A much better week, this one, since no trips to the ER were required. Though I think the dog did injure himself and throw up five times on our floor when we tried to medicate him... Sheesh. At least he hasn't needed a trip to the vet yet. (I just cursed myself, I know).

I survived the tech writer conference (yes, they did call it THAT) on Thursday and today, and it was actually a pretty good get-together. Some interesting discussions and flashy technology, including some tools my fellow tech writer and I think we could really use in our day jobs (we already use Frame, and I do quite like RoboHelp and Captivate). Some good discussions, too, about translation and how to write for an international audience, which is cool.

Oh, and lots of really intense people who think WAY too much about things like structured FrameMaker, XML, DITA, and CMS... I just prefer to write, thanks.

And did you know that only 20% of Americans read at a 10th grade or higher level? Wow.

We got done early this afternoon, so I took out my trusty laptop and got some good writing done here at NC State's McKimmon Center. Added all my notes on the novel for the pages leading up to chapter five, and I feel pretty much caught up. I even drew a map, which is quite fitting, given the novel's title.

Now I have the following notes to guide me through the rest of the chapter:

Kait had searched for an entire week after the initial searches were called off, and she kept at it even when the state authorities gave up on finding Grampa.

...

"Look for the outliers," Grampa said. "The people who live on the boundaries."

...

Grampa warns her not to go? Keeps getting chased away from Kait by rat-dogs (Bartamus') and birds (Brema's)...

...

Kait comes back to house and Pablo's car is gone -- she freaks (end of chapter?)

Rat-dogs! Sweet!



Now I'm out of here to beat traffic and start the weekend with Lizzie and the kids! Later!

P.S. I'm on my third listen of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (which I downloaded for free!) and I'm really digging it. Took me about a dozen listens to fully appreciate it. I'm just sayin'...