A Few Choice Words

It's crazy around here, and I haven't been tending to this sanity-saving area. But it's finally Friday, and I would like to go into the three-day weekend with this:

"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got."

"Balls to you, daddy."

"No, I don't want to battle
from beginning to end
don't want to cycle or recycle revenge;
I don't want to follow death and all of his friends."

These are a few of the lyrics I have been moved to write down on a post-it and stick to the tower of my CPU this past week. They are from Sheryl Crow, The Clash, and Coldplay, respectively. I also have one from KT Tunstall: "affection is yours if you ask; first you must take off your mask." But that doesn't seem to fit in the attitude I need for work these days. Home, yes; work, not so much.

Also, in case you were wondering, here's the story of my tagline. I bald-facedly stole it from John Cusack.

You're welcome.

One for the WTF Files

I am freaking out a little bit. Remember when I went through the run-down last week about who was here and who wasn't? Well, my co-worker who has pneumonia CAME TO WORK YESTERDAY. She proceeded to cough and hack her way through the day. I honestly expected to hear a loud gasp and thud as she finally succumbed to her inability to draw a full breath.

Who the F comes to work with pneumonia? Does she know if she is contagious? (I heard her hem and haw an answer to this question, which makes me think that she doesn't even know.) If pneumonia is something you get by inhaling infectious particles (either viral or bacterial particles) it would seem to me that, yes, there is a good chance you are contagious.

I am angry at my co-worker, and I hope she doesn't come in today or the rest of the week. I don't even care so much for myself as for my children. I have one starting school next week. It would kind of suck if she had to sit out for a month or so to get over something that mommy brought home from work. And what about my younger child?

It's not as if Odd Duck's job is in jeopardy. She was supposed to be on vacation this week anyway. Why would she come here? She's got almost 20 years; her product lines are solidly hers. What would make her drag herself to the office? She's clearly unwell. I don't think she's doing anyone any favors.

It's one thing to come to work with a cold. It's a completely different issue to come to work with a serious illness. Especially if you don't know if you're going to give it to others. (I'm not the only one in the department with young children.)

My Workplace is a Ghost Town

I don't know if it's the time of the year, or if JD is sticking pins in voodoo dolls (knock it off if you are, JD), but this place is a ghost town.

Quiet Guy is on vacation;
International Catalog took a day off;
Young Guy took today off;
Ray of Sunshine had to leave to take care of his wife, who fell and broke her wrist;
The Fat Lady is on vacation;
Odd Duck has pneumonia -- who knows when she'll be back?
Quiet Lady is on vacation;
Web Lady is on vacation.

We had to combine lunch tables today. Which was a fun change up, but I have done about 10 flow and edits today; Busy Writer has done two; and Senior Writer is still catching up from her vacation, plus doing some of Odd Duck's work.

I'm lighting some candles in church so no one else disappears over the weekend!

Be Careful What You Wish For

You know the rest.

It's been busy for me in Cubicleland. Odd Duck, a writer who's been here for 19 years, just got back today from her vacation. Senior Writer is still out, and her reviews are coming to me (which is kind of funny in a way). I've been pretty swamped as the only writer working on the catalog.

Here's the weird thing I'm having lately: Since JD left, I have to go in search of conversation that is not work-related. Leave my cube and go talk to another team member. (I will get a Cast of Characters up here to keep everyone sorted out.) Usually JD came in about an hour after me, stomped around his cube for awhile (JD was not a delicate guy. I winced sometimes when I heard him typing — I am almost sure I heard his keyboard breathe a sigh of relief when he left), and then we would go downstairs for strong coffee. Throughout the day, we would just chat through/over our cube wall.

Today, I've been here two-and-a-half hours, and aside from saying hello to one guy, and welcoming Odd Duck back from her vacation, I haven't really talked to anyone. I am contemplating my options as far as going off to have a non-work related conversation (NWRC) for a little bit.

Last Friday, I wandered into Weird Guy's cube for the NWRC. Weird Guy is okay, but, you know, weird. Sometimes his topics of conversation make me a little uncomfortable (not in a sexually harassed way); other times he makes me double over with laughter. I never know what I'm going to get. Last Friday, it was a bit about cheating on his wife with the lead singer of the Donnas (which he didn't actually do, but he would in a heartbeat), his kids/my kids, workplace politics (both of which we admit to not being good at), and gossip. Not too bad, but it made me sad that his attitude toward cheating on his wife was so caviler.

Of course, if I had a crack a Naveen Andrews, I'm not sure how hesitant I would be. But still.

So now I am contemplating a NWRC with Junior Copy Editor (Jr. for short). But that's how I have to preface it, too: "Hi, Jr., I'm just stopping in for some NWRC because I haven't actually talked to anyone in nearly three hours. How was your weekend?"

Is that weird? Otherwise, I'm not going to talk to anyone until lunchtime.

New Kid on the Block

In addition to just having lost someone I considered a friend, not to mention an ally, at this job, I have inherited JD's product lines.

Oh, I guess I should tell you a little bit more about where I work. I don't want to mention The Company by name, because that would be stupid. Suffice to say it's a Big Company -- publicly traded, $1-billion-a-year, international workforce of about 5,000 and growing.

I work in the Media Services department. We write and design the catalog, the web site, press releases, etc. It's not a sexy job — only tech geeks and IT managers are going to get all worked up about our product line — but it is steady work, the days are busy, and the pay and benefits are very good. I took this job because freelancing had dried up, benefits at my husband's employer are crazy expensive (more expensive than COBRA, yo), and I was going nuts staying at home with my two adorable, sweet children. I just didn't do well as a SAHM — I felt too one-dimensional.

I started here in February, and it is now the end of July. That makes about six months on the job.

Also, my job? It's not necessarily a difficult job. There is a lot to learn — about the products, which are very technical in nature; about the workflow; about the people with whom I work. But I am a very good writer, I'm smart, and I learn fast. My worst area is probably people — let's call it "interpersonal interaction". I'm not a very sensitive person. I'm not good at the work place politics, and workplaces always have politics. More on that later.

The policy when there is a new writer or designer hired is to pair him or her with a senior writer or designer for a year. The Senior Writer, as you would expect, shows the New Kid the ropes, the flow, the programs, etc. The Senior Writer, in my case a she, supervises progress, critiques the work, gives guidance. It's not an oppressive set-up (or hasn't been to this point) -- SW has given me a lot of freedom to learn, and she only steps in when I need guidance. It has not been often, to my credit (I think).

To return to the point: When JD first told me he was leaving (which he did before he had even given his notice), I asked about his lines. He said, "If I have anything to say about, you'll get them." He paused a minute. "Not that I would get that kind of say."

In the end, though, My Boss did move me onto JD's product lines — after asking me if that was okay. The only thing is, she moved Senior Writer with me onto three of the lines, and moved Busy Writer with me onto the biggest of the lines.

I'm a little bugged by this. I understand policy, but really, I can do this work. So why keep me working with other (albeit more experienced) writers?

1. It's policy. I've only been here six months. Even though My Boss has enough confidence to ask me to become the writer for these products, she's got to follow policy.
2. My Boss likes me a lot, and knows I'm talented, but doesn't think I'm ready to go it alone with these lines or with the product marketers (who really run the show).

My response has been to seize initiative. I've taken the reins. The way I see it, another writer is coming in here in the next six weeks to three months, and Senior Writer's going to have a new New Kid to guide. Busy Writer — well, his name says it all. He does a lot more than catalog and web work — he's on a lot of other projects, some of them more technical writing in nature. I'm not trotting down the hallway several times a day to ask if something is okay.

Senior Writer seems more than happy to let me go on my merry way. I think she also has the confidence in me that if I have a question or get stuck, I will go to her.

Busy Writer... I'm not sure how he'll feel. But for now, he's too busy to notice.