gypsygirl

I usually get my taxes done at the earliest possible moment (I dread leaving them too late so I overcompensate), and this year all my paperwork was available before the end of January, so I already have my refund! I'm using most of it for sensible things, like paying down my credit card, but I wanted to get at least one fun thing, and I ended up getting this:

I'm calling it my NKDR (pronounced enkader), short for Non-Kindle Digital Reader. Eileen and I were in a silly mood when I told her I was getting it, and we came up with the acronym. It arrived yesterday, and I've been having fun playing with it since then.

I don't particularly like the proprietary software that came with it (Sony's eBook Library). It's not particularly intuitive, doesn't allow for much sorting or for editing of the metadata (which, since I'm planning on putting a lot of gutenberg texts on there, I'd need). Fortunately, I found a free, open-source alternative, calibre, which in addition to the things I've already mentioned, will also convert non-DRM ebooks from one format to another.

The reader can handle several different ebook formats (.txt, .rtf, .doc, .pdf, as well as their proprietary .lrf), which is fortunate, because there don't seem to be a huge number of books available in their proprietary format. But most ebook stores I've seen offer secured pdf as one of their formats, so I don't think I'm going to run out of books any time soon.

My main reason for getting it, though, was to use when recording, so that I could sit further away from my computer and its noisy fan.

So a few weeks ago, the Cachinnator wrote a post in which he asked whether they still made whole Heath bars, or if they only ever came in crumb form these days. I am happy to announce that I have found the answer to his query. Yes, Cach, you'll finally be able to get some sleep, instead of pacing the room all night wondering about this. Yes, Virginia, they do still make whole Heath bars.

This particular specimen was found at a convenience store in Georgetown.

'Course, now I have a Heath bar on my desk. I guess I'll have to eat it. Honestly, the sacrifices I make.

I got Lucy a new bed yesterday, since she has refused to sleep on her cushion (which she used to love) since I washed it about a month ago. I was in Ikea yesterday looking for little tables, and saw a bin full of cheap, Lucy-sized dog beds. She took to it immediately. I'm kind of shocked. It usually takes her a few days at least to warm up to new things. But not this time!

She napped in it while I took my nap, then napped some more while I was working on the computer, slept in it (as far as I can tell) all night, and is napping in it again as I type now.

I heard back from the publishing company about my audition. They were pleased with my audio (something about the accents making the text come to life ) and will be calling me within the next few days (all email so far), so fingers still crossed!