On Sunday I'll be marking my 39th birthday for the 21st time. [I'll let that sink in.]
Who'd've thought I'd've made it this far? Not I!
I was a PhD student at UC Berkeley for my first 39th. Full of piss [mostly rented beer] and vinegar [fermented wine, almost certainly]. Full of myself! Full of hope that a stellar career awaited me.
Who could've predicted that the stellar career would be the one I'm presently occupying--assistant paper pusher in support of the world-class astronomers attached to the University of California Observatories? Probably no one. Least of all, me.
And who could've predicted that my avocation this late in life would be that of a kind of archaeological gadfly? That, despite my own grave shortcomings, which I freely admit, the question of my life's scholarly contribution is not, as yet, a dead issue.
Sadly, I shall emerge from this coming birthday weekend another day older and deeper in debt [honestly]. For that reason alone, I must, I fear, prostitute myself by reminding you, dear Reader, that I am a Mind for Hire. I'm a dab hand at proofreading, editing for clarity, word processing [MS Word and LaTex], and digital presentation production [MS PowerPoint]. I have published books and articles, and edited a professional journal. I've pissed off more people than I can remember by suggesting to them how they might improve their written discourse! If that doesn't make me a professional editor, nothing else I can think of would.
I work cheap, and I can promise quick turnaround [at least, that is, until I have more than one commission at a time--which, from my present perch, is about as likely as my falling into a dead-fall elephant trap on my way home from work tonight!]. No job is too big or too small. My fee is $25 an hour. Unbeatable. No?
Thanks for dropping by today. I hope my spam hasn't offended!
Who'd've thought I'd've made it this far? Not I!
I was a PhD student at UC Berkeley for my first 39th. Full of piss [mostly rented beer] and vinegar [fermented wine, almost certainly]. Full of myself! Full of hope that a stellar career awaited me.
Who could've predicted that the stellar career would be the one I'm presently occupying--assistant paper pusher in support of the world-class astronomers attached to the University of California Observatories? Probably no one. Least of all, me.
And who could've predicted that my avocation this late in life would be that of a kind of archaeological gadfly? That, despite my own grave shortcomings, which I freely admit, the question of my life's scholarly contribution is not, as yet, a dead issue.
Sadly, I shall emerge from this coming birthday weekend another day older and deeper in debt [honestly]. For that reason alone, I must, I fear, prostitute myself by reminding you, dear Reader, that I am a Mind for Hire. I'm a dab hand at proofreading, editing for clarity, word processing [MS Word and LaTex], and digital presentation production [MS PowerPoint]. I have published books and articles, and edited a professional journal. I've pissed off more people than I can remember by suggesting to them how they might improve their written discourse! If that doesn't make me a professional editor, nothing else I can think of would.
I work cheap, and I can promise quick turnaround [at least, that is, until I have more than one commission at a time--which, from my present perch, is about as likely as my falling into a dead-fall elephant trap on my way home from work tonight!]. No job is too big or too small. My fee is $25 an hour. Unbeatable. No?
Thanks for dropping by today. I hope my spam hasn't offended!
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