularly take, say, two-hour breaks outdoors. My youngest is in kindergarten, so he still requires more supervision, including during homework time, than his seventh-grade brother does, and he's young enough that I'm uncomfortable letting him stand alone at the bus stop down the street in the morning (out of my line of vision from the house) and walk home alone from the bus stop after school.

But I take the long view: Soon enough, I'll be back outside, getting in some walks and some gardening on weekdays. Meanwhile, I get to kiss boy cheeks and hug boy bodies every time they're available. One day, I'll have to learn how to edit without the sound of between-sibling arguments or movies and computer games in the next room.



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing manuscript books perks children EditorMom

Still Under Construction

My house's exterior has now been completely converted from barn-red cedar shake shingles and asbestos tiles to an elegant soft moss green vinyl siding. Makes the house look bigger and newer—and probably worth more money.

The construction crew's in the backyard, rebuilding from scratch the tiny second-floor alcove and stairs down to the backyard. My father-in-law, who's a musician rather than a carpenter, built the original one—which the construction crew demolished—31 years ago. By demolition day, the original was sagging and rotting in places; rot-resistant pressure-treated wood wasn't available back when it was built. But for a guy who had to learn to construct such things, my father-in-law didn't do a bad job. He had to build the alcove and stairs because when this house was built in the 1960s, the building code didn't require more than one exit in the house, believe it or not.

After the crew finishes the alcove and stairs, all that will be left to do on the exterior is to rebuild the front stoop, now narrow and of crumbling 30-something-year-old cement, out of pressure-treated wood. It'll be wider too. The current stoop is just wide enough for one person, so if my husband or I go up it with bags in our arms or with bouncy children right behind us, we're in danger of falling off it.

I keep meaning to post pictures, but then I forget to ask my husband to take some on weekends. We'll eventually get around to it.

Updated at 2:12 p.m.: I forgot to mention that after all the exterior work, the crew will tackle our upstairs bathroom, which must be completely gutted. Can't wait to say good-bye to the ancient pale-gray tile and the ugly yellow toilet and tub!



construction remodeling EditorMom

Zen Editing

When I must edit on a weekend, I'm very soothed by listening to Hearts of Space, "slow music for fast times." It's New Age. It makes me feel profoundly peaceful and focused, something that's hard to come by with young boys around my house.



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing manuscript books Hearts of Space New Age music EditorMom

Bush's Oedipus Complex

There are many malfunctions in the psyche of George W. Bush. One of them is his Oedipus complex, says Patti Davis, daughter of Ronald Reagan:

What we saw in Bush’s post-election statement Wednesday was an angry man reading from a prepared speech that was supposed to sound conciliatory but didn’t at all because his voice bristled with resentment. No humility there, no reflection or introspection on the dissatisfaction of a majority of Americans. And, the irony of ironies, with the firing of Donald Rumsfeld, W. finds himself working closely with many of his father’s old advisors.

The term "oedipal" has fluttered around the younger Bush’s presidency from the beginning. Much has been made of the psychology behind the scene of the competitive son marching onto the battlefield his father had vacated, determined to win a war Dad walked away from. When the son raised his fist (symbolically) and cried out, “Mission accomplished!” it wasn’t just about the statue of Saddam being dismantled, ripped to ruins in the center of Baghdad. It was about (again symbolically) conquering his father.

I propose that Bush the Younger also has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), but that's for another post.



Bush elections Iraq war Oedipus complex father EditorMom

Payback Time

Last night, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman was outed, on CNN's Larry King Live by political comedian Bill Maher, as being gay. CNN later cut the Mehlman segment from the show's tape.

Today, Mehlman announces he's leaving the chairmanship, citing exhaustion. Here's CNN's online version of the story—no mention of Mehlman's sexual orientation.

Looks to me as if Maher's dishing out some payback to the Republicans. Understandable, but not a good thing to do.



Republicans RNC Mehlman gay Maher payback CNN EditorMom

Can't Stop Thinking About Pipi

I can't stop thinking of my grandchild-to-be as Pipi. No, not Pippi Longstocking—Pipi Sanchez.

It's because of a recent e-mail from Kate, my ex-husband's mother and grandmother to my daughter, Becky:

I just have to warn you that Great-Grandpa [Don] has already named this newcomer about to come into our midst. I can't do a thing with him. He insists that this name just rolls off the tongue. Boy or girl, this it it for him. He's already shared this with Becky. Becky just laughed, good-naturedly, of course. Great-Grandpa wants to call the baby—get this—Pipi Sanchez. [The first] P is for Puerto Rican [which Becky's husband, Li, is], I is for Irish [which I am, among other things, and Kate is], [then another] P is for Polish [which Don is] ... and Becky added, "Don't forget, I have some Indian ancestors." [I have some Iroquois ancestors way, way back.] That did it for Don—it was the final touch—I again, for Indian. PIPI. Maybe you can sue or something. It will cause some hard feelings, but you've got to do what you've got to do.

Now, Becky and Li plan that if they end up with a girl, she'll be Anastasia Diana Sanchez, and they'll call her Annie or Stacy for short. They haven't settled on a boy's name yet. But I bet I'll still think of my grandchild as Pipi.



daughter Becky son-in-law Li baby pregnant grandmother grandchild
great-grandmother great-grandfather EditorMom

Cure for Depression

Well, hell's bells! We Democrats have the House of Representatives and Senate now too!

I just may be able to stop taking my antidepressant—or at least get my dosage lowered!



Democrats House of Representatives Senate elections leadership depression EditorMom

Plan of Action for the Dems

Erinberry at Jesus Was Not a Republican has an excellent agenda for the Democrats. I hope like hell they adopt it. The only item I'd add is subpoenaing Bush and Cheney and impeaching them.



Democrats impeach elections agenda leadership EditorMom

Celebrate the Elections!

Americans have spoken: They want their country back on track. They want kinder, gentler, humane government that will get out of the imperialism business. So let's celebrate! Buy T-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, buttons, magnets, bumper stickers, and more to let everyone know you helped make the Democratic sea change happen.

Bush impeach vote elections Iraq Iran war North Korea lies fascist state Pelosi Speaker of the House women leadership EditorMom

Woman Power!

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is to be the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. This country's long overdue for a woman in a top leadership position.

Nancy, you go, woman! Show this country just how powerful a female leader can be.



Pelosi Speaker of the House women leadership EditorMom

We Have the House!

We have the House! We have the House! We have the #*$@! House of Representatives!

Americans are getting their country back. It's about damn time. I've waited 6 long, torturous years for this. I hope we get the Senate back too.

I'm dying to hear George #*$@! Bush's reaction. And let the impeachment proceedings begin.



Bush impeach vote elections Iraq Iran war North Korea lies fascist state EditorMom

Master Cabinetmaker

Just a little bragging here on the beautiful work that my husband Ed does as a cabinetmaker:

These are corbels under construction. (In the top three photos, they're upside down.) You can see, on the plan in the bottom photo, where one of them will go—as part of a decorative support on the side piece of a fireplace mantel. (The mantel will go on top of the corbel and sidepiece but isn't shown in this view.) These corbels are very intricate and so are custom work. cabinetmaker corbel husband Ed EditorMom

Vote!

Vote today! America's future depends on it! Updated 2:30 p.m.: I couldn't stand to wait any longer. About an hour ago, I voted after a late lunch.



Bush impeach vote elections Iraq Iran war North Korea lies fascist state EditorMom

Why Editors Go Freelance

Because they're tired of learning from the babysitter what milestones their child reaches each day while they are away at the office.

Because jerks on Manhattan subways have no problem elbowing hugely pregnant passengers in the uterus just so more sardines can be packed into the car.

Because they want to breastfeed their baby and they know from experience that despite giving lip service to the idea, most U.S. workplaces are not motherhood-friendly.

Because if they have to wear pantyhose one more time, they're going to hunt down its inventor and wrap a pair way too tightly around his or her head.

Because if they have to sit through one more excruciatingly dull and political office meeting that eats up all of their productive time, they're going to climb up on the conference table and announce, loudly, that this is all a colossally stupid waste of time and everyone should just grow up.

Because fancy, expensive clothes are in no way an accurate indicator of the wearer's job competence.

Because monthly round-trip commuter train tickets from their zone to Manhattan cost $315.00, and their job at a publishing house doesn't pay what they're worth, even after lots of years in the business.

Because they'd much rather get a juicy, messy kiss on the cheek from their toddler while they work than dodge the barbs of office politics.

Because cats aren't allowed in cubicles.

Because cubicles make them claustrophobic.

Because client gratitude is so much more pleasant than getting tips from the boss on how they can do their job better.

Because they'd rather work than endure colleagues hanging out at their cubicle to gossip.

Because they want respect for all their years of experience instead of having to practically beg for promotions and raises.



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing manuscript books EditorMom

Good for What Ails You

Work stressing you out? Life hassling you? Nervous about tomorrow's elections and need to relax?

Try this medical advice, brought to my attention by Miss Snark, the Literary Agent, on a treatment that will fix just about everything.

Warning: Empty your mouth of all contents before listening.



stress hassles elections relax medical advice tequila EditorMom

Gay People Can Serve God Too

Now, I'm no fan of the Rev. Ted Haggard's extremely conservative brand of religion. But I just wish that religious leaders everywhere would realize that if Ted Haggard can serve his church quite effectively for years and is gay—or at least bisexual—he's an example of how people of all sexual orientations are called to serve God.

If religions accepted being gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender as part of the normal sexual orientation continuum, people like Haggart wouldn't feel compelled to hide behind a sham heterosexuality in order to fulfill their spiritual calling. God does not discriminate, even though people misguidedly do.

Even James Dobson of the creepy organization Focus on the Family realizes this deep down, though his intent was to give Haggard the kiss of death. He said, in a press release issued today:

Ted has been my close friend and colleague for many years. He has been used mightily [emphasis added by EditorMom] to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Colorado Springs and around the world. He will continue to be my friend, even if the worst allegations prove accurate.

Many other so-called religious leaders say you have to be heterosexual to be "godly." I beg mightily to differ.



Haggard minister religion gay gay rights spirituality Dobson
Focus on the Family EditorMom

The Curse of Telephonophobia

My name is EditorMom, and I have telephonophobia.*

I avoid initiating and taking phone calls whenever possible. And hell—years ago, I was a print journalist, calling people all the time to interview them. I even have a great phone presence, making people feel comfortable. I'm the one who's uncomfortable, even if I like the caller a great deal.

I blame it on both my introversion and my being a perfectionist. Because of the former condition, being with people, whether in person or on the phone, saps me of energy. It requires me to think on my feet rather than mull things over. Because of the latter condition, I worry about sounding stupid or agreeing to something I'll later have to back out of because I should have taken time to think it through first.

But e-mail—I love e-mail!

E-mail gives me the time to think through what I want to say, to revise my thoughts until I sound as erudite as I feel, to be clear without causing offense, to be funny, to be my real self. Wanna talk with me? E-mail me. I'm always on my computer, to my family's dismay.

I did manage to initiate one call and accept another, though, this morning. I had the urge to talk, and I didn't overthink it. I called a good friend in the D.C. area whom I normally e-mail multiple times a day; we'd never spoken by phone. Then, when another close friend in the Atlanta area called, I actually picked up the phone. Both calls were fun and refreshing. It'd probably be good for me to do that more often.

I'll try.

Any of you have telephonophobia?


__________________
*I must confess, also, that when I first posted this entry, I misspelled telephonophobia as telephonobia. (The former URL—which no longer works, so I've removed the link from it in this note—for this entry was

http://editor-mom.blogspot.com/2006/11/curse-of-telephonobia.html

I'm supplying it just to confirm that you aren't crazy and to allow people who are searching for it to find this entry.) Yes, I know it's unbelievable that a copyeditor would make a mistake, but it happens. Even an editor needs an editor.



self-employed freelancer copyeditor editor editing publishing journalist telephonophobia telephone phobia introvert EditorMom

A Bird in the Hand ...

Remember the old saw that says "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"? It has a new corollary: A Bush bird on the bus is worth getting banned.

As a parent, I can understand why the school district fired the bus driver. But as a citizen, I can really empathize with the driver's urge to gesture. I'd love a chance to shoot a Bush bird, even if it meant I got fired.



Bush impeach shoot the bird bird gesture bus driver EditorMom