February 22, 2008

Total randomness

Working with a peer to co-design a solution for a little one-day show, it's getting a bit sticky. She comes from the advertising world where everything has to be edgy. We're designing for a corporation with a developed brand. On the whole, I love her thinking and what she comes up with, but it's not on-brand. I'm the 'face' of this assignment, so sort-of in charge, but we're peers. So, when I love the base elements she's designed, but then say, "What if you tried it this way?" in an attempt to get it to work, she resists. Logical response. I'm asking her to bastardize an elegant solution, but I know the solution will be thrown out without the brand elements. Ugh. I'm not her supervisor, so I can't say, "show me three variations with this, this, and this."

I feel her pain. I'm getting bored with the design I created for the bigger show. I keep trying to break my own brand! However, different for different sake is not always the best solution.

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It's been raining all week and I have a few lingering flu elements, so I haven't been on the bike. I start getting really twitchy and achy when I haven't exercised. After walking the dog, I totally intended to do the boring Pilates video for the 537,356th time. But, I'm back here writing to ya'll instead. Priorities are obviously in order. I actually took a cab to work twice in the last two weeks. It costs $24 + tip to go 8.2 miles. Yuck.

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I'm getting ridiculously addicted to Scrabulous in Facebook. Poor Jrex has to hear me blab about how I managed to use "ax" and get 34 points! He's amazing because he makes me think he's interested. Love him.

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He caught the same flu. He's injecting immuno-compromised mice. He's 12 days into a 30 day experiment. Can't stop, has no one who can 'cover' for him so he can be sick, and is totally nervous that he's going to give the flu to the mice. I can see his scientific publication now, "The chemo seemed to be working great on the cancer tumors, however, they all died of the flu." (May it NOT be so!)

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I'm putting in PTO requests for the next few months. A day to go up to Seattle for a weekend. An afternoon so we can go somewhere for our anniversary. A week so we can drive to LA, see Jrex sister and her family. We'll pick up his parents there, then drive to Yosemite for four days with his parents. Jrex found a loft condo for us to rent. That means we'll be on the fold-out couch in the living room with no walls separating us from the 'rents. I'm SURE you'll hear more about that later. Then his sister bought us (just the two of us!) two nights in a Napa Valley hotel for Jrex's 40th birthday at the end of June. That should be very fun.

Two of our friends, let's call them Lovey and Dovey, are planning a trip to New Zealand. I'm excited for our little trips, but would love to get out of the US for a 'real' adventure. Our passports expire this year and I've only got two stamps. Ah well, perhaps I'll eventually retire overseas and have so many stamps I'm sick of it. All in all, really, I have very little to complain about.

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That's all I know for this morning! Hope you all have splendid weekends in store. Any adventures I can live vicariously?

7 comments:

Rachel said...

The situation with your co-worker sounds sticky. Ugh. Long ago when I was the boss and I had to give negative feedback, I put it in the middle of a praise sandwich. I would say something positive, then slip in the critique, then say something positive again.

Hey, we should have a coffee when you're down here, if you have time. You can send me a message on Facebook.

mary said...

yikes! that's an expensive cab ride! no adventures planned here.. except if you think of having 3 babies/kids in a relatively small house at the same time as being an adventure! my sister will be visiter (again!) with her kids and hubs.

scarp said...

All I have to say is, add in a Mexico trip or renew those passports! Cuz somehow I´m thinking all my airfare money (who am I kidding, what money??) will be headed to Rochester in the near future, and I was hoping to see you guys again someday...

Anonymous said...

Your co-worker situation is an excellent learning experience.

In the future, refuse to go into any situation where you have responsibility without authority.

Mama Nabi said...

1. assuming that anon is still your dad (okay, that came our wrong... I meant, assuming that your dad is still commenting as anonymous), I do like his advice - coz I think I could have used that before I said "I do". :-D Sound one, he is.
2. WOW. Are cab fares same everywhere or is that expensive over there? Seems pretty steep!
3. Oooh, sharing a space with the 'rents. Oh boy.
4. Hey, maybe we can do international travels together when we all retire - the 'bloggers club'... who knows, blogs will be as outdated as 8 tracks by then!

Mama Nabi said...

OH, I totally forgot to say, Poor JRex! So funny how they're more worried about getting the mice sick than they are about getting some rest for themselves!

Beloved said...

Hmmm...as the victim of that 'ax', I have to say, you are teaching me things I never knew possible on Scrabulous. I think I'm in love with you. tee hee.

Sorry for the work frustrations and the misery that is the flu. Lots of well wishes to JRex. They worked on you, so hey who knows? May those poor little mice be spared of the misery as well.

No adventures here. *sigh* My husband and I had an anti-winter stress package at a bed and breakfast (hell yeah, that's an adventure as far as we're concerned--gawd, you'd think we have kids or something!) planned and then he had the opportunity to go to Korea. So I guess I take that back. Someone will have an "adventure", but sadly it won't be me.