Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 47
January 25, 2012
Writer's Notes: Lessons Learned from Philately
Some of you know I have a stamp collection. Although I haven't been
actively collecting for awhile, I'm still completely enamored with how
pretty much any kind of artwork you can dream up can be miniaturized on a
small square or rectangle. Or triangle, as is the case with the
Jamestown commemorative stamps.
Philately (stamp collecting) is a tricky thing. If you're not
careful when you first start (I know this from experience), you just
start collecting every single kind of stamp you can get your hands on.
And because a pack of 500 worldwide stamps (most with little or no
monetary value) are very inexpensive and easy to get a hold of
(especially if you know a collector personally), that's where most
people start. It's not a bad way to start...in fact, it's incredibly
fun, and you can spend literally *hours* examining those stamps with a
little magnifying glass, tweezers (because you don't want any more skin
oils on them than necessary), and a bunch of stamp catalogs/magazines (so you can look up the "Scott number" & value of each stamp, along with any variations that are available).
Actually, it's a lot like Smurf collecting, when I put it that way...
Before you know it, you've got way more stamps than you'll ever
have time to catalog, and the whole thing can be very overwhelming.
Especially when you branch out into collecting covers (which is a fancy
word for envelopes bearing stamps). And you put it aside for awhile, not
really sure what to do with the behemoth of tiny masterpieces you've
created.
Okay, not all stamp collectors do that. But that's what I did.
When I decided to start collecting Smurfs again (What? Stop looking at me like that!), I decided to set up a blog/web site where
people could see what I have in my collections, and I could post my
want/trade/sales lists all in one place. The lists were requested by my
mom for gift-giving purposes...I just sort of took it to the next level
(web developers - which is what I am when I'm not writing -
instinctively want to put *everything* on the web - I don't even fight
it anymore).
I have some...idiosyncrasies that are a bit odd (you could at least
pretend you didn't know that). One of those is that if I'm going to
name my new collectibles blog The 'S' Collections (in development), and the blog
template I pick has space for three photos at the top, then I need three
collections to showcase. Besides, three is a more "artistic" number
than two. Yes, I know that no matter how I try to spin it, it's still
weird. Regardless, I needed three. And since my skunk collection really
isn't an active one (no one ever buys me skunks or Pepe stuff, even
though I have Pepe tattooed on my ankle), I chose my state spoon
collection and my stamp collection as the other two "S" collections to
feature.
Dude, I sound totally insane, don't I? Ah, well. That's what it looks like inside a writer's brain. I should have warned you, I suppose.
*Anyways*...I was taking the above photo (yes, we are finally
getting close to the point!), and deciding which stamps I wanted to have
in it, and the light bulb that should have gone on in my brain a long
time ago finally did. The stamp collection would be less overwhelming, more fun, and
easier to have a want-list for if I *narrowed my focus*. Instead of
collecting *all* sorts of stamps, I needed to narrow it down to the
themes/subjects I'm most drawn to, and then it would be more
manageable.
Duh.
Do I regret starting off big and general before narrowing down my
subjects? Not even a little bit. I'm a person who likes to know all the
options before I make a choice. And I think even if you know you'll
eventually choose a narrower focus to make things easier to handle, it's
good to experience the other offerings too. Not only do you get a
broader knowledge base, but it allows you to appreciate more than just
one style of anything. And I think that makes for a well-rounded person.
Maybe that's why I don't write in just one genre. I certainly don't
read in just one (or two or three). But over the years I've read
extensively in pretty much every genre out there...and maybe that's why
it wasn't particularly difficult to narrow my writing focus down to
three (flash notwithstanding).
With my Smurf collecting, I've been trying to narrow the focus down
from the start, and it's not working particularly well. Probably
because I need that more "general" experience before I can really get to
the heart of what I like and want. And you know what that means...
Anyone want a starter pack of worldwide stamps?
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January 23, 2012
Weekly News & Prompt, January 23, 2012
Week 4 Prompt: A woman walks through a park in her hometown, reflecting in the crisp
autumn air. The old carousel is still there, though no longer
operational, and she climbs the fence and goes to visit the horse she
used to call her own. Glancing between the broken mirrors that line the
center control room, she spies an old teddy bear lying against the
console...
"It's Monday!" she says, the sarcasm evident for all but the unusually dense. "Are you ready to rumble?"
*chewing
her lower lip, she wonders if she can use that last phrase without
paying a huge licensing fee...considers using a strikeout replacement
like all the cool bloggers do...decides not to go to the effort*
Enough of that, eh? 
Last
week was an odd one, what with two days off from the day job, dinner
out nearly every night due to celebrations and just weird schedules, and
my rather scattered brain flitting from thing to thing going
"Ooo...shiny!" approximately every hour or so. Despite all of that, I
managed to get all of my serial scenes done, *and* I also finally
finished the erotica novelette that was supposed to top out around 8k
words (it ended up being nearly 15k...so almost double). Yay! It's in
the very capable hands of my editor at the moment, so this week, I get
to start a new story. Not much makes me happier than starting new
stories and finishing others...
I've also chosen the stories for
the newest Rattles anthology, so if you're a fan of short fiction, be
watching for the new anthology on February 3rd. For writers, if you
write flash (or want to start), I'll be posting a new prompt tonight on
the Rattles blog, submissions will be due on March 16th for an April
release.
I didn't quite get to formatting the Flash 52 book (had
Rattles and Smurf stuff to do this weekend), but I'm going to start
formatting that tomorrow night, and the plan is to have it published by
Friday.
This week, more of the same: serial scenes, some Rattles
business stuff and formatting, more bookkeeping catch-up, and more work
on organizing my various collections (because it's important to have fun
too, dang it!). I've decided to delete my organizing blog, because
honestly (and ironically), I'll be more organized without having to
worry about that.
So that's the run down - I know I've been
slacking on email newsletters lately, but as soon as I get the next few
things out, I'll get one of those done too. With any luck, that will go
out in February.
Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the day, I hope yours is off to a good start, and that it goes by quickly & productively for all of us...
Enjoy
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January 22, 2012
Flash 52: The Franklin Date
this year called Flash 52 - in which I attempt to write one flash
fiction (1k words or less) story per week from prompts I came up with
last month. This week's story will be available for one
week.
The Franklin Date
She was late.
Dean checked his watch again, loathe to admit he'd been stood up. She'd seemed sincere enough online, and they'd been talking for months, but apparently he'd really misread her digital signals. Pacing by the door to the upscale restaurant where he'd made a reservation, he wondered how much more time he should give her. Another five minutes - or maybe ten.
Large rectangular planters sat on either side of the door, the edge wide enough to provide extra seating. He lowered himself onto the cold stone, and lowered his hands to rest beside him. A car drove past, illuminating the space around him and a bit of wadded up paper under the bushes behind him caught his eye.
Retrieving it, he pulled it open and raised his eyebrows. Staring back at him was Ben Franklin himself, and there was something written on the bill that Dean couldn't quite make out in the dim light. He rose and went to stand under a lantern hanging on the side of the building. Squinting, he could just barely make out a single word:
Library.
He checked his watch again, then looked both ways down the sidewalk. Still no sign of a woman in a red dress, and he was tired of waiting. Odds are good the library wouldn't be any more exciting, but he felt compelled to at least visit and see for himself that the message was meaningless.
Stopping in quickly to leave the money with the surprised host, he caught a cab and within ten minutes, found his way across town to a massive brick building with imposing columns out front. Paying the driver, he bolted up the stairs, grateful that he'd made it with half an hour to closing time. At the reference desk, he looked up Ben Franklin and found the shelves where his work was housed. Flipping through every book, he found himself more disappointed than he'd expected when there was nothing.
Turning to leave, he glanced across the shelf once more and smiled. Barely visible from any angle save his exact one was the corner of a bill peeking out from under the shelf just above Franklin's books.
Gently extracting it, he examined the bill closely. This one was fake, but good quality, nonetheless. Next to Ben's face, one word had been scrawled in ink, just like the last time.
Kites.
His brow creased, he pocketed the bill and tried to decide what to do next. The clue was so vague - was it a kite shop, or somewhere people normally fly kites? Not at all sure where he'd find either, he decided to check out the nearest store, and if it led nowhere he'd go home. After a brief stop at the reference counter to look up kite stores online, he jogged ou tthe door and down the street, two blocks to find the quaint little shop closed.
Quickly peeking through the glass door, Dean turned to go, his jacket catching on something by the door. Reaching down to unsnag it, he pulled the fabric off of a metal diamond-shaped kite anchored in a large flower pot. Unable to resist, he checked the back by running his fingers along the surface. Hardly able to believe it, he pulled up another fake bill, and hurried over to a streetlight to examine the face. This time though, instead of a word, there was only an arrow pointing to Franklin's head.
Dean straightened, looking up and down the street as he tried to figure out where he was supposed to go next. Where would he go to find the man himself?
Only one building on the block still had lights burning in the window, and he considered getting a second opinion. He wasn't sure why it was so important to see it through, but there was no turning back now. It wasn't until he crossed the street that he took note of the old-style sign hanging above the entrance.
Franklin's Wig Shop.
Pulling the door open, he went inside, finding himself surrounded by fake hair in every color and length. At the counter, an attractive woman leaned over a mass of brunette curls.
"Can I help you?" she said, without looking up.
He laid the fake bills on the counter. "I've been following the clues on these for the past hour. I was hoping you could tell me what it all means."
She glanced over at them, and finally met his gaze with a sheepish grin.
"My little brother is a marketing major with an interest in sociology. I'm afraid you're a victim of his latest promotion experiment."
Dean chuckled. "Well, it worked, but I just spent an hour following clues around the city for a service I really don't need. Some people might get a little irritated about that."
She laughed. "I appreciate you having a sense of humor about it. I'm sure he'll have a better idea next week. He usually does."
"It's hard to be upset when I get to meet such a beautiful woman. Although I did miss dinner for this little treasure hunt."
"I guess an apology is in order then." She went to the cash register. "Would you like the shop to reimburse you for dinner? Within reason, of course."
He shook his head, waiting until she looked at him again. He was going to have to send his internet friend a thank-you for not showing up.
"No, but I would like you to let me buy you dinner. It's the least you could do, don't you think?" He gave her his most charming smile, enjoying the rosy color creeping into her cheeks. "When do you close up?"
She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Half hour ago, actually. I lost track of time."
"So you'll come?" He held out his hand. "I'm Dean Jackson, by the way."
She hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Sure. Why not. It's nice to meet you, Dean. I'm Sarah Franklin."
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January 20, 2012
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 34
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 34
Shielded by the file cabinets for a few more seconds, Holly glanced out the window to confirm her fears, all too cognizant of the footsteps coming their way. She probably would have been able to make the six foot jump if not for her bad leg, but Eddie could do it.
"You should go," she whispered, pointing to the window. "Get out and get help."
He shook his head, holding a finger to his lips. Looking all around, he finally stopped and pointed to a small space between the wall and the massive desk. In order to get in it she'd have to slide on her butt between two more file cabinets, but even if the men found her they'd have to move a lot of furniture to get to her.
"Go Eddie. Get help." She sat on the floor and started scooting back into the hole. The men were just on the other side of the file cabinets, and she knew they were out of time. As she started pulling herself between the wall and the desk, she saw Eddie disappear, and could only hope he'd gone out the window soon enough.
Wincing at the pain, she pulled her legs up as tightly to her chest as she could and secured them with her arms. Chaos reigned all around, it seemed, and from the bits and pieces of conversation she caught, they assumed both she and Eddie had run off. Careful not to make a sound, she lowered her head to her knees, praying they wouldn't move the desk.
***
It felt like an eternity to Holly as she waited, but when they were finally all gone, she forced herself to stay hidden longer, just to be sure. When she finally began to unfold herself, she swore her legs creaked in protest when she straightened them. But getting out the way she'd gotten in proved nearly impossible, and by the time she was finally out, tears were running down her face and the her wounded leg burned as if she'd been shot all over again.
Not sure whether the men would be back or not, she knew she had to move. The wheelchair would be conspicuous, but she tried taking a few tentative steps, and nearly fell when her bad leg gave out. Resigning herself to the chair, she sat down and propped her foot up on one of the metal rests. Using her arms, she swung the chair around and wheeled herself to the door, listening carefully before she pulled it open.
The halls were empty, and she made good time - better than she'd thought she would. Following Natalie's instructions, she found the door to the parking lot and let herself out, surprised to find the same driver who had taken her home from Eddie's house that day wating in front of the door.
"Eddie told me you might be needing a lift to the hospital," the man said, holding the rear passenger door open. "Do you need help getting out of the chair?"
She shook her head, but didn't argue when he steadied the chair so she could boost herself up and into the car. Waiting impatiently while he stowed the chair in the trunk, she spoke as soon as he got behind the wheel.
"Where's Eddie? Is he okay?"
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January 18, 2012
Writer's Notes: On Censorship & Piracy
There are a lot of web sites blacked out
today...a big protest against the government's (or should we just say Hollywood's, since they're the major backers?) proposed answer to
fighting online piracy. As far as I'm concerned, these two laws
will be just as effective as DRM (that's "digital rights
management" for books) – they'll punish more honest people than
they will thwart piracy. And the pirates will find ways around it
anyway – any computer or network programmer will tell you that.
Censorship is never the answer to any
problem, in my opinion. Whether it's people telling us what we can
read, or what kind of music we can listen to, or what web sites we
can visit – it never actually stops the people who want that
information from getting it. In fact, it usually just makes them want
it more, and do whatever it takes to get it. The people who want it
bad enough will find a way, and those who are willing to abide by the
rules are screwed out of the freedom to make their own choices.
How do we deal with internet piracy? I
don't have a clue...and I have to be honest, I'm just not all
that worried about it. Yes, people pirate my books. No, I don't
lose any sleep over it. Those people wouldn't buy a copy anyway, in my opinion. I'm well aware that
plenty of people disagree with me, and that's fine. Those of you
who feel strongly about it are welcome to find a solution, if you
can...
...as long as that solution doesn't
impede my ability to view whatever web site I want to visit, and
allows me to link to other web sites without fearing that my
site will be shut down due to the other site's behaviors or links.
Obviously, I'm not blacking out my
site(s) today. Because it would be hypocritical of me to limit your
ability to view content while protesting laws that would do exactly
that (I understand the logic of doing just that, I just don't
necessarily agree w/it). I'm not going offline either – I work on
the web, it's my "home", so to speak, and going offline to make
a point about having access to things online also seems a bit
backwards. I will, however, be basing at least a portion of my voting
decisions this year based on how the legislators from my state
act/react to SOPA/PIPA, and I'm doing something I almost never do
and sharing a political opinion in public.
I am closing the comments today – if
you have an opinion, by all means, write it up, and post it in your
online space.
For more information about these laws,
Google has a fairly straight-forward run down here, or do a search
(yes, you can still search Google), and you'll find a plethora of
articles about the issue.
Thanks for indulging me. *steps off soapbox*
January 16, 2012
Weekly News & Prompt - January 16, 2012
Week 3 Prompt:
A one-hundred
dollar bill is crumpled and lying in a stone planter outside a
restaurant door, half-hidden by the sculpted juniper bushes growing
there. Many people pass by, and then someone sits on the edge of the
planter, and discovers the money. When the finder straightens the
bill, something is written on it...
It's 7 degrees
(f) out this morning, but I'm cozy on my couch, thanking MLK Jr.
for the day off. Of course I still have plenty to do – namely all
of the bookkeeping for my book business that I've been putting off
for months now. Yes, folks, I suck at bookkeeping – not the actual
keeping of the books (thank you, Quickbooks), but just getting it
done. It's one of the few areas I torture myself with on a regular
basis by putting it off until the job is so huge it takes far longer
than it should. If I do nothing else this year, I really need to take
a couple hours every month to get my books up to date so I don't
face this oh-so-daunting task again. But first, I get to play catch
up...
In other news, as you can see above I
have the cover art (very cool, isn't it!) for Flash 52, the book of prompts I wrote to go with
this year-long challenge. Which means whenever I get the book
formatted, I can release it. I was going to do that over this long
weekend, but haven't quite gotten to it, so next weekend is looking
better. Getting closer though!
Speaking of flash,
last week's piece is posted at my alter-ego's blog, due to the
somewhat graphic nature of it. You can swing by over there to check
it out if you're interested. Looking at this week's prompt, I
dare say this week's story will be fine to post here again.
Tomorrow is my
birthday – I'll be 37. I always take my birthday off from the day
job, so I'll be sleeping in, reading an MS from a friend that I've
been waiting and waiting and waiting for, writing, and working
on cataloging my collections. It's going to be a good day doing
things I love, and I can't think of a better way to mark another
year. 
As you can see, I
haven't done anything with the web site/blog...and I probably won't
for awhile. They need a change, for sure, need a little sprucing up,
but it will wait.
That's pretty
much all the news I have for this week (so far, anyway). Anything fun
going on in your world today?
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January 15, 2012
Storytime: Natural Selection (moved)
This week's prompt:
A woman is tied to a tree in the woods, dressed in jeans, a tank and a flannel shirt, with heavy hiking boots on her feet, her wrists bound to the trunk behind her and a red handkerchief covering her eyes. She catches a scent on the breeze...
Natural Selection
Don't say I didn't warn you...
January 13, 2012
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 33
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32
Falling in Public
Chapter 33
"Why won't they just give up?" Holly whispered, knowing she should keep still, but getting more irritated by the moment. Her leg was on fire, and the idea that she was being hunted down just because she refused to be a pretend girlfriend was absolutely ludacrise. What was wrong with these people that they couldn't just move on?
Eddie leaned close to her ear, keeping an eye on the door. "I'd imagine the thought of going to jail for shooting and kidnapping you provides some motivation."
She nodded, knowing he was right. Still, the whole thing seemed off.
"So any ideas on how we can get out of here? Preferably before they come in?" She raised her eyebrows, though the look on his face told her he was coming up empty. "Why this door, anyway? Why would they think we're here?"
Eddie frowned, then looked up, scanning the ceiling. Holly opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, then suddenly, she knew. Looking up herself, she checked the corners first, then followed his gaze to a spot nearly above them that faced the door. Sure enough, there it was. A small camera hung high on the wall, pointed right at the door.
"So they've known the whole time. Or at least as long as someone noticed the video."
Eddie nodded. "I suppose it doesn't matter how much noise we make now. We've only got two ways out, and they're both blocked."
"I say we break the window," Holly said, looking up at him. "I haven't seen any shadows pass by, so seems like that might be the path of least resistance, right? Then we can make a run for it."
Running a finger over the glass, Eddie shook his head. "It feels pretty thick. I'm not sure we're gonna do that"
Holly examined the surface of the desk, then saw what she was looking for poking out from under a stack of papers. She reached out and grabbed the metal letter opener, carefully testing the point for sharpness.
"We need something to pound with," she said, resuming her search of the desktop. "Something heavy." Finding nothing useful there, she checked the drawers, and the area around the desk.
The doorknob rattled again, and then a big crash dented the center of the door in. "They're coming in, Holly. We're out of time."
She pushed herself out of the wheelchair with effort, then grabbed a round metal paperweight and turned to the window. Jamming the point of the letter opener against the glass, she struck the end with the weight, striking as hard as she could. On the third blow, tiny cracks spidered out over the glass all around the letter opener.
"Here, let me."
Eddie took the rudimentary tools from her, and cracked the glass in several more places, until the entire pane was covered in hairline fractures. Then he motioned for her to stand back, and swung the paperweight over his head, tossing it at the window baseball-style. Holly looked away before impact and Eddie swung her into his arms, putting his back between her and the window, protecting her from any flying shards of glass. When he released her, she realized two things simultaneously as the door behind them burst open.
There was nothing but air on the other side of the window, and no matter which way they turned, they were going to die.
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January 11, 2012
Writer's Notes: Collecting "Things"
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Why do we collect stuff?
I've been thinking a lot about this lately, what with my recent decision to collect Smurfs (anyone have an Astronaut Smurf sitting around you'd like to donate to the cause?), my desire to add to my stamp collection again, and the hall closet full of yarn that I really should empty out. Once I started really thinking about collections, I was kind of surprised to realize all the stuff I *already* have collections of, even if those collections aren't currently active.
Humans collect stuff. Humans who collect *everything* are hoarders, but that's not what I'm talking about, really...I'm more referring to the desire to have a "set" of something - anything. I would bet that even minimalists have a collection of something, even if it's just a box of old letters they keep under the bed or in the top of a closet. There are those rare individuals who like to live light, and keep only what they can carry, but who knows? Maybe even they have a collection of some sort, even if it's just cool rocks picked up on their journey.
In any case, a simple google search for "why do we collect stuff" yields a whole host of possible answers, including things like:
- Collections shape our identity
- Collections are "social proof" for an identity we want to cultivate (basically, we use them for branding ourselves)
- Collections can give us a little jolt of the "good" brain chemicals (dopamine) when we add to them or interact with them.
- They give us a sense of security and control
- They represent something or someone in our past
- They represent topics that interest us
- They are things that simply make us happy to look at/own
I think all of those are very valid - some apply more than others, depending on the person and collection. It's probably a combination of reasons for most people - I know several of those reasons cited apply to me (and really, is there any better feeling than adding a new piece - even better if it was hard to find - to a collection?).
I'll admit, before now I never really thought much about what a person's collections said about them, aside from the fact that I assume they enjoy and usually study what they collect. Either that, or someone started giving them something, and it just became a "thing" - I have one or two of those as well. But really, all collections say something about those who keep them, and I'll be paying closer attention from now on. You never know when something like that might be useful in a story...
What do you collect? And more importantly, what do you think your collection(s) say about you?
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January 9, 2012
Weekly News & Prompt - January 9, 2012
It was a good week last week - very productive and pretty efficient as well. I did a lot of thinking and reworking my schedules, and (for one week at least) I found that balance I've been looking for in the past few months. I wrote, I worked out, I took care of my house, my body and my brain, and while I worked hard, I played just as hard. I felt better than I have in a long time, to be honest.
Naturally, when I feel better, I write better. Crazy how that works, isn't it?
A pleasant side-effect of reorganizing my life, so to speak, is that I'm finding I may actually have time to enjoy a few hobbies, even with my day job and writing. It may take me awhile to incorporate them into my newly found freedom and of course it's a trade off (ie, I need to get off the computer in order to give hobbies my attention), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Making the decision to write for the sake of writing, and not worry so much about sales gives me the freedom to be offline occasionally. I have yarn to crochet with, stamps to organize, and a new collection to...well, read on for more about that. Don't be surprised if any of those make their way into my writing this year!
Did I mention I watched The Smurfs movie this weekend? I did - and I *loved* it. The Smurfs were one of my very favorite cartoons on Saturday mornings when I was a kid, and it's safe to say I've rediscovered my affinity for the little blue guys this weekend. I've decided to start collecting Smurf figures, and may have done a little online shopping this weekend to that end. I may even be planning a blog (that doesn't surprise anyone, right?) to keep track of said collection for parents/family members who want to know what I have/want...
In any case, that's what I was up to last week - starting to implement my new resolutions, with resounding success. This week, more of the same - plus a lot of writing, of course. If you missed it, last week's flash fiction piece was posted yesterday, and this week's will be posted next Sunday. If you're a writer, don't forget that submissions for Rattles Flash Fiction are due this Friday!
Oh, and if you want to work along with me as I go over my routines and some organizing projects this year, check out Routinely Yours - my organizing blog (posts on Mondays and Saturdays).
I'll be revamping my sidebars, maybe even my blog design this week, so if you stop in and things seem kind of wiggy, have patience, please. Everything should be all shiny and updated by Friday.
Have a smurfy week - and happy reading!
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