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Monday, January 9, 2012

In Which I Squee Like a Fangirl

My son, Connor. The weird thing next to his face is his arm.
So I am now armed with pictures of the little parasite inside my uterus. He's still got some growing to do, mostly his lungs and brain, but in two weeks (I am 35 weeks today) he will be considered completely developed. Which mean the time he spends in the womb afterwards is him just straight up free loading (seriously, I know they are putting on more weight to prepare for life outside, etc, etc). I really can't blame him since he's got a good thing going on in there. I wish I could lay around all day and get feed via a tube. I mean, I do the first part a lot, but I have to get off the couch to get food. How unfair is that?

Moving on from my laziness!

Did you know that James Scott Bell came out with a new book on writing? I know! It's like a belated Christmas present! It's called "Conflict and Suspense". I have his other three books on writing, Plot and Structure, Revision and Self Editing, and the Art of War for Writers. I highly recommend all three books. My copies have tons of little scraps of paper bookmarks in them.

Ergo my agonized debate whether or not I should buy a ebook copy or a hard copy. On one hand, the ebook is a little cheaper and I would get it RIGHT NOW. Let me stress to you the importance of RIGHT NOW. I know it's bad in the digital age we don't want to wait for things, but seriously guys. James Scott Bell. New book on writing, coinciding with me revamping my writing process and analyzing what's working and what's not.

In the end, the little scraps of paper won out and I ordered a hard copy. I now have an estimated delivery date of this Wednesday, or January 17-24th. I have Amazon Prime, which is supossed to give me free two day shipping. But for some reason Amazon says this book doesn't release until the 12th of January, even though it also appears you can buy it right now (RIGHT NOW). So it's currently in limbo and I wait anxiously to see when it will arrive. I downloaded the sample chapters on my kindle, but that just left me wanting more.

While I am waiting, why don't you guys tell me what you prefer out of your reference books, ebook or hard copy? And why? Am I the only one who saw this as a huge dilemma?

7 comments:

  1. Congrats on your little one. The picture is amazing.

    I prefer hardback if it's a book I think I'll really enjoy and may read again. I also like to be able to find a phrase I like and analyze great writing. I'll buy the ebook if it's cheap. Crazy answer, I know.

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  2. Miranda: My feelings exactly. I was tempted to buy the ebook too since it's inexpensive, but I think I can wait two days. :D

    Rena: I know! He looks like a little human, and not some weird alien-skeleton hybrid. I can't wait to compare a picture of his face when he comes out. :D

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  3. Awe, don't you love the new technology that lets you see your sweet boy?

    Right now I'd have to say I prefer hard copy, but that's because I haven't had an e-reader for more than four days.

    Give me a few months with my new toy and I might change my mind. My friend says you can take notes on the new Kindle Fire. She's going to teach me.

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  4. He looks disgruntled. :-) But really, 40 weeks is considered term (plus or minus 2 weeks.) So don't rush the poor kid. (That said, my one niece was taken out at 35 weeks, because my sil had toxemia. So keep your bp down!)

    You kindle owners with your instant gratification, buying books and getting them Right Now. phththt.

    As I don't have an ereader, I don't think that would be my preferred format. (And yes, I know, you can put it on the computer, but that isn't nearly as convenient as those nifty kindles and nooks. I'm not as likely to do much reading that way. Unless I'm reading for a friend.)

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  5. Charity: I do love new technology. It was so cool to actually see him in there.

    I do love my ereader, but I still think I will prefer hard copy for reference books. I know you can take notes and make bookmarks, but I still irrationally feel like it's easier to grab the book off the shelf and flip straight to the page I want then having to tab through my bookmarks.

    Linda: Oh I know he's full term at 40 weeks! I want him to stay in there for as long as possible. It's just reassuring to me to know that if I do go into labor early that I won't have to worry too much about brain damage and poorly developed lungs and stuff like that.

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  6. My niece was born (c-section - sil hadn't gone into labor) at 35 weeks, and did fine. She was 4lbs 10oz. And that was over 30 years ago.

    Connor will do fine. But I suspect he will hang out in Casa Elizabeth a number of weeks more. :-)

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