Guess what kids. After a year and a half of bitching and moaning, and literally fighting with the man, I finally get to move... yes, to a window seat. In fact, after weeks of some subtle and not-so-subtle hints, Keith actually let me pick the exact cube I wanted (which is of course the one least in direct eye sight of anyone walking up).
Just goes to show what a little determination will getcha.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Seatte - Part 1
Day 1
The flight to Seattle was fairly uneventful, especially considering half of my office was on the flight. The only thing worth noting was how weird my boss acted around everyone at the airport. and that he and other director practically sprinted away from the group at the baggage claim (presumable to avoid sharing a cab with anyone). Fine by me – but the whole thing was made especially funny (and awkward for them) when I rolled into the same hotel like 4 minutes after them (everyone else was in another hotel).
Setup at the convention center was going surprisingly ahead of schedule. And, Sam had made friends with one of the union guys so he kept giving us the scoop on Vancouver and how to get there. He actually seemed kind of shocked that we were going to Vancouver for so long, and this attitude seemed to carry over for the rest of the trip. Nevertheless, he gave some good tips – only regret is that I didn’t ask him for details about their cafes because I’m sure he would’ve known.
As the day winded down another coworker, whom we never hang out with, rolls over and asks if he can hang out with us because he was trying to ditch his crew. Obviously we couldn’t say no, plus I figured this would be an excellent opportunity for gossip. How right I was – guy hung out with us the rest of the trip and provided plenty of new gossip and contributed to several new fun stories.
For dinner the three of us made our way to a little Mexican restaurant where we had fish tacos and plenty of Margaritas. Halfway through dinner Sam noticed our AV guy sitting at the bar. Naturally, I ordered a shot for him, and it was highly entertaining when he got it. So, Asa came and sat with us and told us story after story of fellow coworkers. It’s amazing how much dirt someone who works peripherally for a company for so many years can gather. And, Asa is a master impersonator and even used to stand-up, so the stories were that much better.
Day 2
Set-up continued to go really smoothly and we finished in record time. With several hours left in the afternoon, we went to Pike’s Went to Pike’s Market for the second time in an attempted to catch a picture of them throwing fish this time. No such luck.
Then when Sam decided to be lame and head back to the Convention Center (yes I said that) I sat in the park for a bit by myself and enjoyed some people watching. After a bit I began getting chilly so I decided to go somewhere and read for a bit. Although we had passed the first ever Starbucks, I opted for a more appropriate 4pm venue and headed to a local pub, Vons. On my second beer, I pondered whether it was sad that on day 2 I was sitting at a bar by myself – I decided that it wasn’t since I was doing something a little productive like reading.
That night we decided to have dinner at the famous Seattle Space Needle. It was really a full proof plan to gain a great dinner and a sightseeing activity out of ASPS in one fell swoop. Overall it was a fairly good experience but truly not worth the money (but thankfully it wasn’t my money) – LaSandra’s pork was undercooked and then the waiter spilled an entire glass of water on Sam. But at least we had an opportunity to get a bunch of great pictures for Flat Max (a cardboard cutout of Rhonda’s nephew that she has been carrying around for the last 2 weeks).
Day 3
Fairly uneventful day. We went to the PS2009 Welcome Reception that evening and took tons of random pictures throughout.
Day 4
After 3 long days and 2 full days of work, Lindsey and I were planning on having a low key dinner and movie night…
Or at least until one of our meeting planners, AWs, called Sam to see if she wanted four free tickets to a soccer game that night. Obviously I was game, and with little effort, I managed to talk Lindsey and Jerime into accompanying me.
After 10 minutes of the game, they both knew they'd made the right decision. And after 20 minutes we were all official Sounder fans - we even have a scarf (thank you ASPS for the souvenir).
The Sounders won in the last 6 minutes or so, so it was quite an exciting victory. Naturally, we had to go out and celebrate. This several fun stories, but none should really be shared here (sorry).
Possibly more to come but this is it for now because I wrote this weeks ago...
Day 5
Rhonda tried to set Sam up with the GES man who has been married for a year. When Sam informed her that the dude was married, RoRo replied with “so, what does that matter.”
I love how concerned Rhonda is over our love lives.
Day 6
At about 7 am I got a text from Hill saying that her flight was actually scheduled for 9pm and not 9 am. Not a pleasant wake-up call.
I found out that amongst the 300 other things I am allergic too, I am officially allergic to cardboard. Yes, cardboard. At the beginning of the trip I broke out so bad Judy had to give me like 6 Benedryl. I thought it was a fluke but it happened again today after only a half hour.
The flight to Seattle was fairly uneventful, especially considering half of my office was on the flight. The only thing worth noting was how weird my boss acted around everyone at the airport. and that he and other director practically sprinted away from the group at the baggage claim (presumable to avoid sharing a cab with anyone). Fine by me – but the whole thing was made especially funny (and awkward for them) when I rolled into the same hotel like 4 minutes after them (everyone else was in another hotel).
Setup at the convention center was going surprisingly ahead of schedule. And, Sam had made friends with one of the union guys so he kept giving us the scoop on Vancouver and how to get there. He actually seemed kind of shocked that we were going to Vancouver for so long, and this attitude seemed to carry over for the rest of the trip. Nevertheless, he gave some good tips – only regret is that I didn’t ask him for details about their cafes because I’m sure he would’ve known.
As the day winded down another coworker, whom we never hang out with, rolls over and asks if he can hang out with us because he was trying to ditch his crew. Obviously we couldn’t say no, plus I figured this would be an excellent opportunity for gossip. How right I was – guy hung out with us the rest of the trip and provided plenty of new gossip and contributed to several new fun stories.
For dinner the three of us made our way to a little Mexican restaurant where we had fish tacos and plenty of Margaritas. Halfway through dinner Sam noticed our AV guy sitting at the bar. Naturally, I ordered a shot for him, and it was highly entertaining when he got it. So, Asa came and sat with us and told us story after story of fellow coworkers. It’s amazing how much dirt someone who works peripherally for a company for so many years can gather. And, Asa is a master impersonator and even used to stand-up, so the stories were that much better.
Day 2
Set-up continued to go really smoothly and we finished in record time. With several hours left in the afternoon, we went to Pike’s Went to Pike’s Market for the second time in an attempted to catch a picture of them throwing fish this time. No such luck.
Then when Sam decided to be lame and head back to the Convention Center (yes I said that) I sat in the park for a bit by myself and enjoyed some people watching. After a bit I began getting chilly so I decided to go somewhere and read for a bit. Although we had passed the first ever Starbucks, I opted for a more appropriate 4pm venue and headed to a local pub, Vons. On my second beer, I pondered whether it was sad that on day 2 I was sitting at a bar by myself – I decided that it wasn’t since I was doing something a little productive like reading.
That night we decided to have dinner at the famous Seattle Space Needle. It was really a full proof plan to gain a great dinner and a sightseeing activity out of ASPS in one fell swoop. Overall it was a fairly good experience but truly not worth the money (but thankfully it wasn’t my money) – LaSandra’s pork was undercooked and then the waiter spilled an entire glass of water on Sam. But at least we had an opportunity to get a bunch of great pictures for Flat Max (a cardboard cutout of Rhonda’s nephew that she has been carrying around for the last 2 weeks).
Day 3
Fairly uneventful day. We went to the PS2009 Welcome Reception that evening and took tons of random pictures throughout.
Day 4
After 3 long days and 2 full days of work, Lindsey and I were planning on having a low key dinner and movie night…
Or at least until one of our meeting planners, AWs, called Sam to see if she wanted four free tickets to a soccer game that night. Obviously I was game, and with little effort, I managed to talk Lindsey and Jerime into accompanying me.
After 10 minutes of the game, they both knew they'd made the right decision. And after 20 minutes we were all official Sounder fans - we even have a scarf (thank you ASPS for the souvenir).
The Sounders won in the last 6 minutes or so, so it was quite an exciting victory. Naturally, we had to go out and celebrate. This several fun stories, but none should really be shared here (sorry).
Possibly more to come but this is it for now because I wrote this weeks ago...
Day 5
Rhonda tried to set Sam up with the GES man who has been married for a year. When Sam informed her that the dude was married, RoRo replied with “so, what does that matter.”
I love how concerned Rhonda is over our love lives.
Day 6
At about 7 am I got a text from Hill saying that her flight was actually scheduled for 9pm and not 9 am. Not a pleasant wake-up call.
I found out that amongst the 300 other things I am allergic too, I am officially allergic to cardboard. Yes, cardboard. At the beginning of the trip I broke out so bad Judy had to give me like 6 Benedryl. I thought it was a fluke but it happened again today after only a half hour.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Why does everything seem to happen at once
For the past year or so, it seems like very little in my life had changed. Every time I met up with an old friend it found myself responding to the age old question of “so what’s new” with “nothing.” Same apartment, same roommates, same job, same position, same commute, and same guy situation. And, it didn’t really seem to matter how much time had passed since I last saw this person.
And then, in the last three weeks it seems everything has changed. And I suppose by everything, I would be including the lives of those closest to me.
I suppose it all really began back in May with Hillary – she received a promotion at work, and moved out to the burbs because she couldn’t stand the commute to her new job (and likely need a good excuse to get out of her current roommate situation). Obviously this is exciting news, but a little sad that she no longer lives so close and can grab Tuesday night cocktails (but who am I kidding, we rarely did this before).
Then in the beginning of June little Becca got engaged! And, while this was not real surprise, it is still very exciting. And so has begun the endless wedding plans. I’m pretty sure she’s going to try and get us much planned as possible while she has the summer free. (On a side note: I’m watching their dogs right now while they’re in Cancun for the week and I immediately think of all the thousands of times where I heard how terrible the life of a teacher is…)
Anyway, our lease was up at the end of June so Becca and I prepared to move. She and Ashley found an apartment in Des Plaines, and I decided to move in with my friends Guti and Alex up in Wrigleyville. I definitely loved living with Becca and I’m glad we got to do that one more time. And as much as I loved living with her, I was absolutely positively done with Mike. I actually came extremely close to burning all of his shit.
And then came black Tuesday when my work laid off (slash fired) 11 people, which is a lot in a company of about 80 people. While I none of my close friends were let go, with a company that size I naturally knew most of them quite well. On the day they let everyone go, it seemed that they were selecting one or two people from every department, yet no one had been cut from Marketing yet. So, naturally we were all a little on edge (and there was a lot of speculation that Rhonda was not on a business trip but had been let go). But, as it turns out that to save our entire department, our VP moved me and Lindsey to other positions within the company. And while I was definitely glad to still have a job, both my Director and VP were out of town all week when this was announced, and for some reason none of the men knew what was going on (surprise, surprise ;-)
So, my new position is in the Research Department and Lindsey is in Membership. Now research seems like it would make sense for me, but as the department currently exists they are primarily responsible for fundraising and corporate support and obtaining grants for our doctors to conduct research. But, I’ve since talked to my new boss and what he has in mind for the position seems pretty cool and I think I’ll like it. No details for the job are hammered out at all yet, but I’m definitely going to try and get myself a new title and salary to go with it! (and if they don’t hurry up with any of it, I’m just going to make up a new title and start putting it on everything – and the title will certainly be one step above whatever you need to get a window seat)
Speaking of window seats, a certain Director was also demoted during this whole thing, and she has been moved downstairs in the busy area (presumably where people can keep an eye on her). It’s been really quiet and kind of nice with her not sitting over my shoulder, but it’s also a little weird.
So, with being changed to a new department, I found myself swamped all of a sudden. Naturally this couldn’t have come at a worse time since I was in the middle of moving, but whatever. It was a rough couple of weeks at the end of June, but it’s over now and things seem like they’re calming down. Work is better already and I’m already close to being unpacked (thanks to some help from my roommate). And I had an awesome weekend last weekend – went out downtown, Cubs rooftop, boating and then a pool. I also think that I’m really going to like living with my new roommates. I’ve hung out with Alex now a couple of times and I made plans to go to Rascal Flatts with Guti in 2 weeks.
Funny story – last night I text Alex “where do we keep the toilet paper?” His response: “Guti and I don’t use TP. We just had it there for guests… we just rinse afterwards. U should too…” The sad part is, I couldn’t decide whether or not he was joking. Alex didn’t seem like the completely joking type, plus they are both Hispanic and I kept thinking back to the Asian frat house and the little oddities I learned there. Eventually though he came home and asked me if I tried rinsing… and then he busted up laughing.
And then, in the last three weeks it seems everything has changed. And I suppose by everything, I would be including the lives of those closest to me.
I suppose it all really began back in May with Hillary – she received a promotion at work, and moved out to the burbs because she couldn’t stand the commute to her new job (and likely need a good excuse to get out of her current roommate situation). Obviously this is exciting news, but a little sad that she no longer lives so close and can grab Tuesday night cocktails (but who am I kidding, we rarely did this before).
Then in the beginning of June little Becca got engaged! And, while this was not real surprise, it is still very exciting. And so has begun the endless wedding plans. I’m pretty sure she’s going to try and get us much planned as possible while she has the summer free. (On a side note: I’m watching their dogs right now while they’re in Cancun for the week and I immediately think of all the thousands of times where I heard how terrible the life of a teacher is…)
Anyway, our lease was up at the end of June so Becca and I prepared to move. She and Ashley found an apartment in Des Plaines, and I decided to move in with my friends Guti and Alex up in Wrigleyville. I definitely loved living with Becca and I’m glad we got to do that one more time. And as much as I loved living with her, I was absolutely positively done with Mike. I actually came extremely close to burning all of his shit.
And then came black Tuesday when my work laid off (slash fired) 11 people, which is a lot in a company of about 80 people. While I none of my close friends were let go, with a company that size I naturally knew most of them quite well. On the day they let everyone go, it seemed that they were selecting one or two people from every department, yet no one had been cut from Marketing yet. So, naturally we were all a little on edge (and there was a lot of speculation that Rhonda was not on a business trip but had been let go). But, as it turns out that to save our entire department, our VP moved me and Lindsey to other positions within the company. And while I was definitely glad to still have a job, both my Director and VP were out of town all week when this was announced, and for some reason none of the men knew what was going on (surprise, surprise ;-)
So, my new position is in the Research Department and Lindsey is in Membership. Now research seems like it would make sense for me, but as the department currently exists they are primarily responsible for fundraising and corporate support and obtaining grants for our doctors to conduct research. But, I’ve since talked to my new boss and what he has in mind for the position seems pretty cool and I think I’ll like it. No details for the job are hammered out at all yet, but I’m definitely going to try and get myself a new title and salary to go with it! (and if they don’t hurry up with any of it, I’m just going to make up a new title and start putting it on everything – and the title will certainly be one step above whatever you need to get a window seat)
Speaking of window seats, a certain Director was also demoted during this whole thing, and she has been moved downstairs in the busy area (presumably where people can keep an eye on her). It’s been really quiet and kind of nice with her not sitting over my shoulder, but it’s also a little weird.
So, with being changed to a new department, I found myself swamped all of a sudden. Naturally this couldn’t have come at a worse time since I was in the middle of moving, but whatever. It was a rough couple of weeks at the end of June, but it’s over now and things seem like they’re calming down. Work is better already and I’m already close to being unpacked (thanks to some help from my roommate). And I had an awesome weekend last weekend – went out downtown, Cubs rooftop, boating and then a pool. I also think that I’m really going to like living with my new roommates. I’ve hung out with Alex now a couple of times and I made plans to go to Rascal Flatts with Guti in 2 weeks.
Funny story – last night I text Alex “where do we keep the toilet paper?” His response: “Guti and I don’t use TP. We just had it there for guests… we just rinse afterwards. U should too…” The sad part is, I couldn’t decide whether or not he was joking. Alex didn’t seem like the completely joking type, plus they are both Hispanic and I kept thinking back to the Asian frat house and the little oddities I learned there. Eventually though he came home and asked me if I tried rinsing… and then he busted up laughing.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Typical Meeting
R: So basically I went to sell these subscriptions to doctors.
I: It's not possible. We can not sell the subscriptions to doctors.
Me: Could we sell it by companies then?
I: No, that's not possible. (without any further explanation)
Talking for about 2 minutes or so...
I: I know what we can do – we’ll sell the subscriptions to the companies.
Brilliant idea! And people wonder why I get annoyed in meetings...
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Frere Jacques - Are You Sleeping
To the tune of Frere Jacques...
Where is RoRo, Where is RoRo?
In the Mother's Room, In the Mother's Room.
Her telephone is ringing, Her telephone is ringing,
Ding, dong, dong. Ding, dong, dong.
She has been sleeping in there since I left for lunch over 2 hours ago. Now how could I possibly hate this place when I have entertainment and inspiration like this right at my fingertips!
Where is RoRo, Where is RoRo?
In the Mother's Room, In the Mother's Room.
Her telephone is ringing, Her telephone is ringing,
Ding, dong, dong. Ding, dong, dong.
She has been sleeping in there since I left for lunch over 2 hours ago. Now how could I possibly hate this place when I have entertainment and inspiration like this right at my fingertips!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Milllion Dollar Question
As I was coming out of the bathroom yesterday, I ran into Rhonda in the hallway, and she almost seemed startled to see me. We walk a few steps and she turns to me and says, “I have a question for you…”
Now, there was a time when these kinds of phrases from Rhonda truly terrified me. Not because I am afraid of her, but because one never truly knows just what will come out of her mouth at any given moment. In the past, these comments usually had some negative, unforeseeable consequence for me. But, as of late, they’ve simply been something trivial that she asked in that way for effect.
So, in a confident and casual way I say, “Ok... What’s your question?”
“Do you hate it here?!?”
Now while I've learned to expect anything and everything from Roro, this one caught me a little off guard - not because I haven't said this approximately 1000 times, but because I can't believe that a.) she is actually asking me this randomly in the hallway and b.)I actually don't really hate it here anymore (no thanks to her, but who's counting).
Keeping these 2 points in mind, I had a hard time not laughing at the question. But, I managed to pull myself together and simply reply, "No, of course not - why on earth would you think that." (Although it's possible I might have been smiling a little.)
"Because someone just told me that you hate it here. And, they were completely serious."
"Hmm... that's odd. I wonder why someone would say that... well, who did say that?"
Obviously at this point I had about 100 different things running through my head - who busted me out? was it someone that I actually discuss work with? or someone that overheard me talking about it with someone else? or someone who just inferred from my scornful and resentful body language for that 6 month period? and, why on earth is Rhonda actually asking me about this? what would she say if I told her that I did hate it, but not really so much anymore?
Anyway, she responds that it isn't important who told her. Point is did I say it.
Touche Roro, touche. You got me. "No, no, of course I don't hate it here. I really don't know where anyone would get that from." (Of course I don't hate it - I need to keep this job, any job in this economy).
Her response was that I should really be more careful when I talk to gossipy people.
And that was that. For the rest of the day she went back to normal and simply pretended like our conversation never happened. Meanwhile I went over the likely suspects of who ratted me out and discussed the situation with 2 allies I still felt were trustworthy. After much speculation I was still no where near any solid leads.
Just as I was packing up for the day, Rhonda came back to my desk and says in her whiniest voice, "So, you really don't hate it here?"
"No. I don't hate it here." I was a little more direct/short this time because after a full days analysis with no solid leads, I was just annoyed and no longer amused.
"Did you maybe say you hate it here?"
"No! I never said that. I don't know why someone would say that I did." (I mean, do you have me on video recorder. Jesus. Am I under oath here? And what difference does it make - don't I still produce quality work?)
"Well then, it's probably just one of those nasty rumors spread by the gossip mil."
(The gossip mil? Why, that's me. I think I'm probably the chief proponent of the gossip mil - correction, I'm probably the chief gossiper under the age of 35. In fact, this is one of the reasons why I no longer hate the job. That's not bad is it?)
"Ah yes, those rumors. I'm sure that's it."
"Yeah, no one likes rumors, especially not about their self. And, I don't like hearing rumors like that. They really bother me."
O of course not, because then you might actually have to consider why I hate it and what part you might play in that.
Just kidding. If she actually cared she would have brought me into a conference room and actually asked me this like an adult rather than accosting me in the hallway. She simply did this to see what reaction I would have and to make me uneasy. And, I've decided if she brings it up again, this will be my new response!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Last Tuesday marked Kristie’s last day at work. Since that time, I have at least 5 people ask me about the situation and why there wasn’t an all-staff email notifying everyone. My response to this is simply that I shouldn’t say anything at all or else I might be libel to say something to get fired over. I have had at least another 5 people ask me how I’m going to function without my buddy and whether or not I’m going to be leaving for the city as well. My responses to this are that I did not really see her at work and that my resume is being worked on as we speak.
Yesterday I decided to get my face wax while at work. Let me give you a little back story here: K started going to this place first and then brought me along. Naturally the workers there loved her more because she talks to absolutely everyone and tries to "bring a little sunshine to their day." So, they typically charge me anywhere from $2 to $6 more for the same exact services. One would think that this would teach me to be friendlier, but it doesn't. I simply get amused at the random prices they decide to charge me.
Anyways, the first thing out of the little Asian's mouth was "where your friend?" I said, "o, she quit and no longer works w/ me." you should've seen the look of shock on her face. And then after a lengthy and uncomfortable conversation in broken english they recommended that I go work with her.
Side Note: Gas is $4.05 outside Becca's apartment. I'm not going to be afford my job much longer at these prices...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Gotta love the boss
So Rhonda rolls in here today and throws me a brand new box of sun dried Wheat Thins.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Busines Casual???
Since when does business casual mean Addidas running pants??? Seriously.
I swear every week I am shocked by at least one person's outfit. Today I discussed this over lunch with a friend and she informed me that our office is actually just casual. Fine, our office is now casual, but I still don't understand why people think that it's ok to wear sweatpants or, on the other extreme, club shirts. Perhaps I should nominate some coworkers to my favorite show.
I swear every week I am shocked by at least one person's outfit. Today I discussed this over lunch with a friend and she informed me that our office is actually just casual. Fine, our office is now casual, but I still don't understand why people think that it's ok to wear sweatpants or, on the other extreme, club shirts. Perhaps I should nominate some coworkers to my favorite show.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
My Day Job
Over the past several months I have begun to like my job more. This is partly due to becoming more busy and partly due to gaining some friends here who I can laugh at all the happenings with. Seriously, this place has a full cast of characters, and I have stories daily. I think I’ll begin to share some of my favorites.
The other day “K” sent me this email (I’ve encoded some of the names though for anonymity – not that anyone reads this thing, but whatever):
Hands down hilarious... it’s entertainment like this that makes this job such a joy. So, I'm in the kitchen making my lunch and spill some water on the floor. I obviously am busy during this time so hadn't wiped it up when in walks Cher who says, "Ohhhh look at all that water, that cant be good, looks like there is a leak, wonder where it is coming from!" and proceeds to get on her hands and knees and search for the source of this "leak"...little does she know that the source is my Fiji bottle on the counter. Anyway, she gets up and says, "that's weird. I should let Guss and Dina know about this" and she goes and gets Guss who then also gets on hands and knees looking for the leak. Now they're both on their knees and I'm sitting their waiting for my toast to pop up about to wet my pants at the sight of two adults on hands and knees looking for some nonexistent leak. Needless to say they never found it, I never spoke up, and G is going to "have it looked into"... I almost died of laughter!
The other day “K” sent me this email (I’ve encoded some of the names though for anonymity – not that anyone reads this thing, but whatever):
Hands down hilarious... it’s entertainment like this that makes this job such a joy. So, I'm in the kitchen making my lunch and spill some water on the floor. I obviously am busy during this time so hadn't wiped it up when in walks Cher who says, "Ohhhh look at all that water, that cant be good, looks like there is a leak, wonder where it is coming from!" and proceeds to get on her hands and knees and search for the source of this "leak"...little does she know that the source is my Fiji bottle on the counter. Anyway, she gets up and says, "that's weird. I should let Guss and Dina know about this" and she goes and gets Guss who then also gets on hands and knees looking for the leak. Now they're both on their knees and I'm sitting their waiting for my toast to pop up about to wet my pants at the sight of two adults on hands and knees looking for some nonexistent leak. Needless to say they never found it, I never spoke up, and G is going to "have it looked into"... I almost died of laughter!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
9-5?
So, yesterday was mildly interesting, but I ended up being here till 9:30. I did video tape a lot, but it was not limited to focus groups. I started the video tapes for all the focus groups, but then Liz and I went out and did "man on the street," which involved asking random people to answer our travel questions for a $5 Starbucks gift card. Of course this wasn't a very appealing incentive to anyone (especially since we were looking for business people) and we got little useful information. Liz then called another girl who was doing it (an IMC grad from last year) and she said that she was telling everyone they were grad students. So, we then walked around Millennium Park and asked people to help us for our school project. Highly unethical, but very effective. It's amazing how much more willing people are to help students than actual marketers. However, one lady made us tell her where we were going first to make sure she was ok with the school--- apparently Northwestern passed. Everyone told us we sounded very professional and that we would make very good marketers one day.... made me laugh.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Illegal Immigration
Alright, so I haven't entirely decided where I stand on the whole immigration issue. However, I do have several thoughts/opinions. Right now there is a Chicago woman who has been served deportation papers, but she doesn't want to leave her 7 year old son behind, who is a US citizen. While I do take sympathy with her and understand her situation and possibly even support it, I have several problems with the whole situation. First of all, the woman has already been deported once and has since snuck back over the border. Second of all, the reports claim that she is a huge activist for the immigration cause and as such, many feel she shouldn't be deported. However, this morning they aired parts of her speech on the news and it was completely in Spanish and she had to have a translator. Give me an fockign break. You mean to tell me that you're trying to take on legislators and you believe in this country and in immigrants being given a break, but you can't learn English. I mean, she wouldn't even have to be fluent to give a speech, just decent enough to not sound like a jackoff. Not to mention her US son is 7. You haven't picked up any English from him??
Whatever. I guess I should begin working for the day. Right now I think they have me planned to be here until 10pm video taping some focus groups. I don't get paid here people. I'm not staying till 10.
Whatever. I guess I should begin working for the day. Right now I think they have me planned to be here until 10pm video taping some focus groups. I don't get paid here people. I'm not staying till 10.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Week 1
Well, the first week is over and I have to say it wasn’t too bad. I work Mon-Thur from 8:30-5:30 and Fridays I get off at noon, which works out perfectly for my beach plans (yes, I know you're jealous). Element 79 has 7 other interns; of which only one is a grad student and that would be Jessica who is a fellow Northwesterner (I'll let you guess from which school). As cool as she is, she is still not my favorite intern. My favorite would have to be Patrick Greening. Patrick Greening just happens to be the son of my favorite professor, (note for sarcasm) John Greening. We all went to lunch with the President on Monday and he asked what we were doing with our summers after the internship was over. When I responded with the Asia trip, little Patrick got a funny look on his face and said he thought his dad might be going on that trip as well. I told him that he was, and then silently had a good laugh to myself. Later that afternoon, I told this story to Alissa (an alumni from last year) and she also found it very amusing. Best part, I'm pretty sure he is still only in high school.Other than that, not too much to report. Everyone seems pretty cool and there are quite a few young people that seem to like to party. The only complaint: no cute boys as of yet. Hopefully, we can find those at happy hour, which Jen and I started last week at Rivers. (Side note: I think Thursdays are going to become standard and Doug you should join us this week and Elephant and Castle.)
My supervisor is the Senior Vice President for the company and I have already been in several small meetings that the CEO attended. I realize that this is a huge opportunity for me, but it is also a little scary. Sometimes I look at everything and I’m not quite sure how I got here. But, no matter the means, I’ll take it all the same. Since my residency is in new business, I have no real set project to work on. This week the company was surprisingly slow, so I spent the days following this girl around on meetings, researching potential clients, and reading. What reading you might ask? Well, I have been assigned four books for the summer, one of which I was supposed to have already read for John Greening (which of course I have not). I'll be surprised if I manage to finish 2 of the 4 and I'll post them in case anyone is bored. O, and the girl I’m following graduated from IU last year and she’s very nice.
And to Becca, I’ve recently realized how annoying it must be when I decide to lecture you and give you advice you didn’t ask for. So, my apologies and I’ll try to keep that to a minimum in the future.
My supervisor is the Senior Vice President for the company and I have already been in several small meetings that the CEO attended. I realize that this is a huge opportunity for me, but it is also a little scary. Sometimes I look at everything and I’m not quite sure how I got here. But, no matter the means, I’ll take it all the same. Since my residency is in new business, I have no real set project to work on. This week the company was surprisingly slow, so I spent the days following this girl around on meetings, researching potential clients, and reading. What reading you might ask? Well, I have been assigned four books for the summer, one of which I was supposed to have already read for John Greening (which of course I have not). I'll be surprised if I manage to finish 2 of the 4 and I'll post them in case anyone is bored. O, and the girl I’m following graduated from IU last year and she’s very nice.
And to Becca, I’ve recently realized how annoying it must be when I decide to lecture you and give you advice you didn’t ask for. So, my apologies and I’ll try to keep that to a minimum in the future.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Three Days to Go...
So, I guess I haven’t written a post in quite sometime. But then again, neither has anyone else. But, as Erik said everyone’s posts seem to die down in the summer, including his. As for me, this isn’t the case. Unfortunately, I am currently still in school and the past 2 weeks (well really much longer) have been pure hell. I honestly just gave the worst presentation I’ve ever seen- these clients absolutely hated our project and acted like were the dumbest people ever. But, I only 3 more days to go and the presentations can only go up from here.
As for everything else…
A couple weeks ago Becca turned 21, and, as always I had a good time in Carbondale. I posted the pics from the night last week, and there are definately some fun ones. Now, I can’t wait for her to come up and visit me. Hopefully, it is sooner rather than later.
Although I’ve been quite busy in the past month or so, the real reason I haven’t talked to anyone is b/c I’ve honestly been in a terrible mood nearly every day b/c I didn’t know where I would be for my residency this summer. There are many stories to go with this, but I feel it only necessary to tell the final one, which is that I will be living in Chicago working at Element 79 Partners (which is part of Omnicom, a major Ad Agency). Thanks to those who put up with my ass for the past couple weeks, but I suppose most of them (aside from Kate) have also had there moments recently. I look forward to this weekend, which can't come soon enough, and partying with everyone before they all leave.
As for everything else…
A couple weeks ago Becca turned 21, and, as always I had a good time in Carbondale. I posted the pics from the night last week, and there are definately some fun ones. Now, I can’t wait for her to come up and visit me. Hopefully, it is sooner rather than later.
Although I’ve been quite busy in the past month or so, the real reason I haven’t talked to anyone is b/c I’ve honestly been in a terrible mood nearly every day b/c I didn’t know where I would be for my residency this summer. There are many stories to go with this, but I feel it only necessary to tell the final one, which is that I will be living in Chicago working at Element 79 Partners (which is part of Omnicom, a major Ad Agency). Thanks to those who put up with my ass for the past couple weeks, but I suppose most of them (aside from Kate) have also had there moments recently. I look forward to this weekend, which can't come soon enough, and partying with everyone before they all leave.
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