The weekend is coming

Swell's Mum arrives for a visit early tomorrow morning. Sometime around 6 am we need to be at the airport to pick her up, then its off to our respective places of business. She will leave bright and early Tuesday morning - I think.

Swell faxed a contract and a payment to the consulting company I wrote about earlier. That means we're on our way to moving - somewhere - and owning a practice.

We're very excited. Although I'm hesitant to get terribly excited because there are other things we want to be able to do that could take a back seat with the stresses and demands of being business owners.

I'm a professional author... officially.

My column will be published in Optometric Management this month's issue (i.e. it is in the mail now). I will be paid for its inclusion in the journal.

My collaboration article is in November's issue of Clinical and Experimental Optometry which will be out soon. (I've seen the final version as it will appear in the Journal. Very exciting.)

My written all by lonesome article has passed one of two reviewers' second review but I have not yet heard back from the second second reviewer.

I am working on analyzing some silly data that we collected while in Nablus that Swell and I will turn into a paper soon after.

Upon receipt of the contract for my Optometric Management column I was reminded that they are always looking for "good" writers. I suggested a series of articles that I would write that would track our opening of our practice. Discussions on choosing a location. Choosing whether to buy or open cold. Decisions on what insurance to take, etc. The idea is being passed along so I may have some more writing to do. I'm already doing a very silly version of those articles on a secret blog that you're not allowed to see so it would just be taking those ideas and making them more serious and thoughtful. Fun to think that I may be able to write some serious public health things and then some more generic optometry things.

Things are really good around here. We spent a small fortune getting some paintings framed. They turned out awesome. We've framed 5 paintings (Two from Egypt, two from Moldova, and one from South Africa). A sixth (from South Africa) was simply stretched onto a frame.

The Moldova ones (which were sitting in a book for 7 years) are my favourite although the others look really, really good as well.

Sorry so boring but we really haven't been up to much lately. I think we're going to head down to Florida next weekend for Sunday as we want to get away for a bit and there are some folks we wouldn't mind saying "hi" to. I also want to give a small gift to the outgoing president of the main optometry group that provides volunteer services in developing countries. They are having their annual meeting a week from Sunday in Florida (we went last year). I want to give her a gift for being such an understanding and kind person despite the recent "attacks" on her organization's methods.

Thats it. More later.