oi, Kate.

I just took a phone call from someone who accused me of being rude when I told her that we need a lead time of three months in order to consider a book for review, and that thus we wouldn't be able to review her children's book that just came out from a press I'd never heard of (that Google indicates may be a scam anyway), despite the fact that she had just had "benign cancer" and had been unable to promote the book ahead of time. I know it was a ridiculous thing for her to say, but dammit, I don't like being called rude when I was, in fact, very polite to her! Grr.

Oh em gee! It is, like, totally Bitchy to not fall for a scam by someone making a play for sympathy by using a fake disease. t /Valley Girl voice

I find that, very often, people who are being unreasonable (or rude themselves) will call anyone who blocks them rude.

And three months? that's reasonable ... if you're dealing with a publisher who has an actual staff. If she has to send out review copies herself (no publicist? no agent? no mail clerk at the publisher?), then I'd question whether the book would be available from anyone except the author.

If she has to send out review copies herself (no publicist? no agent? no mail clerk at the publisher?), then I'd question whether the book would be available from anyone except the author.

Yeah, it is generally a red flag when we hear from the author him/herself, rather than the publisher or a hired publicist. And further research shows that her publisher is indeed a "subsidy press" (basically a self-publishing outfit), and we don't review self-published titles anyway. Which people generally understand, even if they're not happy to hear it. *shrugs* She concluded by saying, "Well, it sounds like you're not interested in my book. I don't think I'm interested in your newspaper anymore either." Um, was that supposed to make me sorry I said no to you? Because that really wasn't the way it worked.

Good luck, sj!!

Kate, WTH? No great loss there, but I'm sorry you had to deal with her.

Here's my personal recipe for cranky today:

• Have PMS
• Run slightly late
• Get accused of bad attitude by crew despite making extra effort to compliment their proactiveness as soon as I walked in
• See elderly cat developing sudden and severe limp
• Get arms covered in fiberglass
• Have to ask spoiled brat crew member to put org t-shirt on outside three times in 20 minutes, even though he knows it's policy, and have him try to snow me that my boss said it was okay (no, he told me I could write you up for it)
• Having to remind another crew member to fasten her seatbelt every. time.
• PMS

Need to split some Xanax into quarters and carry it with me.

I am trying to not smoke today. I'm also avoiding calling it "quitting" for the moment, to pretend it's not that bad.

You're just going on hiatus. You're not actually canceled, no, of course, you're definitely coming back midseason, for sure.

Best of luck, Sean. I'm out of cigarettes myself, but I've already bummed one today and will probably buy a pack on the way home.

Non-smoke~ma, Sean.

In other news: I have the cutest Hatul-dog on Earth. We're back from our evening walk, and he was mostly adorable and playful.

Driving into work today, I noticed on the northbound side, a motorcycle cop at the bottom of an entrance ramp holding up traffic. Rather curious. Couldn't see any accident or anything. Then in the distance I see bubble gum machines a flashing. Ah, ok, here comes the medics, it's an ambulance... wait a second... it's much more than that. It's a motorcade. Bunch of black SUV's, cop cars, motorcycle cops, bomb disposal unit, sedans, ambulance. Didn't see the limo, not sure if it was used, or just couldn't see over the median. Sure enough, that was the President heading back to Los Angeles from a fund raiser event in south Orange County.