I’m still working on those two books, Faith and Gaming and Game Ideas Unlimited Volume 1.  The problem presently is that the new Adobe Acrobat program, while it probably works much better than the one I was using, does not work the same as the one I was using, and I’ve not been able to figure out how to make it do what I want it to do.

It has to do with font embedding and paper size, both of which have to be right, and different for each document.  There are two ways to move a Word document into Portable Document Format–one by opening Word and exporting it, the other by opening Acrobat and importing it.  These have different requirements, different controls, and different default settings.

The printer that will be handling Game Ideas Unlimited requires that the pages be an unusual size–what they call Comic Book Size–and that the files be kept small by embedding all the fonts needed but no others.  If I work from Acrobat, it will import the file exactly as it appears, automatically setting the page size to match the settings in Word–but I cannot get it to embed any fonts at all.  This is particularly frustrating, because it is evident that were I able to get it to embed all the fonts, I could then remove all the fonts I do not wish to have embedded; but with no fonts embedded, I cannot add them.

If, however, I work from Word, it asks me to select a paper size for the target document, from a list of paper sizes that have not dimensions but names–things like A2 and Legal.  I know what those are, but I do not know even a tenth of the document names, and I do not know which one would be right for the “comic book” dimensions I’m using.  Nor have I been able to find a listing anywhere of what size each of those names indicates.  I do have control over font embedding from that end, but I’ve not worked out how to get the right paper size.

So I’m racing against the clock, and the artist, who has already uploaded the cover images (and I’ve not had time to review them, but I trust him on this), needs the PDF completed and uploaded so he can get the spine dimensions and finish that; but the clock keeps me running in other directions, too.  My mother-in-law had to take her social security check to the bank today, which means I had to be there early enough to do that before taking her shopping; I also had to fix dinner, because the man who loves to cook for us is now cooking for someone else for the present.  I don’t mind doing it, but it is time consuming.

So here I am, the night slipping away and no extra time in it, trying to finish today’s work and be ready for tomorrow’s, letting you know that I am trying to have those books ready by the end of the month, but it’s going to be a challenge.

–M. J. Young

It was actually quarter after five this morning when I shut down the lights and went to sleep for forty-five minutes before rousting myself to launch the boy onto the bus–and he had more trouble awakening than I, I think. Of course, I went back to bed for a few periodically disrupted hours, and started my real day closer to two.

I would love to blabber some excuse about how I used all that time to catch up on the work I missed when the computer failed on Monday, but it’s a much more mundane explanation: I spent some of that time (not all of it–there still was work to finish) with my wife.

Today, however, has not been kind. It is a mercy that it is Thursday, a light day. However, Kyler needed a few things, and I had to buy some of them and bring all of them to his location; also, one of our houseguests had surgery yesterday and needed to be brought home today. In the midst of this, my poor mother-in-law called. She is worried that her social security check is not yet in the bank. I told her that there was no way I could get everywhere I needed to be and get her to the bank on time, and she was very upset; then I refigured everything, called her back and told her I could do it, but it would be tight; then I got held up with the part about buying things, and had to call her back to say no, I would have to attempt to do it tomorrow. I think that was more upsetting than just having said no the first time, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Thus I’m very near both the beginning and the end of my day–that is, I’m just getting started on today’s work, but I’ll be leaving to retrieve my wife from work before I’ve gotten much farther along. I’ve had to add things to tomorrow, and to Saturday, and am looking at quite a crunch, but at least I’m dealing with today today.

Also, I managed to pull together a draft of the notes for the directors meeting this Sunday. October is the month in which we normally elect officers and decide on our meeting schedule for the coming year, so it’s a big meeting; having that out of the way is good, particularly as there are so many things still in the way.

–M. J. Young

In the wake of those computer problems, I am trying to catch up. I would like to think that I am working as fast as I can, but truth be told I’m distracted and derailed and jumbled, as if my internal modem is trying to transmit and receive on too many channels and my internal processor is handling too many tasks. My baud rate is not so adjustable as that of a machine, and although some respect me for my processing power, that’s got its limits also.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I managed to finish Monday’s work; today I am hoping to complete what I should have done yesterday, and maybe get started on the e-mail for today. However, I’m not certain I will accomplish any of that, and I’ve got to make dinner as well (and come to think if it, I don’t think I have a clean roasting pan suitable for the pork loin I just put in the microwave, so I have some dishwashing to do as well). We do what we can of what we must, though, so I’ll be getting to that quickly.

–M. J. Young

Yes, I missed Monday, or at least a good part of it.

I was pushing to get through things yesterday, and had not finished the e-mail when I was serving supper, knowing that I had a few errands still ahead plus the trip to take my mother-in-law shopping. Thus I ran out of here with Monday less than half finished. Still, with all the errands, I was pulling back into the neighborhood just in time to pick up the wife, so I went that direction. She was not too late, as I recall, and so I soon was home, pressing the button to restart the computer.

And pressing it again….

And pressing it again….

The computer would not start. I did the usual things, and the unusual things, checking power lines, verifying the pilot light in the rear, shutting off and restoring the power, and nothing made any difference. There were no lights, no fans, no motorcars, not a single luxury.

I caught up on Dr. Who, and although I did not get to sleep exactly early I did not get any more work done, either. I started to watch Primer yet again (it is not an easy movie to start watching, I think), but shut it off and slept a few hours before rousting the youngest for his bus, and then slept a few more hours.

I was then told, oops, that I had not been told the night before that I was needed to drive one of our houseguests to the hospital for an operation. I did that, and had another errand request phoned actually to his cell phone on the way, to which I attended. I talked to a couple of people about what might be wrong, and they generally agreed with me that it was most likely either the switch itself or the relay, and in either case I was probably replacing the tower. So I made my way out to Best Buys, which is the only place within fifty miles where computer parts and components can be purchased, as far as I know.

There I was staring at the towers, trying to decide what I needed, when a salesman offered to help. I explained my problem, and he suggested that I should bring the computer to the Geek Squad™–let them determine whether it actually is the tower. I decided not to tell him that I had rather foolishly made the half hour trip without bringing the computer, and instead made the half hour trip home to get it; while home, I also took the time to make and serve dinner, thinking that a half hour diagnostic plus an hour of driving time plus let me consider letting them do all the work of moving everything to the new box, and it’s too late to be making dinner then. Thus evening had established itself before I returned with the computer.

That’s when it turned good. The guy at the counter took the computer (the side was already open–apparently the last technician to work on it didn’t see the need to replace the cover on the side that was going to be against the wall) and sprayed out the interior with compressed air. This was not your typical canned compressed air; the Geek Squad™ has the sort of compressor your auto mechanic uses for his tools. He spent maybe five minutes with it, and then brought it back, hooked it up, and tested it. I won’t say everything ran fine, because it never runs fine on a cold boot; but it started five tries in sequence. He said in addition to knocking out the dust he also “reset the video card”. I did not ask whether that was a physical or an electronic task.

Further, he charged me nothing. I was so pleased, I bought a couple presents for my wife while I was there.

I have finished Monday’s e-mail and am tackling the forums; I expect to push Tuesday into Wednesday, and Wednesday into Thursday, but am hoping that by Friday I will have caught up on everything without cutting too many corners.

So for those who heard that I was gone: I’m back.

–M. J. Young

Again my computer is giving me problems. It’s not surprising, really, as it is Sunday and I haven’t run the maintenance programs since Wednesday, so the drives are a bit uncertain where they left everything. I’ll deal with it, but I’ve had to reboot several times to get the system running at all, and a couple more times since then when it froze.

I did run a live game on Friday night. I missed church, but not because of the game–rather because when I reached the church parking lot I noticed an incoming call on my cell phone, and in calling back to find out the reason got diverted to pick up a few things at a store. I got my nap, although it was brief, and wrapped up the game on the early side, shortly after one, so I could get enough sleep and make church in the morning. The game was good; hopefully my players will post summaries.

Otherwise, the little time I stole to do some “work” was invested into editing my Romans study notes. The fact that the pastor is eager to have a copy of these is an impetus to pushing forward on that project, as also is the fact that I’ve reached the final chapter in posting it on the study list, and it would be nice if I could announce the availability of a print or file copy of the entire package to the group when I hit the end, probably about a month or so from now.

Meanwhile, I am hoping that in addition to everything else I can include my second opportunity to go swimming this summer, so if I am stalled in my forum postings, you’ll know where to find me.

–M. J. Young