I Knew It!

Just when I thought that I would be busy again ...

One-and-a-half hours in and nothing is still happening, although there's a client meeting going on.

So Far, So Good

I can't believe it. My timesheet is actually filled with client-chargeable time. As of this writing, I have a total of 20½ hours with non-client/admin time of only 2¼ hours. Now that's a record!

Most of that time was spent proofing the suits' Excel reports and copywriting for Belinda's client. I hope there's more for tomorrow. Let's wait and see.

A Quick Sit Rep

So, a lot had happened during the last three days.

1. I finally started to do some actual copywriting. It was for Belinda's "lost" client. It was the first — and hopefully not my last — for them. I heard from her that I get to do another writing gig for them.
2. Belinda handed her resignation last Friday. She had had it with Jennifer and with the company.
3. Charlene told me that Tonie wanted to ask me if I was interested in working in client services. I told her no.
4. The suits started occupying the wing where Belinda and I were. Now that everyone was in close proximity of each other, I couldn't do some personal stuff on my PC. I was unsure if Jennifer was still eyeing my spot.

The Evil One's Back

Jennifer is back from her trip to California to woo back the client who decided to leave us early this year. I'm assuming it didn't work out well because if it did, she would have announced it as soon as she arrived. Since it was Belinda's client, she would have talked to her about it.

Now, Jennifer is having a closed-door meeting again with Allison in Julita's office. From the looks of it, they're discussing Belinda's future with the company. She could be joining the rest of the suits to work with the remaining client or getting her walking papers today.

I don't like this. Situations like this give me a tummy ache.

There Goes the Neighbourhood!

Last Friday (while I was away), Julita planned to have the rest the suits to move in to the wing where Belinda and I were, and the Rob and Tom to where the suits were currently located. Soon, this place would be bustling with activity again, which I really mind.

I want my space, the silence and the privacy. With the suits moving in, these will soon be gone. Charlene will move to the pod behind me (which I used as my lunch room). Allison, Patrick and Nina will occupy the work stations where Belinda is right now.

Concerning work, I only spent 15 minutes longer than yesterday on client-related tasks. And I'm still working on that written exercise.

A Written Exercise

I didn't do anything that was work related yesterday; I only logged three hours of billable time. However, I spent most of my day writing a letter. It was a written exercise for anyone who was interested in applying for the Information Officer position at a government agency connected with the 2010 Winter Olympics. I was so into it that I forgot the time.

Hook, Bait and Switch

Rob and I were exchanging e-mails yesterday asking each other's plan to come to the office soirée. But just as when we both agreed to "eating and drinking on the company dime," Julita sent an e-mail that the gathering was moved — to the lounge near my work station!

Needless to say, Rob and I were disappointed. We were looking forward to sinking our teeth into some fine and pricey grub; instead, we ended up nibbling on chips and salsa, three varieties of cheese and crackers, and chocolate-dipped strawberries (it's the eve of Valentine's Day after all). Still, we tried to make the best of our situation and showed some appreciation for all the trouble Julita went, which Belinda described as a "bribe" for being "guilty about making people feel shitty and nervous."

By the way, I finally did some proofing. It was for Belinda's client and lasted only 30 minutes. My timesheet this week definitely looks bad.

And I'm taking the day off tomorrow. Since I will probably do nothing again, I might as well do it at home.

I Think I'm Going Crazy

It's 2 p.m. and still I've got nothing that's work-related. My boredom is driving me crazy!

Tonight, most of us are having some food and drinks at a fancy restaurant near the office — and the company is picking up the tab. I think this is one way management is boosting our sagging morale.

Goodbye, Brooke

Brooke got laid off yesterday.

I thought the lay-offs were over and done with. Obviously, I thought wrong. According to Julita's e-mail this morning, "due to the changing nature of our business, her position [as studio manager] in Vancouver will no longer exist." Brooke's nine years working for the company went down the drain just like that.

Somehow, I managed to survive the second round of lay-offs. Belinda said that if management were to let go of me yesterday, they would have done it, too. I dodged the bullet once again, but I don't know for how long.

The morning is almost done and I haven't had a single client-billable minute.

One Rainy Monday

The rain has never stopped since early this morning. Such "bed" weather often makes me sleepy, especially when I didn't get much sleep the night before. I drank mango-flavoured black tea last night. Apparently, it was caffeinated and I was wide awake until 1 a.m.

Anyway, Jennifer is back and, once again, she scares the crap out of Belinda and me. Also, I thought there wouldn't be much work today, but Nina e-mailed me some Excel files to proofread, thank God!

Now, I can go home thinking I did well today.

Different Proofreading Continued

Just one hour into the day and Nina, who now works with the suits full time, sent me an e-mail to do some proofreading again for them. I didn't mind actually because I needed the billable hours. She included three Excel files in her e-mail, which took me a total of four hours to check for mistakes.

I didn't find any error until I was about to be done with the last file. Although the mistake was minor, I got to do what I was hired for.

Happy Friday!

So Sleepy (Yawn!)

After working for two hours this morning on Allison's Excel files, I found myself idle again. All this free time was making me sleepy, and I had been fighting my heavy eyelids since after lunch. Plus, Belinda's Messenger wasn't working, so we weren't able to send instant messages to each other, leaving me bored than ever.

By the way, Julita sent a company-wide e-mail that Vevette, one of the suits in Toronto, had left the company. I wondered why and who would be next.

(Note: I found out later from Charlene that Vevette's mom was sick and she had to take care of her. I hope it's not serious.)

Proofreading of a Different Kind

Allison used my proofreading expertise to check for errors in her Excel file containing the appended URLs of a client's online banners. It was unfamiliar territory for me, but I was able to catch some mistakes, such as a missing underscore here and a wrong number there.

It was all good actually. I logged 2¾ hours for that work, which made the afternoon go by.

Why Does It Have to Be Me?

I almost didn't make it out on time last night. Jenny, the new receptionist and office assistant, called me up as I was about to leave. She asked me if I could do her a favour and do some of Jennifer's work for her (whatever that was) because she needed to leave immediately to catch the train home. I had to say no.

This morning, I came across her in the kitchen and asked her what time she left last night. She said that she didn't stay long and had to hand the work over to Nina. I advised her to tell Jennifer that she needed to go home exactly at 5 p.m. to catch the train, which she actually did. But what upset me was Jennifer's reply to her: "Give it to Ronnie."

I still couldn't understand why I was the first to cross Jennifer's mind whenever someone couldn't do the job for her. I appreciate her confidence in me, but it's not my job to cover his or her behind every time that happens. It just makes my blood boil.

Grrrrr!

She's Baaaack!

Yep, Voldemort is back from some meeting last week. I haven't made eye contact with or said hello to her since she came in this morning.

Anyway, knowing that this was going to be a slow day, I decided to update and revise my cover letter and résumé today and submit them online. (I saw a job opening for writers over the weekend.) Unfortunately, my CD-ROM drive couldn't read my files, which I burned on a CD. I guess I have to do it in the comfort and safety of my home.

Finally, Some Needed Downtime

I didn't get to blog yesterday because there were lots of stuff to do. I had to proofread English, Chinese and French online banners, and had to do screen captures of the latter — all 35 of them! I even had to work late for almost two hours because of these, but I wasn't able to finish them in one sitting. Thank God, Allison didn't need them last night; otherwise, I would have stayed longer.

So, when I got into the office, I started working with the screen grabs as soon as I had prepared my cup of green tea and had Tom work on my corrections. I was done in two hours for that particular job.

Now, I have some downtime to do this and other work. Plus, it's the weekend. Happy Friday!