Meanderings: February 21, 2000

Monday,
February 21, 2000

What a fine, brisk February morning. And how fine it was that I actually got into the office around 2:00 PM.

Yeah, but this one wasn't my fault, honest. I had to go downtown to the Amex main office to take out enough cash from my card to cover the bill Sonya didn't put in the reimbursement for, so that Lyndon's card will start working again while he's in Boston. Yes, I love juggling my financies, can't you tell?

First mistake -- after looking up the address in the White Pages, I went to the wrong office. Apparently I was supposed to go to the travel office behind the NK store instead of the main office. Okay, how do I get there? "Oh, just take the 43 bus right down the street," the receptionist chirps.

No problem -- I head down the street, and hop on the bus. Which is heading for Tanto, in the opposite direction -- what I should've done was go to the stop ACROSS the street.

Oookay, fine. So I ride to Tanto with yet another one of Stockholm's famous Kamikaze Bus Drivers. This example of the breed was whacking the tires against curbs, starting off with such a jerk that standing passengers almost went flying, and scaring the bejesus out of some poor little old lady by slamming to a halt right behind her at the bus stop. By the time we finally get down to Tanto, then back up from Södermalm to downtown, it's already 13:30 (the time I told Eva I'd be in the office), so I had to quickmarch up the street and find the office, get the cash and come back down to the main drag. At that point, I decided "screw it" and took a cab back to the office so I'd be able to be in at least a few minutes before two. I hate not having a car.

But enough whinging -- it's time for good news! Kudos to WebRat Karina for her first sale, "How to Kill the Sun," to the Canadian mag Challenging Destiny. May it be the first of a long, profitable line of sales, Big K!

As for bios, a little levity never hurt. My first bio started off, "Melanie Miller was raised by wolves on the South Side of Chicago. After her family was sold for medical experiments, she found a hole in the chain-link fence around the Information Superhighway. . ." Okay, maybe in retrospect that was a bit too much levity, but the mention of Al Gore's favorite hobbyhorse was due to the fact that the editor had first read my story, Star Quality, on alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo. Yes, I made my first sale on something I posted to the Net. It was A Sign.

Of what, I still don't know. But it was definitely A Sign.

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