Freaking day from blazes started out so nicely. Got out of bed at 8:30 without an alarm clock and moved toward working right away. Had a good deal of writing to do, and music helps the writing, so I plug in the iPod for charging. Hmmm. Nothing happening. Helloooo, iPod! I shake it. I press all its limited number of buttons. Nary a whirr nor a click. And thanks to its idiot-proof design, there's no way to crack open the iPod and look for the dead battery or the splotch of spaghetti sauce that may be the problem. Self-satisfied little sphinx of a machine just sits blank and impenetrable.
Troubling. And sure to grow more troubling with every passing minute, when I want access to Steve Miller or the Mountain Goats. Surely the expensive little guy will fix himself in about in hour. He costs more than my TV and DVD player put together.
Probably lucky for me and the iPod that I've got little time to worry about this, because I have to finish a book review for a magazine. Did all the basics last night: jotted down relevant notes from throughout the book, grouped them in categories that would make good paragraphs, went to bed.
I'd pitched this book review before I left for Kenya, but never got it done. But I'd checked on Amazon's Brit website the other day, and was thrilled to see "Publication date: June 5, 2003." Hey, let's hear it for slow-bottomed Great Brittania! I pitched the review, editor said yep, I got to work. The writing was going a bit slower than I'd hoped, but by lunchtime I had a good draft. Ought to be done in an hour.
Okay, maybe not. So it took the rest of the afternoon. But I finish the thing up around 5 and hitch a ride over to the internet cafe. Just need to plug in the relevant information: publisher, pub date, number of pages, etc. A-M-A-Z-O-N-.-C-O-.-U-K. Just in time to get the piece on editor's screen at the beginning of the day. Y'know, it's funny how the job always takes just as long as-
Oh you gotta be crapping me.
Surely you must be crapping me.
For the love of god, you are crapping me now.
In teeny-tiny letters under "Publication date: June 5, 2003" is the word "Paperback". The hardcover was published in Britain last Christmas. Waaaay past reviewable. Now everyone at the cafe is looking at the mzungu stricken with Tourettes. Times like this, they make you want to listen to a good angry song, don't they? On your iPod.
