long gap

Once I finally wrapped up the ebook which I recently published, I looked around and realized I had been neglecting just about everything else for several years. I neglected my blog because I felt overwhelmed with all those tasks. I also got depressed.

I have been going through boxes which had just been sitting unopened for several years. I follow a simple process. If I have not used something in a year, then I should probably give it to charity. If I have not used something in more than three years, then it might be time to put it in the trash. Even charity shops have standards for what is acceptable.

I get into decision fatigue evaluating every single item to decide if I want to keep it one more year, give it away, or discard it. I also get emotionally involved in sentimental items. For example, I found a box of treasures from when I was a child. Some I gave to relatives so their children can enjoy. Some I gave to charity. Some I discarded. This was a very emotional process.

When camping, there is a saying - “leave no trace.” In other words, leave the campground and trail as clean or cleaner than it was when you got there. I think the same applies to life. Why should I have boxes of stuff sitting here which someone else will need to go through when I pass? I think it is better to clean up after myself. I think it is better to “leave no trace” both camping, and in my closet.

perpetual change

For a while I was walking 5 miles each way to a weekly meeting. Then summer arrived and it was so hot I was not well suited for meeting with other people after walking 5 miles, so I switched to my motorcycle. Now, the weather is cooling, so I anticipate walking again starting in a few weeks. However, I struggled last year with a choice between a high visibility backpack versus a waterproof backpack. I decided to solve that problem this year by buying a pretty new waterproof, high visibility, backpack. I anticipated the problem, and I solved it before I felt the consequences.

Today we learned that the location where we have been meeting can no longer host our meetings. We’ve already had an exchange of messages within our group and think we have a new and better location. This location is much closer to where I live, has better lighting on the roads, and even has sidewalks so I do not need to walk in the street.

All of which means that I once again anticipated and solved a problem that I no longer need to solve.

This is part of my thinking pattern. I am an “early adopter”, meaning I try out new things way before others even know there is a problem in need of a solution. I frequently buy technology on the “bleeding edge”, meaning it is so unproven that the consequences are often just as bad as I would have experienced if I had not even tried to solve the problem. Well, that is part of who I am.

Afterall, it is a pretty new backpack. I am sure I will find lots of uses for it.

breadth of exposure

I was extra busy yesterday so I did not get around to going out for a run until after dark. I put on my reflective vest, grabbed a flashlight, and took off. There are risks in running at night, and there are benefits. The first benefit is a cooler temperature. The second benefit is less traffic. The third benefit is also a risk - a different set of critters come out at night.

I have been fortunate to see raccoons, possums, skunks, bobcats, coyotes, house cats, and owls here in my neighborhood at night. Most are busy hunting for dinner and could care less about me as long as I keep my distance.

The risky critters are the people. For example, last night I wanted to cross a busy street. There is no stoplight nearby, so sooner or later I just need to run to get across. Anyway, I started across and a white SUV sped up like it was coming at me. I would have been clear across the street if they had not accelerated. So, I slowed down to let them pass. But the driver hit his brakes and stopped directly in my path. He and his passenger laughed at me. I ignored them, zigged behind their SUV, and kept going.

They, however, were not done. They turned the corner and pulled up next to me to tell me how stupid I looked because I was wearing a reflective vest and carrying a flashlight. I ignored them, and eventually, they went away.

I thought to myself: If wearing a vest makes me “look stupid” - then I can change that by simply removing the vest when I am done with my run. What, however, can they do to act less foolish? What would motivate them to open their minds to see more diversity? I see people wearing vests all the time in YouTube videos and such. Lots of people in other towns wear vests, and belts, and blinky lights when running at night. However, I admit I seldom see anyone doing such in this town. To me, this seems like a perfectly normal thing to do. These guys have probably never looked at videos of night time running, Even so, they could still learn. They could even still learn tolerance. But how will they if they keep their minds closed?

recuperation

Since I released my latest ebook, I am trying to get caught up on a bunch of things. I already know what my next research project is going to be, but I am avoiding it. I think this is reasonable. I will give myself a couple weeks to get caught up on some paperwork, finish emptying some boxes I have ignored for several years, and work on my bicycle. Then, I want to get started on the next project.

For my next project I want to explore using artificial intelligence software to read lectures and other writings searching for patterns related to how we share. I have done this same research before manually. I hope now to be able to use AI to repeat the process. The advantage being the potential to remove my personal biases through automation. I do not know how this will work. It will be a fun adventure.

published

It took several days of effort to format, test, reformat, retest, over and over to get my latest ebook ready for distribution. I re-read their manual and design guides again. I tested again and again.

Finally, Monday was the day I had set to upload the ebook. I did and it passed all of their verification checks 100% on the first pass. About an hour later I was notified it had passed the human verification step as well. This was nice. All the effort I put into planning worked - until another hour passed.

A human at one of the resellers found an issue they wanted addressed. More formatting time. More testing time. Another upload. Another 100% successful pass through the automation. Another human verification passed. Then I went to sleep.

This morning I checked and I see my ebook in three of the primary resellers, but it is not yet in the fourth reseller which this distributor covers. Well, close enough for now, so I began the separate formatting effort required for the fifth primary reseller and I uploaded to there. It passed their automated checks and is now waiting for the human verification. I am optimistic.

service hog

I am thinking about volunteering for yet another service position. I like to be helpful. I enjoy the friends I make when doing service work. I like to be doing something useful - though I always seem to have a backlog of things I could do.

On the other hand, it is best is many people each take one service position rather than just a few people taking all of them. Though I do not want the position remaining vacant and the work left undone.

Perhaps a key is patience. If I wait longer, perhaps someone else will step forward.

Seems like a good topic for prayer and meditation.

ebook converter

One distributor provides special software they require you use when packaging ebooks for submission to their service. This is the first time I have tried their conversion tool. My first impression was shock. When I first opened their application is was sized about three times larger than my screen. It took quite some effort just to get ahold of an edge somewhere so I could shrink it down to fit my screen.

I then imported my draft ebook and went through their conversion routine. The results were dismaying. The default font it selected is so large I could only see four words across and six lines down on a page. With that formatting my 100 plus page ebook is going to be over 2,000 pages on their reader.

I was tired after a long day so I just discarded this first conversion attempt and I will try again later. Their videos had made it look so easy. Perhaps I missed a step somewhere. Or, maybe not.

recurring cycles

About 110 years ago the world was in a positive cycle of change. Reformers were enacting laws. Religions were experience revivals. Science was accelerating and making significant breakthroughs on every front. Diplomats were optimistic there would never be another major war. Much of this optimism collapsed a few years later when the Great War began.

Occasionally I like to read books from that era. Those authors are so optimistic. They ask questions assuming the answers are going to be revealed imminently. Sometimes they let their optimism get ahead of their diligence and they leap to conclusions which now look silly. Even so, there is a lot of profound wisdom in those writings.

The late 1800s into the early 1900s was a time of wonder. There was another such revival of optimism following the second Great War. During the late 1940s and into the 1950s there was an optimistic belief science would soon solve all of our problems. It did solve a lot of problems. Polio, measles, and other diseases were put into remission in many countries. Hunger became less and less of a threat to most. Yet, the optimism of the 1950s led into the skepticism of the 1960s.

I eagerly anticipate the next optimistic cycle. It seems like it is about due. Not this year, but soon. Perhaps the 2020s will be a decade of great vision.

silence

Most people struggle with silence. Alanis Morissette inserted about 30 seconds of silence into one of her albums and the effect was startling. I often lead meetings and I have learned the value of silence. Having the patience to wait allows those who are reluctant to become ready. It takes practice.

Often whoever feels the most uncomfortable speaks next. This is not always the goal. People who have been in meetings longer typically understand the patience and respect we express by waiting for others.

Yesterday I went to meeting and together we waited expectantly for one hour. This group understands silence and practices with it weekly. There was no message ready for the hour. We waited. We listened. We adjourned.

I am sometimes asked to explain the difference between prayer and meditation. I generally say prayer is us speaking. Meditation is us listening. It takes practice to learn to listen.

packaging the manuscript

It typically takes me a couple weeks to package a manuscript for submission.

I need to copy all the text over to a new document without any hidden text, bookmarks, or such. Then reapply updated formatting to sections, headings, and such.

I typically wait until I have the book nearly finished before finalizing the cover image. I almost always change my mind about what I want on the cover as I get close to the end.

I do one more spelling and grammar check. Occasionally this uncovers inconsistencies in how I used certain terms. Occasionally I then need to redo a graph or image to ensure all the vocabulary is used consistently throughout the book.

I scan through the document searching for keywords to include in the submission form. Once published, I will post the keywords on my website. The distributors will post the keywords on their websites. The resellers will use the keywords within their search engines.

I wait until I have finished the content before I write the abstract, long description, and short description.

When I think I have everything all together, I clone the document. Different distributors have different rules about the final version. For example, one distributor has a tool that automatically generates the table of contents. Another distributor requires a manually created table of contents with specific wording and formatting. Lots of time consuming manual effort goes into these distributor specific updates.

I then check with any reviewers to see if they have any last minute feedback.

When everything is package, I begin the upload process to the distributors. Their automation does whatever it does and then I download what they have to verify the accuracy of their release.

Finally, I update my website with links to the reseller versions.

Obsessive or just considerate?

I had cleared nearly all the grammar and spelling errors from the Google Docs version of my latest book. I then ran it through Grammarly one page at a time and either corrected or accepted everything it found.

Next I ran a full grammer and spelling check in Microsoft Word using my standard settings and corrected or accepted everything it found. Then I enabled all the Grammer check options in Word and spent many hours reviewing what it found. This last was a bit too excessive at this stage in the process.

First, I wish I could tell all these routines to ignore quoted text. Whatever those authors wrote must stay as written.

Second, I like an occasional unexpected wording twist. All three routines object, but a bit of jargon is occasionally helpful. For example, I found that I used the phrase “act as if” 4 or 5 times. This might not be the proper wording for a research paper, but it is a phrase frequently heard in meetings.

Third comes passive voice. I tend to use it occasionally. Maybe I should start with Word next time and keep that check enabled. I’m not sure. But I do know I am too close to finishing to start now to undo and rewrite sentences that seem otherwise reasonable.

Anyway, I decided to set this compulsion aside. I turned off the passive voice grammar check options.

Finally then I got a clean run through the Ms Word routine and was able to get to the readability statistics. I was relieved to see they came in right about where I expected. Reading Ease just below 60 and reading grade just below 8th grade. That was my goal.

Sometimes I write educational materials striving for about 5th grade reading. Occasionally I write technically and those papers often score at 11th grade or above. 8th is a good target for my intended readers.

I try to find a balance. Avoid obsessing over perfectionism and yet provide a quality experience for my readers.

picking up the trash

My neighbor spilled a bunch of trash into my yard when he took his trash can out to the alley. He has done this before and it doesn’t seem to bother him. He also has a lot of trash spread around in his own yard, so I guess this is not important to him.

I have tried talking with him a few times and he just ignores me like I do not exist.

I started nursing a resentment about looking at the trash in his yard. I then added to that resentment with anger about him spilling trash into my yard - yet again. Today I started getting downright angry when I went out to pick up his trash from my yard.

Then I thought about it. Who am I hurting - just me. Who cares about the trash - just me. Does he even see the trash in his own yard - no. So, I decided to let it go. I will assume he is clueless.

I think he is under the influence most of the time I see him. I have learned that talking with someone who is loaded is a waste of time. So, for now, I will let this one slide.

If ever I see him and he seems coherent, I might try again to ask him to not let his trash spill into my yard. Otherwise, I guess I will need to call the property manager. No need to start a confrontation. No need to carry a resentment.

Boundary - I say it is inappropriate to spill trash into my yard.

Consequence - I will call the property manager and complain to them rather than talking with someone who is under the influence.

grammar checks

I have finished the content for my latest book, though it might be a couple more months before I hand it off to my distributors. There are several steps required to go from content to packaging.

Right now I am proofreading one topic at a time in Google Docs, while also checking once more to see if Google has found any additional grammar or spelling concerns. Then, one topic at a time, I am passing the content through Grammarly. Grammarly seems to do a little bit better than Google on grammar issues, though I think it has some false-positives. For example, Grammarly seems occasionally puzzled by jargon. Overall, however, I think it is about 95% accurate, and it is finding things that Google missed.

Next, I use Notepad to scrub all the formatting, hyperlinks, hidden text, etc. from the content. Then I paste the scrubbed content into Microsoft Word. While I would prefer to stay with Google Docs, one of my distributors insists upon MS Word. I could just convert straight from Google Docs into MS Word, but in the process of creating the drafts I sent to reviewers, I inserted hyperlinks, a table-of-contents, and other content that must be removed. By passing through Notepad to get to MS Word, I know that all I am copying is visible text.

Aside from MS Word being required by one distributor, MS Word also has a different grammar and spell check algorithm. Occasionally MS Word finds things Google Docs missed. Additionally, I find there are some things that MS Word catches that Grammarly misses, and vice versa. In a few instances, Google Docs suggested I remove a comma, Grammarly suggested I put it back in, and Microsoft suggested I remove it again. That is a rare combination.

Typically, Google, Grammarly, and Microsoft each find things the other does not highlight. I like this. I have been proofreading some of the topics in the book for nearly four years, and now Grammarly and Microsoft are catching subtle wording twists that had sounded just fine to me and to Google.

This sounds like a lot of extra work, but I think each step is necessary. I prefer Google and I modify the review copies in ways that my primary distributor will not accept. For example, a true ebook does not have page numbers, though reviewers find them invaluable. What I have found is that once I insert page numbers, page headers, or an automatically generated table-of-contents, both Google and Microsoft insert hidden text that is difficult to find and remove. I think the process I am using now works.

employee relations

I go to my home group on Fridays. Sometimes I walk. Sometimes I ride my bicycle. Sometimes I ride my motorcycle. When I walk or bicycle, I stop at a fast food place to use the restroom, get some fluids, and I generally eat dinner while I am there. Over the months I have watched the turnover in employees.

New employees come in and are unsure what to do. In a week or so they are competent at the standard stuff, like taking orders and ensure the food is served. The owner always hovers nearby and when questions arise he typically says something like “I’ve shown you how to do this.” He motivates the employees to be self-sufficient. They work to learn, yet seem worried they might do something wrong. Many do not make it through their first month.

In about a month they can handle nearly anything and I see them smile and they begin joking around with each other. This is the happy time. Personally, I pick up on the vibe and find more enjoyment from visiting this place during the happy times.

However, by the second month the next cycle begins. Consistently I see the owner take employees off to the side and lecture them regarding issues. It is a small place so I frequently hear their conversation. I’ve heard the manager give warnings to employees for being too friendly with customers. I’ve heard warning about employees not getting food to customers fast enough, when they cannot serve anything until it comes out of the kitchen. I have learned to recognize the cycle. Around the second month on the job everyone starts getting warnings about some aspect of their behavior. I’ve also heard the manager say many times, “I’ve given you one warning. I’ll give you a second warning if I see you not do this right. Then, if there is a third time you’ll be gone.”

Last week I heard him give one of the fastests, happiests, most enthusiastic employees I’ve seen there her second warning even though she protested that she was just doing what he had told her to do. This week she was not there. Instead, there were two brand new employees trying to learn how to take orders and work the cash register.

I think I have seen this cycle often enough so I no longer want to support this shop.

wrapping up some research

I have been doing research on my latest book for at least five years. Occasionally I start a book and decide I already know what this author is trying to say. I tend to set those books aside. Now I am trying to finish reading all the ones which seem relevant to my latest book. This is mostly boring. However, every once in a while I find something unexpected. So, although largely bored, I persist.

But, I think I am reaching the point of diminishing returns. Even so, I want to finish reading the two paper books I have left uncompleted. Then I think I will finish off three more ebooks. After that, I think I will accept I have done as a valid research effort and write the conclusion to this latest book.

finished chapter 4

I finished chapter four in my latest book today. I normally do not write on Sundays, but I missed several days this prior week and I have another activity this next week. I am content with what I have, though, having perfectionists tendencies, I will probably do a couple more read throughs and adjust a few words here and there.

Next, I need to write the conclusion. Then, I will devise a cover image to convey the intent of the book. I have a bit more reading to do on some of the research items I started, but did not yet finish. Then, finally, I can convert it into ebook format and hand if off to my distributor. Those few tasks don’t seem like they will take very long, but I expect they will drag on into the first part of September.

I want to wrap this up quickly. But haste will make waste. Patient, plodding progress is better than a hurried effort which requires rework.

meeting of one

My home group meets on Friday evenings. One member was sick. One had to work. One is getting ready to travel this weekend. One had another commitment. DId not hear from the others. So, tonight the meeting was just me.

There have been times when I was the only person there and newcomers showed up. So, I stayed for a while in case a newcomer arrived, or in case one of the other members was just running late. I got caught up on my daily readings. I did a bit of study. Then, I left.

priorities

I finally got around to my Spring cleaning this week. I thought I was about four months late. However, once I moved all the furniture out of my bedroom and started cleaning the carpet, I realized I had skipped the carpet cleaning cycle last year. The room was tidy. But once a year I move everything out and deep clean the carpet. The process went really slowly this time. There was far more cat fur under the bed and behind the bookshelf than I expected. As I thought about it, I realized I was so busy last year I had skipped the step of moving all the furniture out and deep cleaning the room last year.

I like the results. My cat tolerated the process. When I was running the carpet cleaner he would hide under my desk. When I stopped, he would come out to inspect. Well tonight I am invading his space. I will be sleeping in the living room while the bedroom carpet dries.

Deep cleaning is such a simple task. Once I realized I skipped this task last year, I stopped to evaluate my priorities. Self-care should rank higher. This is a character defect. I postpone taking care of myself because there is always something more important. I plan to spend some time tomorrow thinking about my self-care.

taking a break

I am really close to finishing the fourth chapter in my latest book. Somehow, though, I am stuck. I feel like I have written everything I want, yet I do not feel like I have said what I need to say. I am taking a few days break to think and let my thoughts process in my subconscious.

A good diversion would be to dash off on a motorcycle trip, but I do not need that much of a distraction. Instead, I am going through a bunch of boxes I had in my closet.

I moved into this apartment three and half years ago and I had not yet got around to hanging pictures. I think I’ll spend a few days unboxing all the stuff I have been ignoring for all these years. Some I am keeping. Some I am discarding. Some I am taking to the local charity shop.

There is corollary with my writing style. Many years ago I learned the most important key when editing is the delete key. When I am ready to get back to chapter four, I will hang some pictures by including more examples. I will discard the excess words. Then, I will probably pick some words to pull out of this chapter and file them away for another purpose.

Patience

Key to the new Squarespace app for Android appears to be patience. It seems to take several minutes for a new blog page to load.

I really, really liked the previous version better. It was snappy. It let me post blog updates with minimal app between me and my work.