Scarlett Letters

I was so sad and upset yesterday that I actually included my name in a post on LJ. I never do that. I've remedied the situation. On the one hand, it's not like no one who reads this knows who I am. On the other hand, it's been a thing for me to not connect my name too much with this journal so...take that for what you will.

I've medicated Spanky with his pills and liquids this morning--no problem, as expected. Today at lunch time I go to the pharmacy to pick up his Epogen so I can give him his injection later today, probably while he's sleeping, and then give him a treat of some kind. I'm feeling better this morning, and not quite dreading it so much. It must be done and there's no one to do it but me. Thank you, everyone, for your support.

Finished up a lot of holiday chores yesterday. More to be done today and tomorrow morning before the weekend festivities begin. I'm desperate for time off to just relax; I'm sick of sitting at the computer all day.

I've downloaded my LJ into BookSmart and am starting to lay out one volume for each year I've kept a Live Journal. The problem with relying on the cloud, as users of De.licio.us learned yesterday, is that the owners of cloud applications can discontinue them any time they want. We've had doubts about LJ before so a back-up isn't a bad idea. Besides, a hard copy of my journal would be nice to have. And someday, when I'm famous and dead, it'll be primary source material. ::wry grin::

And now, on to work. Thank God it's Friday.

Mostly what I was feeling today was wiped out. Still feeling low energy, but no actual sickness has manifested. Perhaps I haven't been taking my vitamins. Perhaps I haven't been sleeping well. I'll go to bed earlier tonight than I did last night. If I feel better in the morning, then I'm not going to cancel tomorrow's plans as I did today's.

Received LiveJournal: The First Ten Years in the mail today and read it cover to cover. There's some wonderful stuff in it, and I know I'll be trolling some of the journals and communities included. (Recommended: punk_knitters, t_shirt_surgery, bento, food_porn, the_polaroids--too many to name!) I'm delighted to be included among them. It's an excellent dip-of-the-toe into LJ.

Criticisms? Sure:
1) While the design is very nice, there are places where it's clear the designer had no idea what kind of result he or she would get. Some pages, the contrast between the text and background color is so low it's barely readable. On some pages, the design is so busy it's hard to focus. And on some pages, the text layout is just..backwards, so you end up starting to read in the middle of a piece. But most of the pages are attractive and full of energy. Still...I have to wonder who thought that gray text on a black page was a good idea...or vice versa. Not every page is like that, but there's more than one. One can't help but notice.
2) No title page. Introduction comes before the table of contents. How...odd.
3) No back matter at all--no notes on who the editors were or what LiveJournal itself is--nothing. The book just...ends with no closure, no historical context. It's weird. It's possible that the book is left feeling unfinished because LJ goes on, but it makes for a curious reading experience.
4) It seems as though there were some major omissions, though I suspect everyone will feel a little differently about that. For example, something from ginmar's journal, or opportunitygrrl. They have historic value and yet they're not even mentioned. I'm guessing no one suggested them in the anniversary community, which is a shame.

I still recommend picking up a copy. If LJ's been a part of your life, it's a a nice hard copy souvenir of this online experience.