It’s Tuesday morning, two days before leaving for the Tucson Festival of Books, but I’m nervous—nervous about leaving and nervous about maybe NOT leaving.
The news this morning is all about delays and possible flight cancellations at SeaTac. So will all that work out? We’ll find out for sure on Thursday morning. That means I have another whole day to worry about this while I’m also working on—make that trying to work on—the copy editing for The Taken Ones which arrived in my email Monday morning.
I’m having some issues with that, by the way. I’m a girl from the West. I suspect the copyeditor isn’t, and there are some linguist issues at work here. Where I write “Seattle PD,” she changes it to “the Seattle PD.” Yes, it’s the Seattle Police Department, but it’s not “the Seattle PD.” There’s no THE there! And in my frame of reference people graduate from high school and college. Evidently in other parts of the country people “graduate high school or college—no from, and that bugs me.
One of my first experiences with this kind of issue happened during copyediting of a long ago Beau book in which he visited a Seattle bar where they were playing country/western music. The copy-editor changed it to country and western music. I put an all cap STET on that.
For non-English majors, the word stet stands for “disregard the previous correction.” It’s supposed to be written in lower case, but I capitalized it in that instance because I really meant it! I also sent along the following explanation: “It’s shit/kicking, country/western music, not shit and kicking country and western music.”
So I’m doing copy-editing. Will I finish before Thursday? Probably. No, make that a maybe. In the meantime, sitting on the side table next to my writing chair is a brand new packet of Sticky Notes.
While I’m gone—assuming I really AM gone—our daughter Cindy will be here to look after her dad, but our daughters have also been lobbying for me to have more help in caring for Bill, so we’re bringing some in. They’ve been shadowing me for a time or two, but I’m concerned about things being done right, so I’m going to leave sticky notes here and there with checklists of things that need to be done in a certain order. Make that check lists of things that I want done in a certain order.
Does that make me OCD? Probably. Controlling? Yup, that, too. Unwilling to let go? After five years, of trial and error, that’s definitely a yes. I guess I’m a “my-way-or-the-highway” kind of girl. Or maybe, at my age, I’m just “set in my ways.”
At any rate, my blog is supposed to be a window on my world, and this week the person in my world is a bundle of nerves.
Stay tuned next week, and I’ll let you know how it turns out. Now I’m going to write up some of those Sticky Notes.
I had to laugh at your use of the word “STET” – I had not seen it in a long time. My wife was a copy editor for McGraw-Hill way-way back, before I met her in 1989. I was the person who did my veteran chapter’s newsletter, and with her help it got out. She would look it over and use that “STET” and other symbols when editing for me. That was a very pleasant memory – thank you. I was also her care taker for years and after her stroke she had to be put in a care facility. I felt helpless not being able to care for her any more. Especially being able to cook for her. She loved my cooking. And now I don’t cook anymore.
Thank you for another blog full of memories. My best to you in your journey to the book festival. I’m sure Bill will be well taken care of, but of course not to your standards.
YOU TELL them the RIGHT WAY to do things! And that is YOUR WAY!
You know best after all the trial and error of taking care of someone you love. NO ONE can just walk in and do it automatically. Living with someone as long as you have is the only way to learn.
Have a good trip, if you go. If circumstances at home change, or the airline changes at the last minute, stay with Bill and let the event handle itself. I bet they know how to do it after all these years. I will be watching to see what you do.
Diane Lamont in Alabama
PS: We met when you were in Nashville a few years ago. I believe my service dog was with me, Lady Kara. she was a yellow lab.
May God bless you in the little things! I pray everything goes smoothly for your flight and your helpers coming in to attend to Bill and the house. I can’t imagine how you manage to juggle everything on top of copy editing. I’d be a nervous wreck too. Just put a STET order on everything from the top down and focus on one small task at a time, such as finding your shoes and getting them on the right feet. Focusing smaller helps me. Delegating is good, too, and allows your loved ones to bless you with their own special gifts of time, talent, and abilities. Let us know how TFOB goes. We’re eager to hear all about your adventures.
Midwestern here. I just cried ge when someone says, “Graduated high school” or “graduated college”.
We had my mom with us for about 3 years. It was very nice for most of the time but, toward the end the caretaking was very difficult and we were not qualified to do some of the things that needed to be done. Took her to a nursing home and visited frequently. She was very happy there until there end