A Penguin in the Orchard

Weekend Away

Finally, the end of a very long week.

I juggled customers from Greece to Japan to the Virgin Islands all week. We broke down a .5-meter telescope, built the crate and packed everything up for shipping next week. I responded to more requests for quotes than we’ve had in some time. I also spent no small amount of time negotiating the final details of our statement of work for the trip to Japan. I made travel arrangements. I continued PHP development for the content piece of our new company website. The ad I designed for Sky and Telescope hit the newsstands. We had vendors to deal with and schedule adjustments to make to accomodate the Japan trip.

I managed a few articles for uptime, solicited the services of another author for the site, and continued to run my hands through my thinning hair over CSS-related issues.

I also worked through the second draft of a print article on finding WiFi hotspots with the Zaurus and received a new loaner from Sharp. I started an outline for a proposed S&T article. Wired magazine didn’t return my calls on another piece. And, I started seriously investigating the possibility of writing a Linux book.

So, it feels like I’ve run the gauntlet this week - telescope mechanic, crate builder, customer service rep, contract negotiator, travel agent, coder, in-house IT person, author … I need a day away.

And we’re taking it. A night outside of Iowa City, away from the fray, as a family. I just hope there’s no Internet access in the hotel …