Nothing a little GIVEAWAY won't make better...

I'm sure I can't be the only one to have noticed that the harder anyone tries to not have any expectations going into an event or encounter, the more crushing the disappointment. Because we have to have expectations, or we wouldn't bother doing anything at all. And then, if we're delusional enough to believe that we're in an emotionally neutral state, it's insult to injury to find that in fact we can still be disappointed. (No one ever starts out cautioning oneself against feeling too happy. Even the optimists have learned that this generally isn't a problem.)

Which is a long-winded way of saying that yes, as a matter of fact, doctors still bite. At least in my neck of the woods.

I must say that this guy made the previous one look like a prince. At least the last guy was friendly and incompetent. This guy was an arrogant jerk.

I managed to get some more information about what's going on in my body in spite of him. Quite literally -- the guy was fighting me all the way as soon as he found out that I'm not interested in just going on the pill without something a little closer to a definitive diagnosis. If I felt like just slapping a chemical Band-Aid on my condition, I could stay at home with the economy-sized bottle of ibuprofen.

So, for me: more reading, more research, complaints to be filed (my husband wasn't allowed in the room for the discussion, as we'd requested in advance), and more pushing for a specialist who knows what the bleep he's doing. No, what she's doing. I'm not saying female doctors are any more sensitive as a group than men, but I do feel slightly less violated when a double-x chromosome carrier starts rummaging around like she thinks one of my ovaries stole her watch.

But this is supposed to be an editor's blog, so how's about a little magazine talk?

The brilliant and beautiful Tyler Clay reviewed Berlitz' 601 Spanish Verbs in the current issue of SHM. And the publisher sent me an extra copy of the book. So I thought it would be nice to celebrate the end of a particularly nasty sevenday (we had a financial blow that made the visit to the doctor the best thing that happened all week, and wow do I not feel like talking about it) by having a magazine-book giveaway.

The book is exactly what the title promises, and also includes a CD-ROM of essential Spanish words and phrases, an index of over 2500 Spanish verbs, a cute "tech" verb list, a section of verb activities, and a list of must-know verbs. And of course 601 thoroughly conjugated Spanish verbs.

Since it's already late in the day, let's let this one run until Wednesday, if I can remember how to spell it. (I know you couldn’t see it, but I just tried and failed three times. I call myself an editor. This is sad.) Just post a comment here to enter the drawing. I'll generate a random number when the time comes and award the book and a copy of issue #8 to the lucky winner. If you already have a copy of the current issue, either you can share your spare with the library or maybe there's a back issue you like the looks of.

This Halloween is the two-year anniversary of SHM's birth, so if you don't win this giveaway, don't worry -- there'll be another one soon.