Here is another one of these rambling articles that allows me to cover a wide range of territory in one fell swoop.
Incidentally, the phrase “one fell swoop” seems to have originated with Shakespeare in his play Macbeth. Macduff, having just heard of the murder of his family, says:
All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?
The word “fell” refers to ferocity or evil. So in one evil swoop his family was wiped out as if a kite (a bird of prey) fell upon a group of chickens.
But I digress.
I have a bit of an odd question. I have been offered an interview with quite an interesting person and one whom I know a lot of people around here much admire. I am very eager to interview him, but there is one condition handed down from his agent: he can only do a phone interview which means I’d have to record it. I would then simply have to create a transcript of our conversation. While that is well and good, I have no way of recording such an interview. Can anyone tell me how I could go about recording a phone call?
Also, I am having computer issues and am looking at finally upgrading from my current system. If there is anyone out there who is more educated in these matters than I am, I’d appreciate the opportunity to discuss options with you. I used to be the hardware guy among my social group but having forsaken the hardware game in favor of web design I’ve soon fallen far behind. So I’d like a primer on current laptop technology versus desktop technology.
Turning to a new topic, yesterday I was at the doctor’s office complaining about an earache when a young girl, probably twenty or so, pushing a toddler emerged from one of the rooms. She talked to the nurse about how she needed to make her way across town but did not have money to pay for a cab. She did not look exceedingly poor (and frankly, there aren’t a lot of poor people in my part of the city) but she did not seem to have money for a cab. The nurse pointed her to a bus stop and told her that althought it would be a long trek, the bus would eventually get her home. I felt very guilty at this point, wondering if I should offer to drive her home. She would have had to wait until I saw the doctor (which took only a few minutes) but I would have been glad to then drive her home. But I didn’t. Images of lawsuits and upset spouses flashed through my mind. So tell me, did I do the right thing? What is the correct thing to do in such a situation?
That’s all you’re getting out of me today! My wife is off at a baby shower and the children and I will have to find something to do indoors since it is raining today. And I believe it is supposed to rain for the rest of the weekend…
