An addendum, because there always have to be addenda (And this is something that bugged me and very nearly made me take the previous post down).

I am NOT saying there is not right and wrong in some matters. If someone said on their blog, "I think the correct way of dealing with a neighbor's barking dog is to shoot the dog," I think most (if not all) reasonable people would agree that that was wrong.

But - so many things are matters of opinion.

And you can disagree with someone without becoming disagreeable.

I guess my frustration is that some people feel empowered to come in to places, anonymously, and be rude - and they suffer no consequences (and apparently feel no guilt).

And the other thing: it's a frickin' knitting blog. It's not Health Care Reform, it's not Voting Rights, it's not the Cambridge Police.

I'm less inclined to voice opinions on here (and as I said, very nearly took that last post down) because I've seen - and this may again be a factor of spending so much time on college campuses, where things tend to get overheated because of the close atmosphere - people who disagreed over little things becoming well and truly disagreeable.

At any rate. I don't want to see a world where the "winners" are merely the people who can shout the loudest and be the most intimidating. Jesus once said the meek would inherit the earth; it seems we are still waiting for that to happen. (If I'm even interpreting the scripture right, which is a topic that in itself can cause tremendous disagreement and much heat without much light).

***

Again, at any rate: I'm happy because my check for evaluating the textbook chapter came today. Yay MacMillan! I didn't think you'd be so fast.

I wish I could get more of that kind of work coming my way; for one thing, it's something I do enjoy doing (and can do on my 'downtime' on weekends and such). And I am good at it. And it's decent money for the work. And I suppose my working over the textbook chapters does make them better.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty taking the money - I am sure in part the generosity of textbook publishers towards reviewers drives up the price for students. But then again - wouldn't it be a bigger rip-off for the students if they got textbooks that were full of errors and were badly written? I really shouldn't feel guilty for taking money for something I am diligent at and do well.

The check came at the perfect time - I can cash it and use it for travel money (I need cash to tip the car attendant and the waiters on the train, and it's nice to have some pocket money with me in case I see something I want to buy).