I am proceeding nicely through Anna Karenina and finding it surprisingly accessible, which may have something to do with the fact that the translators, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, of the version I’m reading won the Pen/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize for their work.
60 pages down, 757 to go. Who’s counting?
The ongoing State budget crises continues to consume my colleagues, but it’s not just the state of North Carolina doing some crazy things.
Today, I received an email from the professional society of which I’m a member—The Society for Technical Communication (STC)—which was about the financial state of the organization, which is not good.
The email pointed to the recent News & Notes newsletter and highlighted a message from the current STC President. The article was called, “STC and Chapters Will Work Together to Resolve Financial Woes.”
The second paragraph of her message states, “The shortfall is primarily due to the impact the recession has had on our two main sources of revenue—membership dues and the annual conference.”
And the fourth paragraph begins, “We are looking at all possible solutions, including a realignment of how STC prices its services and activities. Yes, this will include a dues increase.”
Huh??? Okay, people are not renewing their memberships, either because it costs too much already ($175/year), or because they don’t perceive enough value for their money, and a solution is to raise the dues? I repeat: Huh? Not to mention that money’s kind of hard to come by right now with the economy and all.
I only had one work meeting yesterday, and it was actually a productive one. And, bonus, it lasted 60 minutes instead of the scheduled 90.
My new lawyer and I finally connected by phone this morning, and got an appointment set up for next Wednesday. I want one sentence changed in my will, and because this isn’t the same law firm who devised it originally, they have to do the whole thing over. I so wouldn’t proceed with it if it weren’t totally covered by the legal plan I’m in with the State.
In the end it’ll be good, because “the package” includes a Will, a Living Will, a Durable Post-Incompetency Power of Attorney, and a Health Care Power of Attorney. I already have those three other documents as well, but she noted that some statutes changed in 2007, which should be picked up in this revision.
I’ve mentioned this before in my blog, but you can’t be reminded enough that tomorrow is promised to no man (woman or child, either, smarty pants). I have an enormous gift prepared for the executor of my estate and my loved ones, and it’s all laid out on my Last Wishes web page. Have you been as generous to your executor and loved ones?
By the time I got home and finished dinner, it was close to 7:30, the time at which I had to start fasting in anticipation of the lab work that’ll be done at my physical in the morning.
Since there’s hardly anything else to do when you can’t eat, and I was a little tired, I took a two-hour nap.
I read some more of Anna Karenina, and got (back) to bed at a decent hour, which is good since I have to be at the doctor’s office at 7:30 in the morning.