Busiest Day on Record

I didn't believe it at first; but when I added up yesterday's client-billable time, it was eight hours! For the first time since my hiring in May 2007, I reached the eight-hour mark.

I knew it was going to be a busy day when Liza greeted me with an e-mail first thing in the morning. It was for proofing and screen capturing online banners. Then there were other screen grabs, too; this one was for Charlene. Then there were the odds and ends of print ads and their revisions.

But the only drawback of a hectic day is that the next day won't be as busy. Take today for example. As of this writing, I only have 3¾ hours of client chargeables.

Slow Yesterday, Slower Today?

It was a slow day yesterday, and it looks like today's going to be slower. Somehow, I've never gotten used to spending most of my days infosnacking when I see everyone doing something work related. I feel so guilty and useless though it's not my fault entirely.

As a proofreader, I only perform my duty when work is handed to me. What am I supposed to proof when there's nothing for me to do in the first place? These are the times when I welcome labour-intensive tasks, such as proofing translation files and screen-capturing online banners.

So, when Charlene came up to me yesterday, wondering if I could do some screen grabs for her, I obliged quickly. Unfortunately, there were only eight banners to work on, which was only worth 60 minutes of client-billable time.

Chachi's Such an Ass

I usually have a cup of tea ready before the WIP starts at 9 a.m. But because I was on kitchen duty, I wasn't able to prepare my morning beverage right away. So, seeing that Julita was still setting up the conference call with the Toronto office, I left my notebook and my seat and snuck out to the kitchen to make green tea.

On my way back, I saw Chachi move my stuff and grab my seat. What the ... ? To begin with, he already had a seat when we went to the conference room. What was he thinking? Just because he believes his position is more important than mine doesn't give him the right to take my seat.

It may not be a big deal even though I quietly took the chair next to him. But I find it rude. I hope he gets his just desserts — and soon.

Kitchen Duty Again

After the long Easter weekend, I'm back at work and so is everybody.

I decided to come to work early because I'm on kitchen duty. And just as I expected there were dishes on the kitchen sink and counter. Fortunately for me, someone already washed some of the dishes from last Thursday; otherwise, there would be stacks of dishes for me to put in the dishwasher.

So far, that's the busiest I've been this morning.

Wonder of Wonders!

I managed to keep myself busy!

I thought today was going to be a long one. But somehow, the suits gave me work to do. It started with Patrick's landing pages (it was in French this time). I haven't begun proofreading them when another project came by. I forgot what it was because work came one after another.

All in all, I worked for 6.5 hours, which was not bad for a short workweek and a good way to start the long weekend.

Happy Easter!

Bored Stiff Again

It's almost 1 p.m. and I only clocked 2¾ hours. I was hoping to do more today, but nothing new was happening since Patrick's landing-page project on Monday.

I'm now running out of things to do for the next four hours.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Twenty-fours hours ago, I was proofreading like crazy. Now, I'm infosnacking, visiting Web sites on action figures and video games, and checking my Web-based e-mails every now and then. What's going on? Well, we're on the tail end of the projects again. (Of course, I did some work — all three hours of them!)

Where are Nina's translation files when you need them? Where are Chachi and his rush jobs now that I have plenty of time in my hands?

If tomorrow is going to be like this, then I guess I will be in for a long day.

The Male Jennifer

With Allison now working for a different company, it was the perfect time for Chachi (a.k.a. Patrick) to move in and throw his weight around. During the WIP teleconference meeting with the Toronto office yesterday, he tried to show that he was running the show.

It was embarrassing actually. He said in a loud voice over the speaker phone, "Hello, Toronto!" when the guys from TO hadn't joined in the conference yet.

And 30 minutes before closing time, he sent me an e-mail containing URLs to a client's landing pages, which I needed to proofread. He said that it was short. Yeah, right. I ended up leaving the office a little after 5:30 p.m. It's beginning to look like Patrick's becoming a male version of his boss, Jennifer.

Deb and Liza

It was good to see Deb back, albeit temporarily. She would be helping Wendy in producing marketing collateral. Once again, the office would be less than quiet. In fact, she hit the ground running.

Coming in temporarily, too, is Liza, the new account director replacing Allison. She is Asian, but I don't know if she's Filipino or Chinese or both.

And going back to work, there's not much happening again. But I hope things pick up soon because this is a short workweek, with Friday being a statutory holiday (Good Friday).

Adieu, Allison et Tom

Friday was off to a good start.

Wendy brought some printer proofs for me to check and Charlene, who was currently in Toronto and wouldn't be back until next Wednesday, sent me a lot of e-mails. I thought this was going to be a busy one. But at the end of the day, my billable hours were 2½ hours short. And it looked like no more additional work would be coming in.

At 4:30 p.m., we'll be saying our goodbyes to Allison. If our small gathering for her were in typical company fashion, then it's wine, chips, crackers and cheeses. I hope Julita will get something more hale and hearty this time.

It appears that it is Tom's last day with us, too. He didn't accept the company's offer of full-time work, which was then offered to someone else in Toronto. I'll miss the guy and his funny British accent.

Briefs

I was finally getting the hang of participating in task and creative briefings. In fact, I was enjoying it. I felt so important and productive.

Yesterday, I was invited to one by Charlene (via conference call). This was for Belinda’s former client who wanted us to revise an old welcome package. Even before we held this in the afternoon, I was already pounding the keyboard in the morning, working on one of the several versions of the welcome letter.

On our way home, Tom told Rob and me that he refused the company’s offer of permanent work. His reason: he couldn’t possibly work full time in a firm where there were several lay-offs previously and the employees were dying to get out of there. He said that Julita was surprised with his response.

I told him that I was just waiting for another copywriting assignment to add to my portfolio since it needed updating. Once I have gathered enough job samples, I will resume my job hunting.

It’s Official: Allison’s Leaving!

Jennifer finally had the time to announce Allison’s resignation — and her last day is this Friday, March 14. I have heard of this news from Belinda a week ago, but I kept mum about it. I don’t know who’s the lucky guy taking her place, but he or she will be in for a treat.

It just goes to show no one can stand Jennifer and her micromanagement style. I, too, can’t even though I don’t work directly under her. But I did get a taste of it when she asked me to help with their PowerPoint presentation.

They Moved Me Out

Well, after the Dragon Lady moved in on Friday, she requested me if I could move out of my place because she wanted Wendy to move in my spot. Could I say no? Of course not! So, I promptly moved out of my workstation just to get it over and done with.

I am not quite settled in my new place, which was Allison’s former workstation. In fact, I don’t like it at all. Presently, my nearest neighbours are two office printers. I have a good view of the new living room, which was Jennifer’s former office (she moved, thank God!). I can see Julita, too, from where I am sitting right now, although I’ve heard that she is moving also.

To my left is the door. And every time it opens with a loud clack, I look to my left. It is so distracting. Plus, I don’t like the binders behind me. They’re not mine to begin with. I really miss my own private corner.

And the only way I can have another change of scenery is to move out of this place again and look for another job.

The Dragon Lady Moves In

Yes, she finally did.

As soon as she came in the office late yesterday afternoon, MK went straight to where Belinda used to sit. She even dragged one of the red chairs from the conference room and made it her throne (probably to separate her from her minions who sit on black chairs).

She has now declared herself the queen of the wing.

Her presence here is making me uncomfortable because I’m merely metres from her grip. Plus, she talks too much and too loud on the phone. And when she does, she goes back to her office. What gives?

I mean, what’s the use of her moving to a workstation when she would probably spend her day working and talking on the phone at the same time in her office? I think she doesn’t get that we don’t want her around. All of us would be better off if she just stayed in her cave.

Allison's Quitting!

Yes, it's true. Allison is finally moving on to better and greener pastures. I don't know what management is doing to attract new employees and retain the old ones.

Her leaving is a definite blow to Jennifer's managerial capabilities. I think it's a signal that I should start looking for a new gig, too.

Slim Pickings Again

Like I said yesterday, most of the projects we're working on are now nearing completion. Which means, they come in trickles.

This morning, however, was marked by an urgent request from Charlene, who was in Toronto for two weeks helping out Tonie with her projects. She asked me to proofread some inconsistent ads, which she needed to present to a client. I was done in 2¼ hours.

And after a quick lunch, I'm going to the mall to pick up a video game that I pre-ordered a week ago. I'm looking forward to playing this one over the weekend.

Belinda's Last Day

Today is Belinda's last day. So, Rob, Tom and I took her out for lunch at a nearby Japanese restaurant. She would be working with Canada Post as a letter carrier and then go back to school to study physical therapy. I would surely miss her since she was a good buddy.

And regarding that project we did for her client, they liked it so much that they decided to make it bilingual (English and Spanish). Unfortunately, it's not enough to make them stay with us; it was our swan song for them anyway.

Also, we're now at the tail end of some projects that we've got some extra time in our hands.

Finally, Some Downtime

Now that I’ve got some downtime to work on this blog, I don’t feel like writing.

I think I’ve spent most of my creative juices on Belinda’s last project. It was very fulfilling to see my own words being used on marketing collateral. I think there would be another kit in the works, but there were no creative briefs yet.

I also spent time on French online banners. These kept me busy.