It's almost the end of the year. Just two days left, including today. Did you get a new calendar, day planner, or whatever system you use to keep track of the days and your schedule? I still need to get a wall calendar. Mainly I use it for keeping track of how often things need to be done. I have a small calendar which I keep in the car to keep track of my hours at my other job. They give out the small calendars at work each January. Free is good.

Anyway, here we are at the end of another year. Are you ready? I think this is a good time of year to clean out your desk and your files. The physical ones you move off chairs, shove under the desk and try to put back in their proper place in the proper drawer. As well, the files in your computer, the ones which clutter up your hard drive and rob you of space you could be using for other, more personal clutter.

How about taking the time to do a year end clean up? Go through everything. Toss out what you don't really need and organize what you do need. Go through your idea folder and reminisce of ideas past. Any that can still be used or recycled?

Go through your invoicing (assuming you freelance) and make sure nothing is outstanding or neglected. Go through your receipts now, why wait till tax time? Make sure you're ready to claim all your writing expenses. Check and see what you can claim if you haven't already done so.

Dust and tidy your bookshelves. I know you have them. Round up all those CD's and put them back in the right places. Treat yourself to a new waste can for all the odds and ends that come along for tossing out during the average day. Consider a trip to an office supplies store and look at pen holders, filing systems and whatever else could help you sort out and maintain the every day desktop clutter.

If your clutter is so bad you have old coffee cups around your work space you need a heavy duty clean up. Get out one of those big green garbage bags and toss everything but the computer into it. Work your way backwards. Pull out what you really need and leave the rest in the bag, with the bugs.

Once the clutter is controlled and your work area is decontaminated (don't laugh too hard, I've seen those cookie crumbs in your keyboard)... consider better use of your work space. How can you keep things tidy and easy to find? What needs to be in easy reach and what can be stored below, in desk drawers?

Maybe it's time you made your work space a bit more personal too, add some finishing touches like a family photo, a few inspiring quotes you can print out in a fancy font. Whatever creates the write atmosphere for you. (That was no typo).

Good luck and happy 2004 for all of us.

"I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me." -Anna Quindlen

"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us." - Franz Kafka

"The good writer seems to be writing about himself, but has his eye always on that thread of the Universe which runs through himself and all things." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's been awhile since you wrote a letter to Santa. I bet he'd like to hear from you. Go ahead, give in to temptation, write Santa a letter and send him your Christmas wish list. Then leave it lying around for your loved ones to... mail. Exercise your letter writing skills and get something you really want under the tree.

Do you remember how to start? "Dear Santa" works well. Here is my own letter to Santa this year. Likely he'll have to check his back lists to figure out who I am. It's been quite a long time between letters.

Dear Santa,

How are things up there in the North Pole? I hope you're keeping warm, you and Mrs. Claus. Let the reindeer sleep in the barn a few nights. Let the elves work late, or later and give Mrs. Claus some cuddling and well, surely you haven't forgotten how that works.

Anyway, just thought I'd send a note. It's been quite awhile since I wrote. I found some delicious sounding coffee recipes. Wish I had someone to share them with here. But, maybe next Christmas. Hint.

So, yes, Santa, as you may have guessed. I'd like a good man under my tree this year. I realize I haven't quit gotten around to putting up the tree. I think working retail slowly sucks the Christmas enthusiasm out of you. I'm around Christmas trees, decorations, and such all day. I can't help that it's kind of nice to come home and only hear the odd Christmas carol on the radio. You must know what it's like, up there, surrounded by Christmas every day.

Still, if you bring the man, I'll put up the tree. Or at least leave that 24 hour Christmas radio station on. Ick!

If you don't indulge in love slaves, that's ok. A digital camera would be a nice substitute. Or, if you're really feeling generous just a stocking full of cash to buy a house would be wonderful. Not something you'd have to make in the toy shop either. Isn't that a bonus? I bet you get tired of wood shavings.

Well, it's getting light outside. I think I'll start some coffee brewing and see if there's any sign of reindeer outside.

Seasons Greetings to you and Mrs. Claus, all the best,

Laura

Here's something for you to try...

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig!

Found in a blog: http://michaelwood.com/ Original credit to: http://jme.ca/

Try it yourself. It will be hard to type that way, you'd have to think of each word as you spell it. It wouldn't do to miss a letter or add one twice.

Anyway, I had no trouble reading that paragraph. It really is amazing.

Of course, it would make spellcheck obsolete. Your word processor would have fits checking all that. Grammar and punctuation would be the same. I think.

Also, it only works for words which are longer than 3 letters. You can't scramble 3 letter words and leave the two end letters the same as usual. I noticed words like 'keep' can't be scrambled cause the middle letters are the same already. Change them all you want, it stays the same.

Would it work as a secret code? Probably not, too easy to read. But it might keep them guessing awhile. Wondering what you're really up to.

So, I don't see much practical use for this idea. But, it is interesting.

Waht do you tinhk? Cuold tihs bcemoe ppoluar? It's tkanig me aegs to tpye tihs. I dno't hvae euognh ptaeicne to keep it up.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror." -Oscar Wilde

Have you ever had a word processor related accident? You know, you're typing along, your thoughts are flying onto the page, you feel good about your article and you intend to save it, then... poof! It's gone. Never to be found again.

Yes, that's a word processor related accident. I just had one with this weeks newsletter. It was brilliant. You would have loved it. I made some really great points. I said things better than I have when I wrote about the topic previously. I was pleased with the article and with myself. All I had to do was spellcheck it. Simple right? Sure.

I highlighted the article and I thought I clicked the copy button. I didn't. Instead I hit paste. My whole article was gone in the click of a mouse. Replaced by an email address I had cut and pasted an hour ago. I no longer needed the email address. It would be nice if I could have my original article back. But, I do have this wonderful new topic instead.

It's not the first time this has happened. Not the same thing each time either. Not so long ago I had my article typed into one window and I meant to open a new window to check something on another site which I wanted to link to my article. But, instead of hitting the 'shift' key I got mixed up and hit the 'control' key which doesn't open a new window, it just opens the link in the current window, as usual. So my article was gone, digital dust.

If you've had any particularly ghastly word processor related accidents post them to the forums/ boards here. Share your pain. We will all moan with you. You are not the only one to face this irreversible tragedy. Besides, why should I feel stupid alone?

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." Francis Bacon

"There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion." - Francis Bacon

Writing is kind of erotic. Kind of your own special luxury, something you do alone, to please yourself. It's almost like a secret life. A dirty little secret you don't share with friends or family who can just never really understand.

Do you feel guilty for the time you write? Are there other people lined up outside your writing door, perhaps listening in at your keyhole, waiting, lurking with all their demands. Do you ignore them just long enough to write one article, one chapter, one paragraph? When you stop writing, break your flow, ruin your focus, do they even appreciate what you gave up to give them this time away from your writing? Wouldn't you like to live with a sign that says "I'd rather be writing". Your own personal fetish.

But, when you are in the midst of that writing bubble, when you tune out the world and all you know are the words flowing from your brain to your fingers, isn't it almost as good (if not better) than an orgasm? Feel those words, use your favourite words, rub them in just the right way. It feels so good to see those sensual, almost exotic, just so good, words again. Sometimes it's the way they sound. Sometimes it's the way they look on the page. Sometimes, if you can even admit it to yourself, you just like them for what they are: words, your words.

Writing is like playing with words. Your parents wouldn't let you play with your food. But now, you can play with your words, it's almost like something which should be forbidden, it's almost too good. As you write the tension builds up, the words brushing your mind, smoothing down your skin to caress against the page. You can feel the vibrations of the keyboard as your fingers touch the keys. No wonder we like to keep physical expressions of this erotic nature at hand. Even now, I bet you have a coffee, some tasty treat or other near at hand.

Now, go nibble. Lick your lips and taste those words. Tease them, seduce them and most of all play with your words.

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

"It's the challenge of making a dull subject interesting without the use of fiction that gives me the adrenaline rush as a writer." Bonnie Burton

From her recent BackWash column - More Than Just Words