Jude's home this weekend and I've packed the program.
We have gym sessions, followed by a trip to the museum of natural history to see the Mythical Creatures thing, then from 3-6 it's a live drawing class (with booze) over at Dr. Sketchy's. We leave that bevvy of beauties and head across town to Margaret Cho's Sensual Woman show - which has strippers, mimes, tranny comics and of course Korea's finest ex-sitcom 'star' doing stand-up. From there it's on to Kaiser and Nick for their 'It's a Threesome' party before staggering home, drunkenly taking the dog out and falling into bed.
Sunday will be gentler, but no less busy. We'll let you know how it goes.
Friday, September 28, 2007
balanced
no time for a post today... which breaks my rule about living a more balanced life and taking time out for me, but hey when they pay you the medium bucks!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
too much stuff?
just had the first of the movers in to estimate a price on getting stuff from New York to Michigan and they came in at $4200. Which is more than it cost us to move from Australia to the US but roughly what I was expecting. Time to breathe long, deep and repetitively, suck it up, swallow hard and do whatever else it is that people are supposed to do in these situations. Another quote due this afternoon, we'll see.
At least Velcro liked both guys - last time she really barked at a guy who subsequently (maybe consequently) tried to rip us off with a quote more inflated than his gut.
Did I mention that while at the airport last week I was suddenly distracted by a dwarf in colored leggings, a women with an enormous ass in a bold print dress and a bunch of queens so mincing they'd have been bitch slapped by The Scissor Sisters. Turns out that they're with Margaret Cho - I have tickets for her this weekend. Looks like being a good show... I love a bit of sauce (said he coming over all Barbara Windsor)
Anyway with the clouds coming in, the storm gathering and me running behind on two final projects I guess it's time to take the dog down, run back up and get back to the grind on this one.
Take care all
At least Velcro liked both guys - last time she really barked at a guy who subsequently (maybe consequently) tried to rip us off with a quote more inflated than his gut.
Did I mention that while at the airport last week I was suddenly distracted by a dwarf in colored leggings, a women with an enormous ass in a bold print dress and a bunch of queens so mincing they'd have been bitch slapped by The Scissor Sisters. Turns out that they're with Margaret Cho - I have tickets for her this weekend. Looks like being a good show... I love a bit of sauce (said he coming over all Barbara Windsor)
Anyway with the clouds coming in, the storm gathering and me running behind on two final projects I guess it's time to take the dog down, run back up and get back to the grind on this one.
Take care all
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wish I'd been there...
It seems that while I was away the office was gripped by mad panic.
Actually a couple of people were seized by panic and the rest of the office merely shrugged as they were called in for panicked pep talks and a round of 'go us' cheering.
This is the downside of working for a cult. I've done it before and what's most interesting about these places is that they really give evidence of just how fragile absolute conviction can be.
Both of the cults that I've worked for have operated under the belief that they're the ultimate place for people in their industry to work. The people under the roof are the chosen ones, saved from a world outside that's less competent, less creative, less respected and (in one case) less nice.
They don't ever consider the fact that people may leave of their own volition (why would they - there's nowhere better?) and this blinds them to a few facts about the workplace. Sure they draw great people, but they then let that talent pool get stagnant. If nobody is leaving there's no room to move up - and career paths are more important to some people than money; especially at a certain level.
They also become quite insular. They start to systemize, to try to protect the systems or the culture. They start writing things on walls. Then etching them on walls. They start to get stuck in a time - while new rivals are still at the bendy boned 'go ahead and drop me' baby stage these great companies, these cults are so caught up in being right that they stop being interesting.
And then people start to leave.
Beliefs are shaken to the core.
People are gathered into rooms.
Navels are inspected.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the cult leader sets out in a new direction.
More often however new people are brought in, indoctrinated, strip mined and allowed to flow out of the other side - better for the experience but keen on having a job that demands less commitment to the cause and more to the clients.
If I had a company (and I will) it would have no culture. Shallow. How's that for a name? Shallow. I like. Anyone wanna join me?
Actually a couple of people were seized by panic and the rest of the office merely shrugged as they were called in for panicked pep talks and a round of 'go us' cheering.
This is the downside of working for a cult. I've done it before and what's most interesting about these places is that they really give evidence of just how fragile absolute conviction can be.
Both of the cults that I've worked for have operated under the belief that they're the ultimate place for people in their industry to work. The people under the roof are the chosen ones, saved from a world outside that's less competent, less creative, less respected and (in one case) less nice.
They don't ever consider the fact that people may leave of their own volition (why would they - there's nowhere better?) and this blinds them to a few facts about the workplace. Sure they draw great people, but they then let that talent pool get stagnant. If nobody is leaving there's no room to move up - and career paths are more important to some people than money; especially at a certain level.
They also become quite insular. They start to systemize, to try to protect the systems or the culture. They start writing things on walls. Then etching them on walls. They start to get stuck in a time - while new rivals are still at the bendy boned 'go ahead and drop me' baby stage these great companies, these cults are so caught up in being right that they stop being interesting.
And then people start to leave.
Beliefs are shaken to the core.
People are gathered into rooms.
Navels are inspected.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the cult leader sets out in a new direction.
More often however new people are brought in, indoctrinated, strip mined and allowed to flow out of the other side - better for the experience but keen on having a job that demands less commitment to the cause and more to the clients.
If I had a company (and I will) it would have no culture. Shallow. How's that for a name? Shallow. I like. Anyone wanna join me?
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Long time no post
It's been a couple of dayts since I've last posted - which will no doubt reek havoc with my traffic (which has been building for a while)
The reason for the delay was a trip to Chicago to do some customer interviews and a blackberry that is resolutely crap. Anyway the hotel was brown and expensive - the conference room an absolute bloody rip off and the entertainment limited to the view through the near opaque net curtains of the serial masturbators on the ground floor.
A delay on the way back meant that I couldn't pick up my scan results and now have to wait for Oct 4th for a follow up. Not overtly worried (with oncology I've learned the phone not ringing is a very good thing indeed)
Anyway I'm finally back and about to throw myself into two final presentations that I really want to be proud of. Not much time for either but I think that they could actually cement the ideas that we had within their respective organizations - and I want the people responsible for these ideas to wear them like lead shoes (or something that was a terrible metaphor)
Anyway onwards, upwards and towards the TiVo
Proper stuff later in the day
The reason for the delay was a trip to Chicago to do some customer interviews and a blackberry that is resolutely crap. Anyway the hotel was brown and expensive - the conference room an absolute bloody rip off and the entertainment limited to the view through the near opaque net curtains of the serial masturbators on the ground floor.
A delay on the way back meant that I couldn't pick up my scan results and now have to wait for Oct 4th for a follow up. Not overtly worried (with oncology I've learned the phone not ringing is a very good thing indeed)
Anyway I'm finally back and about to throw myself into two final presentations that I really want to be proud of. Not much time for either but I think that they could actually cement the ideas that we had within their respective organizations - and I want the people responsible for these ideas to wear them like lead shoes (or something that was a terrible metaphor)
Anyway onwards, upwards and towards the TiVo
Proper stuff later in the day
Sunday, September 23, 2007
nothing but blue skies
man sunbathing in the park, with makeshift speedos and a cross country ski pole
Originally uploaded by revertebrate
We'd have loved to have bought an apartment on the park - but it wasn't to be. Cancer makes a mockery of mortgage applications. Builders work slowly and New York seems to be unable to finish a building at any point (or start one in the case of the world trade center site)
Mind if we had bought in the park I'd probably have been arrested. The combination of people making micro-fashion fauz pas beneath my window and a really good zoom on my camera could well have turned me from casual observer of 'she went out in that?' to documenter of 'floozy-wear' in weeks. And without express permission that might be dangerous.
On that note I shall head back to bed (the cats got me up stupidly early this morning - do they not understand the needs of a man who was drinking Shiso Mojitos the night before?
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