AUBREEVISION - Observations from the far side of the dial

It's time for a shout-out to sarsar, who's dealing with a nasty bout of strep throat. Here's some chicken soup to warm your bones, my little twin:



This morning I braved the -40 degree Celsius insanity to do some volunteer work. The organization I work with does audio recordings of newspaper articles, which are then broadcast on the SAP audio stream of a television news channel; the intent is to bring print media to the visually impaired, who obviously don't have the benefit of getting it first-hand.

I read once a week, and each time I'm paired with a different co-reader. This morning it was Bill. Bill is a crusty old man and we get along famously. He's in his mid-60s, I'd guess, and retired as far as I can tell; what from, I'm not exactly sure, but he's mentioned writing for TV and radio and working on a ship in the Arctic. He travels everywhere by bike when the weather allows, has a closely cropped white beard and hair and looks like he should wear an earring but doesn't. Bill's crustiness lies mostly in his attitude; he's cynical, highly opinionated, slighly crass and immensely entertaining to read with.

This morning Bill had a sore throat, which made him crustier still. He drank Benylin directly from the bottle throughout the recording, then barked this observation after reading a grammatically suspect editorial on the mentally ill:

"Whoever wrote this fucking thing must be mentally ill."

Ah, Bill...you bringer of good times, you leaver of memories sweet.

It looks like I may be returning to gainful employment in the fitness world. Sarsar's starting work at a new establishment and kindly recommended me to the powers in charge. Since our former place of employment went under two months ago, I've been collecting unemployment and holding out for something better paying and more befitting my expensive education; but what the hey, I love gym work and can always work there for the time being whilst keeping my feelers out for better opportunities. Since it's part-time, I can continue my writing pursuits and hopefully pick up some lucrative temp work here and there...and the free gym membership and convenient downtown location are always welcome perks. It's also not part of the Curves conglomerate, which I greatly prefer, even though its independence means it's likelier to fail. But at any rate, I ain't hired yet - I meet the owners tomorrow for the formal grilling - so these things mayn't even be issues.

I had to double-check with dictionary.com to ensure "mayn't" is a legitimate contraction, and it is. I like it.

Check out this picture story I encountered on jewell's blog. It's incredibly cute. See below for a taste: