Apparently I wrote down the password wrong. IT guy was not surprisingly a little exasperated by that. Oops. Oh well. But he saw the ticket and called me, and in penance I don't get my new laptop until Thursday.

Special snowflake author finally called me, and wasn't as troublesome as he could be, although there were several times where I had to tell him "If you feel strongly about this wording, I will restore the original, but please be aware that the senior editor may delete it when she reviews it before publication."

Like, I explained why a particular change was made/why a certain style exists, and he would say, "I see...I'd like to keep my original wording." Okay, dude, but you were warned.

I didn't swear or make veiled threats. I think.

Do you record these types of phone calls? So you can at least prove you did warn him when he says you said he could keep his precious babies?

I said to Tim that things like this are going to bite me in the ass, BUT to be fair, the upper management knows exactly what type of shenanigans the authors try to pull, so if I leave something in that I warned him might be deleted, and if it gets deleted and he complains, upper management is going to basically say some bland soothing words, leave it deleted, and know that I was doing what I was supposed to do.

(But seriously, that's why talking to an author on the phone is a pile of bullshit. No documentation!)

my poor parents are texting me tonight, they are terrified that mac is going to explode and hurt me. FWIW he hasn't said BOO since I got home and hasn't even been stomping and slamming around like he did last night. They don't need this stress in their lives. I'm going to bed.

Ugh, msbelle, I'm sorry it's like that.

oh, msbelle, yikes. Mac: be chill, dude, you're scaring your grandparents!

OK, gotta share the link to Hamilcake: [link]

Holy crap, that is stunning.

One of my team members had never heard of Hamilton when I mentioned it yesterday. Do I need to fire her?

Yes, you do need to fire her. It is unacceptable.

I have a sort of rant this morning, and it probably isn't going to sound like a rant, because I am not a generally vitriolic person, but this Orlando/gun control thing is driving me NUTS. The voting discussion here has taught me that I am good at explaining different points of view, and trying to build consensus, but I am SO SICK of my WHOLE LIFE, these people who think and say they are rational and logical acting like I (and other people) am stupid and irrational for holding a view they do not WHILE they are being irrational.

1. People have emotions and feelings, so it is actually rational to take those into account when you are forming your views

2. ARMING YOURSELF with high power weapons to protect yourself against a possible tyrannical government IS NOT RATIONAL. Neither is thinking that a random non-trained person with a gun can reasonably defent themselves/their family against crime. This isn't the Wild Wild West nor do we have an actual war on our land going on.

3. Not knowing the exact definition of an assault rifle is not a reason for an argument being invalid. It reminds me of my friend who is like "No, I don't have any KLEENEX, but I do have FACIAL TISSUE".

4. If you use rational thought to come to a conclusion based on facts, and the facts are manipulated, then the conclusion is wrong! And facts can be manipulated-- you can pretty much make a rational argument for anything using facts- or at least something that sounds and feels rational. But if deep down, you believe the government of our country is out to get you (while at the same time being somehow super patriotic)-- I can't get past that, because that belief seems irrational.

5. But I guess if you are a white, cis-gendered, straight man in America, and equality feels like losing, I guess it does feel like the government is out to get you.

6. But don't tell me YOU are the rational one, and I am a silly emotional girl.

And I didn't even really get into it that much-- this is just from watching other people argue- but I have some trauma around arguing with people who are so sure that they are rational (mostly men and Myers-Briggs NTs), that argue with you until you get emotional, and then say-- we were just having a discussion!