I've just spent over an hour — over an hour! — trying to sort out my cell phone bill. I had been telling my wife that she needed to pay closer attention to how much she's been using the phone, but that warning was much too late — she's completely exhausted whatever rollover minutes we had accrued, and used more than twice the amount we were allotted last month (which means next month we'll have to pay more than twice what we usually do). Even making that determination was a confusing, bewildering process.
I've quietly increased our plan (an additional $20 per month), and with some research I was able to decrease our Text Messaging charges (by $10 per month). So it all evens out, almost.
03 March 2010
02 March 2010
Cold
The electricity was out here for the weekend — it went out on Friday morning, came back on Sunday afternoon. (As of yesterday, there were people in the region who were still waiting for power to be restored.) And you know, it might not have been so bad, if not for the fact that keeping an aquarium full of fish becomes an especially difficult proposition when the temperature in the house drops to just over 40 degrees.
Sketches: Fifties Blondes (Again)
You know, I've forgotten where I left off with this project — it all seems so long ago. (It has been a difficult few days. More on that shortly.) But since I last wrote (and before the snow fell), I selected and placed the photos, and obsessed compulsively over the fine details. And here we are.
25 February 2010
Closed
When I checked the school closings this morning at around 7:00 AM, there was no listing for out school district.
When I checked again at around 7:30 AM, there was to be be early dismissal (at 11:00 AM for the Elementary school).
When the bus arrived, around 8:15 AM, we were told by the driver that school had now been closed. (That wasn't completely unexpected, though — light snow had been falling for several hours, and it was expected to get worse as the day went on.)
This evening around 8:15 PM, we got the phone call that school would be closed tomorrow. (I couldn't believe the school district made this decision almost 12 hours in advance.)
When I checked again at around 7:30 AM, there was to be be early dismissal (at 11:00 AM for the Elementary school).
When the bus arrived, around 8:15 AM, we were told by the driver that school had now been closed. (That wasn't completely unexpected, though — light snow had been falling for several hours, and it was expected to get worse as the day went on.)
This evening around 8:15 PM, we got the phone call that school would be closed tomorrow. (I couldn't believe the school district made this decision almost 12 hours in advance.)
Snowfall
This may be the single greatest snow storm — ever. It was snowing this morning, then there was rain for about a half-hour, then it was back to snow, and it's been snowing ever since — and it's expected to continue through tomorrow morning. I can't remember ever having experienced a continuous twenty-four hours of snowfall. (I'm so excited!)
24 February 2010
Sketches: Fifties Blondes (Continued)
I think my basic concept was sound, but I quickly came to the conclusion that the design might be too busy.
(This was something I put together quickly — each of the photos would have been of a different actress, of course.)
Simple is better. I tried experimenting with a version that had just one photo, but I was concerned that it wouldn't represent the book properly. (There are more than fifty different entries, and well over a hundred photos.) So I went back to my original concept, somewhat simplified.
This is when indecision began to set in. I want the "50s" element to serve as a background element — but it still has to read as a unified whole (rather than a "5" and an "s".) And, of course, the photo has to look good. As much as I liked the white type (I even tried a version with the photo in black-and-white, set in a white circle), it drew more attention to itself than I wanted.
(That, and the partial image at the top didn't really work, either.)
Yellow-on-yellow, while suitably subdued, presented an entirely different set of problems — it took time to find just the right combination of highlight and shadow to define the shape of the "5." But it's still not working — the effect is now too subtle. (You can see that it doesn't read at this small size.) I'll have to try something else tomorrow.
My original concept has survived more or less intact on the back cover, at least. (Again, each of those photos will be of a different actress. And that's dummy copy, as well.)
(This was something I put together quickly — each of the photos would have been of a different actress, of course.)Simple is better. I tried experimenting with a version that had just one photo, but I was concerned that it wouldn't represent the book properly. (There are more than fifty different entries, and well over a hundred photos.) So I went back to my original concept, somewhat simplified.
This is when indecision began to set in. I want the "50s" element to serve as a background element — but it still has to read as a unified whole (rather than a "5" and an "s".) And, of course, the photo has to look good. As much as I liked the white type (I even tried a version with the photo in black-and-white, set in a white circle), it drew more attention to itself than I wanted.(That, and the partial image at the top didn't really work, either.)
Yellow-on-yellow, while suitably subdued, presented an entirely different set of problems — it took time to find just the right combination of highlight and shadow to define the shape of the "5." But it's still not working — the effect is now too subtle. (You can see that it doesn't read at this small size.) I'll have to try something else tomorrow.My original concept has survived more or less intact on the back cover, at least. (Again, each of those photos will be of a different actress. And that's dummy copy, as well.)