Work is going to kill me this week. I just got my hands on a 500-page document that has to be gone through with a fine-toothed comb. Supposedly, it's already been closely reviewed by the tech writer.

Five hundred pages. And I'm supposed to check it for:

• Correct figure numbers and caption formatting.
• Correct references to the figures within the document.
• Correct page and section numbers.
• Consistent line spacing (e.g., if we single-space a bulleted list in Section 3, we also single-space bulleted lists in Section 23).
• Grammar (with a special eye toward the use of the active voice rather than the passive, punctuation, and capitalizations) and spelling and typos.
• Readability of layout.
• Correct usage of the verb phrase, "log in," versus the adjective, "login." Same thing with "setup" versus "set up" and "back up" versus "backup." These are technically grammar, but misuse of these words and phrases is rampant, so I'm watching for them specially.

That's just the list of specific things I'm supposed to check for, mind you. If I see anything else along the way that bothers me - inconsistent use of bold versus italics, or a frequently-repeated phrase that gets phrased differently in one spot, or instructions that are technically correct but hard to read, or instructions that are not correct - I should mark those as well.

I need to start sending sections back to the tech writer by Wednesday so she can make the changes, because this document is due out next week.

Yesterday afternoon, I spent about two hours going over the first, oh, twenty or twenty-five pages. That is, about ten pages of Table of Contents, and then ten to fifteen pages of the actual document.

I found forty-two errors in those twenty-five pages.

If that rate holds up - and I have no reason to think it will get any better - then there's probably another 800 or so errors to find.

It's going to be a rough, tedious week. Enough so that I'm actually going to be looking forward to meetings as a way to take a break.

Thank all the gods for my iPod, that's all I'm saying here

More comprehension skills from Penny this morning!

She was being a little fussy, and I was trying to distract her with some toys. She was having none of it. She sat down and banged her hands on her thighs.

"What, you want to play pattycake?" I asked.

She looked up, beamed hugely, and clapped her hands together.

So I played pattycake with her. (She only ever does the clapping hands part, but she likes to watch me do it.)

Only as I finished did I realize what had happened. "Penny?" She looked at me, wide blue eyes. "Pattycake?" She clapped her hands.

"What about hi?" She performed her babyish wave.

"You're so smart!" Was I imagining it? "Pattycake?" Clap-clap-clap-clap. "And hi." Wave.

Wow. Time to pursue the new trick some more, then. I put my hand over my mouth, then swept it way out to the side. "Mmmmm-WAH!" An exaggerated blown kiss. She looked at me.

I did it again. "Mmmmm-WAH!" She put her hand over her mouth, and then just let it fall.

"Mmmmm-WAH!" She looked at me. I picked up her hand, touched it to her mouth, then swung it to the side for her. "Mmmm-WAH!" She grinned.

I did it again, myself. "Mmmm-WAH!" She put her hand over her mouth, then pulled her arm away deliberately. More down than out to the side, but it was a definite attempt to duplicate my kiss.

I tried a few more times, and she copied me about half the time.

When Matt came down a few minutes later, I said, "Watch this! Penny? Pattycake!"

She stood there and looked at Matt. "Penny? Pattycake!" She wouldn't look at me.

Matt said, "Pattycake?" She clapped on cue.

(It's important to get her attention before talking to her, you see.)

I did get her to duplicate the blown kiss for him, though. With a little more practice, it'll be too cute for words.

--Liz