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Archive for December, 2008

They'd rather wait for me!

December 31st, 2008 at 06:23 pm

Spoke to the guy with the 29 presentations and told him I could only commit to doing 17 by Jan 5... he said he doesn't need them until the 12th, and that, if I am available, he'd much rather wait and have me translate them all!

WOOO-HOOO-HOOO-HOOO!!!

(had to share! back to work!)

Swamped! :)

December 30th, 2008 at 03:19 pm

Friends, I'll be MIA for at least a week! Not even reading, probably...I've got 16 hours worth of scripts for Feb...(Thank God for the work, and Thank God that they are sending them early this time!...sometimes I don't get them until the 10th of the previous month!)... AND, I've got tons of work from a government entity in charge of promoting investments here in ES... 29 presentations!!....I think I can, I think I can.... I think I can...

CPTACEK!!!

December 24th, 2008 at 02:39 pm

You didn't think I'd forget to send you a super special, just- for-you-on- your-birthday collage this year, did you??

Nephew

December 23rd, 2008 at 08:28 pm

Well, I have mentioned that nephew is now living with us... he's been with us since the end of October, after being released from his evaluation at the psychiatric hospital. The psychiatrist adviced against putting him back in rehab, said he's reached a point where what he truly needs is a home environment.
Needless to say, we have all been kind of on the edge about this...
Sis gave him 15 days to find a job... he started working at a warehouse about 2 blocks from home... the night shift...was there for a 15 day trial, but they didn't hire him because he "couldn't work as well after 2 am" (shift was 8pm - 5am)... they didn't pay him, either...since it was just a trial (he agreed to those terms prior to starting, so...)
Anyway...he had already applied (twice!) to a call center, and went and tried a third time (same call center)... the HR person noticed him and said: "you ARE persistent, aren't you?" and signed him up for a 2-week initial training... he passed the final exam and was offered a permanent position starting Dec 15 (sister's b-day... her best present ever!)... he was paid his first salary yesterday, and gave my sister $50 for house expenses... ANOTHER first!...plus, her best Xmas gift ever, too!...
Yes, we still have twin heart attacks when he goes out with friends... yes, our hearts still stand still whenever something goes "missing"...then resume beating when the items are found!... He's been behaving really well...having the occasional spat with my sister, of course... he's still not very good at following rules...particularly rules he finds useless...and sis is still trying to controll so many things, it's difficult...
The other day, for example, he went out with friends... he returned at around 12, and asked sis for money to pay for a cab ($7) because his friends had started drinking and since he wasn't drinking he decided it was no fun and took a cab to come back home... sis started scolding him for going out with these friends in the first place, knowing full well they were most probably going to start drinking... from where I'm standing, though, he made a responsible decision... 2, actually...not drinking and not riding with someone that was drunk... yes, it would perhaps have been preferrable (and cheaper!) if he had stayed home...but... he's 24, we can't put him on a leash or keep him locked up!... he HAS to learn to deal with this type of thing!
So, anyway... as stressful as this has been, so far, it seems like things will work out right! Smile

Going into frugal mode come 2009!

December 23rd, 2008 at 05:15 pm

Well, we went off frugal mode in November- with the Xmas bonus at the office...
while a lot of the $$$ has been going to things that were needed/not urgent (like painting the outside of the house and the living room) some has also gone to mindless spending (not bringing food for lunch... useless trinkets for Ale, etc)... I wouldn't say it's BAD, but it certainly could have been better used (yes, you do need to have some fun once in a while)... anyway.. I've already warned Ale that, come January, we will NOT be going to the malls anymore, unless it's for school-related items (like shoes...she desperately NEEDS new school shoes, hers look like she took them out of a dumpster already! I noticed it early December, but decided that, since her last day of school was the 17th, they'd HAVE to last until then!...and, I will wait until the last possible moment to buy, given the way she's growing!)...
I also told her we will not be eating out as much or entertaining as much, unless we find free/almost free fun!
Wish me luck!

what's a billion?

December 22nd, 2008 at 08:30 pm

a billion, "in English" is one thousand millions... "in Spanish" a billon is a milliion millions...
quite a difference, huh?

I get really confused when I have to translate this (numbers really elude me, to say the least)... I have more problems when I have to translate things like> 4 and a half billion... I really have no clue how much that is... and, oh, yes, I did mess that up on a recent script! (Thank God, they DO review them!)

"I already have your present, sweetie"

December 22nd, 2008 at 08:21 pm

he,he,he...this is what I told Ale when she showed me- again- the dream doll house...little does she know an identical one is sittin in my sister's closet...
I have almost all my presents...including my nephew's!!!...
the one I'm missing is tricky...it's Santa's "family" present... a big box containing 1 present for each one of us... in past years it has been easy, as there were only 4 women/girls in the house...now with nephew things get complicated... I'm thinking perhaps towels... (in the past, the 4 presents were identical, or "related", only different sizes and/or color)
Oh, I also have to shop for Nanny's Xmas dinner and present...but that one is easy!

Can I brag? Non- financial!

December 19th, 2008 at 06:35 pm

we got a request for 4 "urgent" programs... and then 1 more, "super urgent"...
2 of them have already been reviewed and are ready to be recorded... I just had to share this two comments!!!

"Fue una buena traduccion - verficamos ciertos terminos que nos tomo tiempo,pero todo está bien."
(it was a good translation. We verified certain terms, which took some time, but everything is fine) -- this was a very complicated translation for me, as it dealt with astronomy... lots and lots of technical terms and names!

the other one dealt with fixing some high voltage power lines...

"Una excelente traduccion - casi nada de cambios solo typos."

An excellent transnation, next to no changes, only typos.

(at the rate I've been translating, I can live with a few typos!...after all, the saying is: Translations- fast, accurate, cheap...pick 2!)

2008 goals - how did I do?

December 12th, 2008 at 05:32 pm

1. Track spending -- terrible, as usual

2. Make at least $1,000 per month average from translations. Save at least 10% of that! -- well, managed to do the $1k/month, but all my savings are gone (car repairs)... oh, well, at least it's no new debt!

3. Take better care of myself...hmmm... so-so....

So, in conclusion... did not do that well in 2008, although there was progress, that's for sure!

Have to start thinking about 2009!

Ballet bag pictures!!

December 10th, 2008 at 02:49 pm

Well, I don't know how well these will show... in my computer at home they look ok, but at work they look awful!(tried fixing them with Adobe and now they look better, although the colors are a bit off... the bright pink is actually not THAT bright!)

Here's the original idea:


And here's the real thing!


A detail of the tutu:

Detail of the slipers:

Detail of the hearts:


I must say I'm very proud of myself! It turned out really well...for someone with my sewing knowledge...(knitting, I know...sewing... VERY limited skills!)

I told you!!!

December 8th, 2008 at 11:33 pm

Remember I said I would get less translations this month?

http://miclason.savingadvice.com/2008/11/05/less-translations-this-month-but-could-b_44822/

Not anymore! the other translator found a full time job and quit, so now her work got reassigned to me!!

Oh, well, I had a week "off"!
LOL!
back to the salt mines!!

The ballet bag...

December 5th, 2008 at 08:21 pm

Is coming along nicely... I tried taking some pictures, but they were too dark... bummer...I'll try againg tonight! (Did I mention I need to do this at night, so Ale won't discover me?)
I'm almost done... sadly enough, I don't think I can finish it on time to be a recital gift (the show is tomorrow!...I still have 2 good days' work to do on it!)There's one part of the directions that I really don't understand...eventhough it describes the procedure and even has a picture! (how dense can one be?) So it's not like I can rush it!...so it'll have to be an "additional" Christmas gift!