Category: field notes

For those about to sip their caffeine elixir… Java-Inspired Jazz: http://ping.fm/wVldP

Dear twitchy-guy riding the bus and wearing an Iron Maiden hoodie,

Please don’t hit on the young lady in the Slipknot T-shirt. It’s the musical equivalence of incest. Besides, she doesn’t like you and the bus driver is ready to throw you off the bus.

Further, having consumed moderate amounts of Iron Maiden during the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and No Prayer for the Dying era, your ear-bud induced convulsions are a poor imitation of Nicko McBrain’s thunderous drum work.

Sincerely,
Annoyed-undercaffeinated bus rider

Red Green says, “Men need to replace the phrase ‘Hey, watch this’, with ‘Where are my glasses?’ and ‘Where are my other glasses?’…”

Somehow I managed to make it all the way to the office before I realized I left my glasses at home. Usually I’m more organized than this. My book bag is packed the night before. Bus pass, office keys, glasses, etc. are placed next to the book bag. Shoes are placed at the front door. So, the futility of waking up early this morning to get to the office before anyone else only to have to return home, retrieve my glasses and go back to the office was rewarded by a barista who says, “You want a bold coffee, right?”

I’m sure David Allen would have something appropriate to say about the inefficiency of this mornings events. Maybe there was an open loop somewhere I didn’t close. Maybe it has something to do with time or energy availability. Or maybe it has to do with stumbling around the house in the dark while trying not to wake anyone.

All this to say, I can do stupid things just as fast without coffee as I can with coffee.

It’s a cool September morning. For the first time in over a week, the bus from my ‘hood made it to the Transit Center in time for me to transfer to the next bus that takes me to work.On the way to the office I stop by my coffee dealer who sets me up with a pumpkin scone and a bold Italian blend coffee. To the east, the sun barely breaks the ridge of the mountain at 7:45 AM. The office is quiet as a nibble away at breakfast and sip steaming hot coffee.

Last night for a few minutes it felt like August 1988. Driving west on Highway 11, a half moon rising to the southwest, a line of red radio tower lights on the horizon to the northwest, the evening star the Greeks named Hesperus straight on to the west and Def Leppard’s hit song “Pour Some Sugar on Me” explodes from the auto’s stereo speakers. For a moment, I’m planning to leave this place and pursue an art degree. And I’m thinking about auditioning for the high school musical. And I’m wondering if… Then the song ends. And it’s not August 1988. And yet here I am again driving west on Highway 11.

while walking this morning in the foggy dew… i wonder if norway has mornings like this?

Here’s a fantastic infographic that presents a visualizes the answer to the following question: How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online? If you think those results look abysmal, try publishing a book.

Here’s a book publishing case study to consider. A couple of years ago I worked on a 72-page book. The book features one-color illustrations on the text pages and full-color cover. The cover price is $5.99. It costs $1.58 per copy to have the books printed and delivered to the warehouse. You’re probably thinking that’s not so bad. There’s a $4.41 profit and the author (assuming the author receives a 10% royalty) walks away with $0.44 per copy sold. Not really impressive is it?

The publisher has to ship inventory to booksellers (online or brick-and-mortar) and that costs quite a bit. For example, let’s say the publisher receives an order from Amazon.com and one product is ordered. It costs the publisher $0.97 to properly pack and label the order and $2.13 to mail it using USPS. So far, the publisher costs for one book sold through Amazon.com is $4.68. That reduces the profit margin to $1.31 per copy. Like most retailers, Amazon.com buys books at 55% off the cover price: $2.70. You’ll notice that the publisher is running a deficit. It literally costs the publisher $1.98 to sell a $5.99 book title. The author receives no royalty.

If the publisher sells the book through its own web store, then the net profit is $1.31 for one book sold. The publisher pays the author $0.13 per copy sold.

All that to say, the author of the book in this case study needs to sell 2,240 copies on the publisher’s web store to earn the same amount of money that an employee at Hardee’s (earning minimum wage) earns in a 40-hour week.

just returned for the celebration singers of asheville’s winter concert. the soloist, a 9-yr old, performed memory from the musical cats! amazing!