Friday, February 2, 2018

That Blasted Time Difference

Jeri is a good, conscientious granddaughter, trying to keep touch with my mother from the other side of the country (kind of like I'm doing with Brianna and Lacy from the other end of the state!)  But unfortunately, we keep running into problems.

A week ago, we planned for her to call. I promised her I would be there, since my mother often either isn't in her room, or is asleep, or just doesn't understand what that ringing sound is.  That particular day was not a good one for her and while we waited for Jeri to call, she fell asleep...and then into one of her spells where she was unable to be wakened.  Jeri called but had to hang up because I couldn't wake my mother up.

So we were going to do it today.  I couldn't remember what time we had agreed upon and texted Jeri this morning.  "4:30," she responded.  I thought that seemed a bit late but maybe she wanted to get home and call from her house instead of her office (it would be 7:30 in Boston).

I spent the afternoon doing "fun reading."  Passing up on my two Trump horror books, I immersed myself in "Dark Sunshine," the horse/girl book that I loved in my childhood.  I found it for less than $2 and ordered it (the companion books, "Silver Birch' and "Midnight Moon" sell for >$100!  I don't know why).  It arrived yesterday and so I sat down to start reading it and had read half of it when I looked up and realized it was 3:15 and my plan had been to leave here at 3:30.

I got all ready to go and then got my phone out of my office and looked at it.  There was a text from Jeri.
I've tried calling a couple of times.  Sorry it didn't work out.
Oh.  She meant 4:30 HER time, not my time!  So we have lost the opportunity this week too, because I didn't double check with her when I wondered why she was calling so late.  Part of me feels bad, but part of me is happy I got to spend time with my book instead.


I actually went to a party yesterday.  Unusual for me.

It was a party at the Davis Enterprise office to celebrate the impending retirement of the current editor and the appointment of the new editor.  All Enterprise staff were invited.  Despite my dislike of parties, I wanted to meet the guy--and also meet the woman I have been working with for the past 2 or so years, since she became the entertainment editor. (We e-mail all the time, but I had never met her face-to-face.)

I do all my work at home, write my reviews here and e-mail them to the office.  Derrick Bang, the entertainment editor, hired me in 2000 and then when the entertainment section was severely cut Derrick just did movie reviews and there was another entertainment editor.  I think I've been through 3 editors since Derrick left and the only one I met was the one who took me to lunch to meet me.  I haven't been inside the newspaper office since Derrick left.

So it was quite a shock to walk in and the very first picture I saw was this one:

 
It's a picture taken on the day Shelly and Ellen became the first same sex couple in Yolo County to be legally married in 2008.  The photo is HUGE and takes up the entire desk on which it is sitting....and if you haven't noticed, I'm the one with the camera in the back, on the left.

They tell me that photo has been on display in the office for years.  Who knew?

I actually talked with several people, including the current entertainment editor, the new paper editor, the retiring editor, my co-critic, a guy whose name I didn't get, the current photographer with whom I have worked for years, and Derrick.  A new high in  "talking with people at a party."

But my back just doesn't do "standing and talking" and after about 45 minutes, I was dying for a chair and did finally sit down, far away from the action. since we were all standing in the narrow hall, with no place for a chair.  I decided it was silly to sit there just watching people over cubicle walls, so I finally went home.  But I did make a visit and checked in with the important people. 
 

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