So now I have to look for other external motivation to keep up with the not completely sedentary thing.

Ah yes, I know that feeling. I keep expecting my strong will to solidify permanent good habits. Sadly, this has not been the case. I'm assuming that I just haven't found the right thing yet.

I did know the right thing when I rode my bike 44 miles a day for years. So, I know I can do it. But since I gave up biking, I...sing it like Bono...still haven't found what I'm looking for.

I'll probably leave early, assuming the journal gets out on time, which is never a guarantee.

I hope you do get to leave early.

I honestly think I looked and sounded so scary when I came in this morning that everyone decided today would no be a good day to add to Steph's stress level. So they may well get it back to me by 1:00 (which is a very workable time for me).

one journal is in press three weeks late because of the EiC who took four months to get me a one-page editorial we couldn't run without

I have been there and taken that Xanax.

One author screamed at me this morning because his paper was on the website without his last changes and why did I tell him the changes had been made? well, because after two rounds of changes already, I got your last changes after the posting deadline, so yes they've been made and no they may not show up for another week. Also, bite me.

I think he published with us! Or else he is infected with The Stupid that seems to be endemic in a certain type of author.

And the next issue of that journal is coming up hard on its deadline and I haven't even begun editing it yet, because of the three OTHER journals that I've been helping out with because their editors are just so overwhelmed.

Ahahahahaha!!! I have 2 articles sitting next to me waiting to be edited for the next issue (which will also be tragically late), which I haven't been able to get to due to the clusterbomb of clusterfucks.

And THEN I go back and make individual PDFs of each article for our website, and FTP those to the webhost.

Oh, crap, if I had to do that TOO I'd totally lose my shit. At least someone else does that, even if he is an arrogant slack-off fucker who blames his frequent screw-ups on other people.

I send our printer about 4 PDFs that are 35-50 pages each (it varies), and contain 3-7 articles. Our webhost (who is the fucking devil) said they *could* take those PDFs and separate them into individual articles, but they would charge us an arm and a leg to do so. So it just got tacked on to the end of my production process. I hate them about as much as I hate John Boehner. They fuck our stuff up all the time and STILL charge us for correcting THEIR errors.

As it is not my company, I have nothing to do with the business decisions, so I have no say as to whether we stay with this crapweasels. But if it were up to me, I would have bailed long ago. Two 12-year-olds with a server in their parents' basement would be better webhosts than these assclowns.

My boss called me at 7AM. I use my phone as an alarm clock, so I, in my asleepness, thought it was the alarm. And answered it. And did a whole "Guh? Whuzzat?" at her, and she proceeded to cheerily (SHE'S in a different timezone) inform me that we need to change my whole schedule for the week, and she'd call me back about that later. WTF? ARGH. WAY TO MONDAY, MONDAY!

does anyone else want Steph and Zenkitty to start some sort of 'get your shit out on time' consultancy for journals?

Five people look over the final paginated proofs, and sometimes they just let them sit on their desk until 3:30

yeah, I've worked that. No cookies for them.

does anyone else want Steph and Zenkitty to start some sort of 'get your shit out on time' consultancy for journals?

If I thought there was a market for it, I would! But alas, I fear the ones who need the service don't care. There are no penalties for *them* if the journal is late.

does anyone else want Steph and Zenkitty to start some sort of 'get your shit out on time' consultancy for journals?

I thought about that, but I'm not sure how much of a fee I can charge for punching authors in the head.

Five people look over the final paginated proofs, and sometimes they just let them sit on their desk until 3:30

yeah, I've worked that. No cookies for them.

I actually got the proofs back at about 5 minutes 'til 1:00. I was STUNNED.

in the ongoing saga of "i feel guilt for my cat having digestive issues" i splurged and got mr barely-poops-at-all a container of frozen raw food. He LOVES it. I have never seen this finicky cat eat anything so fast. He finished his breakfast this morning faster than Nico (who rarely stops to chew food he's so keen on gettin it his bellah ASAP). So yeah, he loves the stuff. Problem? It's nasty! This stuff bleeds. Like, when the ice melted, it melted into blood. I almost hoarked myself. Now i'm freaking out about clean up - i know it's something most people deal with on a regular basis but i didn't handle raw meat even when i ate the stuff so i have no idea what to do with the spoon and food dish - do i just wash them like normal? What about spills, do i need a special sponge so i don't cross contaminate my countertops? Ye gods. What i do for this cat.

I actually got the proofs back at about 5 minutes 'til 1:00. I was STUNNED.

you need to talk about them more often on the interwebs.

I thought about that, but I'm not sure how much of a fee I can charge for punching authors in the head.

soup. out. my. nose.

erin, you can wash the spoon and food dish like normal. Dish detergent will kill any germs. Sponges are nasty. I use a washcloth (special stack of cheap washcloths bought for the purpose) to clean up those kinds of messes, and then throw the cloth in the washing machine with the towels - or throw it away if it's too gross even for me; that's why I get the cheapo ones!