AliBlog

More from Concrete Craftsmen LLC

There's more on flickr here. The craftsmen are Jeromy and Rob. The photographer is Tim from Keepsake Photography.

Look What Jeromy Made

(click to see more at flickr)

f/u

Does anyone else think it's hilarious that blackberry-addicted business folks are now using "f/u" as shorthand for Follow Up?

I can't help but snicker every time a busy colleague sends me a note that says, "I'll f/u later."

Project Management Resources

Tools I found for project planning & project management:

• Online project management tool, Basecamp.
• Free trial for gant chart drawing software (fees required after 30 days).
• Free Excel add-in for drawing gant charts.
• Free Creative Project Manager software.
• Project management knowledge base, with lots more to check out.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I can't vouche for the quality or security of any of these downloads. I'll try to give reviews on some of them later.

My Least Favorite Work Responsibility

Editorial calendars. That's what I'm doing today: trying to create production plans for all of 2007. I'm doing it within a cumbersome Word document that fills four pages for each issue of the magazine, marking off and explaining dates for creative briefs, cover shots, ad space deadlines, etc. There has to be a better way. My art director likes gant charts, but I'm not sure how to create one. I've heard good things about MS Project, but I don't have a copy. I know there's products out there that can help me create this schedule in a more visually appealing and interactive format, but I don't know where they are. I'm overwhelmed by the searches I've tried.

Or wait - I just remembered this project management notebook I had to create for a course in grad school. And there was a textbook associated with that course as well. I'm going to have to make another mad dive into the basement of doom to find those things, aren't I? They're here somewhere - and they're going to make my life easier.

Of course, I'll still take suggetions for planning software if you have any recommendations. Also, to make me feel better, tell me: What's your least favorite work responsibility?

Light as a Feather, Stick as a Bore

Ever been mad at a stick? No? Then you've never played a fool's role in the helium stick exercise. Let me explain. As the linked site indicates, it's a deceptively simple team-building exercise. Within a group, you're instructed to form two facing lines, outstretch two fingers of each hand, lay a stick across everyone's fingers and lower the stick to the ground - without anyone's fingers losing contact with the stick.

But guess what? The damn stick floats. It doesn't go down. It keeps inching its way higher and higher until everyone is frustrated and pointing fingers and demanding to know Who's Raising The Stick? I'm Not Raising The Stick. Are You Raising the Stick? WHY ISN'T THE DAMN STICK GOING DOWN?

As usually occurs in these types of scenarios, a few people take charge. They refuse to give up. They try different strategies. They bark orders. They do not succeed but keep at it anyway. Meanwhile, other team members are still pointing fingers, rolling eyes and swearing at the stick.

Me? And this is truly reflective of my attitude in difficult work situations. I shut up, shut down and start fuming to myself. Regardless of any possible solutions that might come to mind, I don't share them with the group. I don't contribute to the vision or the destruction of the team but I keep my angry fingers on the stick and continue to do my worker-bee job while otherwise divorcing myself from the chaos. I pessimistically assume we'll never actually lower the stick but keep my fingers outstretched anyway long after my arms become achy and tired. Because hey, who cares if the stick ever hits the ground? I'm just doing what they pay me to do. It's not my fault if the stick floats.

This is not the attitude of a leader.

And that's one of the many things I learned about myself recently. If I want to be a leader, I need to change my attitude. I need to make the decision to lead and accept the risks that come along with the role of leader. I need to stop waiting for executives and marketing experts to provide a vision. I need to create my own vision, communicate that vision to others and encourage them to work towards that envisioned goal with me.

Now I sound like Dr. Phil, right? Or some other candy-coated, self-help guru. Or maybe not? Maybe that's another lesson I need to learn: to stop worrying about how I sound and accept the fact that sometimes a leader has to play the rah-rah, go-team, can-do role. It doesn't mean I can't do it without creativity and originality and depth. I can still lead as my quirky, pithy self. But I do have to lead. And I'll probably be happier for it, especially if I can help solve some of the problems that I've been waiting six, seven, eight years for other people to solve.   

So I'm cracking the stick. Er, I mean, chanting the chant. Or, sticking it to them. Sparing the rod? Raising the bar? Whatever. I'm off to lead ...

My First Editor's Note

Funny that this gets published while I'm on maternity leave. The full issue is online here.

So, that's what I do.

I've debated whether or not to link to it for a week - but finally decided there's nothing on this site worth doocing me over ... so why not? And besides, I never did followup regarding that disgruntled promotion post a few months back.

Now you know why I've been working so hard this year, and why (in addition to the pregnancy and the new baby), the frequency of my posts has dwindled. I was working overtime to birth two magazines and a bouncing baby boy all at the same time.

Jinxed, Jinxed, Jinxed

Well, that's the last time I talk about what's on the horizon here. I'm not making anymore promises about what I'll post or what I'll talk about next week, because - even though these things were supposed to happen WEEKS AGO - they still haven't happened.

Is it safe for me to gripe about work woes on this blog? I don't think so. I don't know. So I'll be vague. Basically, I've been busting my butt for something that may be pulled right out from underneath me - AGAIN. The decisions being made are at a level so much higher than me, that I'm not even on the radar. I know this happens everywhere in the corporate world: execs have to make sweeping decisions without any real knowledge of how those decisions might affect pions like me. I know it's not personal, and I know it's not my manager's fault - she's just the one that has to deal with it on the personal level.

I should be glad that I don't work in a corporate environment where large percentages of people get fired or let go based on the same types of executive decisions. That doesn't happen where I work. Employees rarely get fired. Instead, we just get screwed out of promotions. Two years in a row. Promotions that we thought were guaranteed. Sure things. Practically promised to us.

But like I said, I should be glad. I have a good job. For a great company. In my chosen career field. I have a decent salary. And unheard-of benefits. I telecommute. I work full-time from my home. Hundreds of miles from the corporate headquarters. I get to lead projects. Make decisions. Be creative. I don't have it bad. Not bad at all.

I'm trying to cheer myself up. I'm trying to remain positive and up-beat. It's not working. Not anymore. Can you tell?

Work-a-Day-Humor

Below is an e-mail conversation I had recently with a few of my favorite co-workers. I don't think they'll mind that I felt compelled to share.

First, go watch this movie, which Barry sent as an attachment with the following note:

This happened to me once.

A few minutes go by and K writes:

You wore a pink nighty?

Barry replies:

Yes -- and I looked very nice.

Alison chimes in:

Or - you bid on a fireman?

Then Barry replies again:

OK, that too. But it was for a great cause!

Shut Down

I was told to shut down my work computer tonight for technical reasons: directory moves or something. Maybe I'll keep it off all weekend long. I think I will. I think that's a very good idea.

I've been working on Robey's baby book/scrapbook lately and just decided that it's my goal to have it done before this new baby comes. Does that count as nesting? Or does it count as slacking since he's almost three and I'm just now completing his first-year scrapbook?

I had lunch today with another friend who works at home. We meet occasionally on Fridays but learned today that our favorite local Chinese restaurant will no longer be open for lunch. Instead, we ate at another Chinese restaurant in the same shopping complex. It was one of those quick-serve restaurants with picture-menus hanging on the wall, versus the full service establishment where we usually meet, so the food wasn't as good. But its the conversation that I most enjoy anyway, not the food. Most days, I sit in front of this computer all day and eat lunch at my desk, so it's a treat to get out once a week and see a real, live person (plus, it forces me to wear something besides sweatpants and a T-shirt on that day).

Tomorrow Jeromy and I are attending a Linford Detweiler keyboard/spoken word show at a Unitarian Universalist church located in that small, farming town that I dreamed about a few nights ago. He's the keyboardist and half of my favorite duo Over The Rhine. Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite songs on Drunkard's Prayer, their latest album:

You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time

You're the hunger
On my bones
All the nights
I sleep alone

There's more here. Lots more. That song always reminds me of the Baudelaire prose poem, Get High, which Mich and I printed and framed one Christmas for all of our friends when we were in college (and that's another craft project I've been meaning to recreate).

Next week I'll have artsy, black & white belly photos to share, I promise. I'm happy with the way they turned out and can't wait to frame one for the baby's room.

I think Jeromy's mom is going to help paint the nursery next week too, so maybe I'll have photos of that to post as well.

Finally, I'm hoping to provide a lengthy explanation on my job situation filled with blatantly self-congratulatory links and resources within the next week or so. Maybe sooner. Maybe later. I don't want to jinx anything.

What I Learned Today

When you consider color, material, size and thousands of other possible options, the total number of possible office furniture combinations from a certain high-quality manufacturer is 28 quadrillion. Quadrillion? What does that even mean - and how will I ever decide how to outfit the new office Jeromy's constructing for me right now?

I can only imagine that the number of possible options for remodeling your kitchen are even greater. Is it any wonder that redecorating causes my head to spin?

What I Do

Jeromy can build and network computers. That means he's often found helping friends and family members with their endless lists of computer woes. Likewise, he's an experienced electrician and handyman, so he's been known to fix plumbing, wiring and minor construction problems for many of our friends. What else? He has a chain saw, a table saw, an air compressor, two trailers and a house full of other tools he knows how to use. He's an expert mover/Uhaul packer, a certified mechanic, a natural leader, and he's usually in the process of learning at least one or two other trades to add to his skill set.

I'm not telling you this in an effort to market my husband's abilities. Instead, I'm stating it as a point of contrast to my lack of neighborly skills.

What can I do? Mix a good drink, outline a decent story plot, make a hearty pot of soup, daydream complete movie scripts, create handmade holiday cards, critique many genres of art. Not much in comparison to Jeromy's laundry list of practical skills. Even my training in business and technical communication means nothing to anyone I know.

I'm qualified to edit and reformat your resume, to write a winning business proposal for that startup you've always considered but never pursued, to interview and pen a glowing profile about you or anyone you know ... but these aren't the kinds of practical tasks that come up in dinner party conversation.

Instead, people know vaguely that I write for a large corporation. But they don't understand what I write, what that corporation does or why in God's name it would pay me to sit at home and pound away at my keyboard all day long.

So, instead of practical questions like: What do you know about wireless routers?  How do I install a ceiling fan? Or What's the best way to take up old tile? I get questions like: Can I read one of the books you've written? Can I suggest an article idea for your next writing assignment? Can you turn my wild past into a best-selling novel?

I wish I could answer yes to all of those questions, but the truth is - unless your past involves in-depth data analysis, your article is about a visionary CIO or your idea of a book is a corporate magazine, I'm left giving awkward explanations about what it is really that I do. And then, inevitably, your eyes go blank, you see someone else across the room you really wanted to talk to and you walk away thinking, "Well, that's not my idea of what a writer does. How boring."

But, you know, I mentioned I'm a daydreamer. And I do have other creative aspirations, so maybe next time I will say yes. Yes, tell me about that article idea and maybe I'll send a query letter out to your favorite magazine next month. Yes, tell me your best stories, and I'll work them into a screen play some day. Yes, I'll send you the Amazon link to my latest book (technically, there is an out-of-print anthology of short stories out there that credits me as the editor).

Why not? I could learn a lot, and it has to provoke better conversations than trying to explain data integration, statistical analysis and performance management to friends and acquaintances. 

Who wants to talk about all that? People want to talk about themselves, and I do love a good story. I'm not going to lie about what I do, but if you assume my writing life is one thing, why should I ruin the image - and the dinner party conversation - to correct the faulty assumption?

So - what's your wildest story? What was that article idea you wanted to share? What type of book would you like to see me edit next? E-mail your ideas today!

Data Poop

Did you know that if you look up the word data using this online thesaurus, you'll find the word poop listed as a synonym. Also, poop sheet, dope and scoop. The last two aren't as surprising - I just wanted to use the list format there.

And if you look up poop in the same thesaurus, you'll find communication, direction, facts, exhaust and information listed as synonyms. Who knew?

This is fascinating to me for two obvious reasons. One, I write about data all day long for work - data mining, data warehousing, data analysis and so on. And two, we've just started the process of potty training with Robey.

What if I were to start referring to data as poop and poop as information? I think I'd be fired as a mommy and as a corporate communicator. What if these synonyms were more common? Then I'd be even more confused about where the lines blur between work and mommyhood.

Plus, if I said, "Oh data! I've just confused my poop! Let me go back and fix the poop sheet now," you'd have no idea if I were talking about an Excel spread sheet, a sticker-laden potty reward chart, or an old episode of Star Trek.

See - you're glad these aren't common synonyms now too, aren't you?

What I Learned Today

The process of raising mink and auctioning their skins for use in fur outerwear is more complicated than you'd ever imagine. Individual skins are categorized into more than 10,000 unique categories based on length, color, quality and many other variables. It takes 40 skins, on average, to make a single fur coat, and they have to be matched to perfection by buyers and manufacturers. The names of the different types of fur are fascinating - Saphire Cross, Jaguar, Silverblue, Golden Pearl, Black XXDark and Mahogany - and the prices the skins bring at auction are tracked and reported to a meticulous degree. 

I never knew.

From a Hapless Writer

This describes many of my daily frustrations:

All too often, that writer is simply trying to achieve an impossible compromise between the demands of the marketing group on one side and the web group on the other ... And the hapless writer is faced with compromising on everything.

For me it's product managers, technology managers, industry managers, international colleagues and customers who all have competing demands.

Sometimes I think I'd prefer to go back to school. This is especially tempting. It's a new program at NC State with many of my favorite profs from grad school. Just another pipe dream right now, though, like running a marathon or writing a screen play or owning a campground. Ahhhh, the dreams of a hapless writer.

Speaking of writers - and some obviously are not as hapless as others - this post from Richard Lawrence Cohen gave me the chills. It's in reference to another post from AmbivaBlog. Both are writers whose blogs I've been quietly following for a few months.

The Modern Condition

Check out this Q&A with psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, about Attention Deficit Trait (ADT) -- a workplace form of Attention Deficite Disorder (ADD). Even though I work for the company he singles out as providing the kind of work environment that combats ADT, I still think I've *caught* this modern bug. Here's a description:

... it's a condition induced by modern life, in which you've become so busy attending to so many inputs and outputs that you become increasingly distracted, irritable, impulsive, restless and, over the long term, underachieving. In other words, it costs you efficiency because you're doing so much or trying to do so much ...

The symptoms?

When people find that they're not working to their full potential; when they know that they could be producing more but in fact they're producing less; when they know they're smarter than their output shows; when they start answering questions in ways that are more superficial, more hurried than they usually would; when their reservoir of new ideas starts to run dry; when they find themselves working ever-longer hours and sleeping less, exercising less, spending free time with friends less and in general putting in more hours but getting less production overall.

Ummmm. Show of hands. This is all of us, isn' it?

Since many of you will say it's a bunch of psychobabble, here's the practical advice:

If you're just paying attention to trivial e-mails for the majority of your time, you're wasting time and mental energy. It's the great seduction of the information age. You can create the illusion of doing work and of being productive and creative when you're not. You're just treading water.

The lesson? For me anyway: Close down Outlook and Typepad for a few hours every day and finish a project. Write something. Meet a deadline. Complete a story. It feels good to be productive.

Small Town Coincidence

I've been expecting a package. Nothing exciting - just a white board that I ordered for work. So the freight company calls one day earlier this week for directions but never shows up, then the next day they call and say they'll meet me tomorrow at the end of my driveway to deliver the package, because they cannot fit a tractor trailer down our long, rocky drive. Okay. So I'm planning to meet them there, at the end of my driveway, to pick up this package.

But then my mom calls and says she has a strange story for me. Her brother, my uncle -- whose last name I do not share -- found a package for me on his receiving docks yesterday, mixed in with the shipment of doors, windows and counter tops typically delivered to his small business. His partner found it first and didn't know what to do with the strange parcel. So my uncle looked at the shipping label and said, "I know her."

Today, the shipping company calls and says there will be another delay in the shipping of my package. They aren't admitting it yet, but they obviously have no idea what's happened to the package.

I know. At this point, I could have really messed with them and maybe even received another white board for free, but really who needs two 36"x48" white boards? (Jeromy's wondering why I even need one - since he's the one that'll have to hang it.) 

Instead, I tell them that I know where it is.

"You do," says the lady on the phone, "because we've been looking for it."

"My uncle owns a business downtown," I tell her, "and it ended up mixed in with the freight on his receiving dock."

This doesn't phase her a bit. She doesn't apologize or act relieved or anything. She just repeats back to me what I've said and asks, "So you have the package?"

She's already checked it off her list and moved on with her day. But come on. Isn't that nuts? Yes, this is a small town, but there are hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of other small businesses here and I don't know many of their owners. What are the chances that my package ends up at the one family business in town? I know it's not a twilight zone coincidence, but it's at least worth a pause, don't you think?

Reason #260 on Why Working from Home Rocks

Because, when you spill a full cup of coffee on your lap, you simply walk to the next room and change your clothes. And you quickly replace your ruined keyboard with the one attached to your home computer. And nobody laughs.

Chiropractic Recovery

In addition to good chiropractic care and massage therapy, here's a short list of products that have helped speed the recovery of my aching neck:

• An ergonomic document holder that displays the many papers I refer to while working.
• Stackable monitor risers, which elevate my screen to the proper height.
• A shiatsu back massager for my office chair (a birthday gift from Jeromy).
• A new pair of perscription eyeglasses (and now that I see how cheap they are online, I'm feeling a bit ripped off).
• The posture pump spine trainer, which I strap to my head nearly every night before bed. Don't laugh. In addition to reducing symptoms during the day, I've never slept so good in all my life (plus, it's "beautifully crafted and built to last" - exactly what you look for in a medical device).

The Gaming Article

In case you were wondering why I was blogging about poker last month, now I can tell you why. I was doing research for a story on Harrah's Entertainment, which was recently approved for publication. You can read the full article here or read an excerpt below:

In the high-stakes world of the U.S. gaming industry, success is often measured by glitz and glam. But Harrah’s Entertainment, the world’s largest gaming company, demonstrates that success is not always based on size or stature. In fact, while Harrah’s competitors have continued to pour more and more revenues into bigger buildings and more extravagant facilities, Harrah’s has chosen to invest heavily in customer relationship management (CRM) technologies and marketing techniques that build customer loyalty.

See, I do get to write about fun topics sometimes. But the best part - as most writers will tell you - is doing the research for those articles. This week it's disease management, financial intelligence and college recruitment. Next week it'll be semiconductors, drug development or state transportation systems. I'm always learning - and getting paid for it. And that's what makes me happy.

What makes you happy about your job?

Telemarketing Absurdities

Since setting up my business phone line a few months ago, I get these calls from telemarketers all the time trying to hustle their small business products. Today, a lady called and said her company had developed a Web site for my company that I could use for free for 60 days. If I provided my e-mail address, she'd send a sample for me to review.

I said, "I work for a billion-dollar corporation that maintains its own Web site, which includes hundreds of thousands of pages."

Then she hung up.

p.s. As an aside for anyone who cares (like my mother): that Macy's story on the home page is one of mine.

OneWorld Health

Since the stuff I write for work isn't very interesting (not for a general audience, anyway), I normally don't publish job-related links on this site. But I've been working on an article about the first not-for-profit pharmaceutical company in the U.S. and it's really a great story. They're called OneWorld Health and they're developing drugs for diseases that claim thousands and thousands of lives in third world countries. Cathy Traugot, a freelancer that we work with a lot at SAS, wrote the story based on an interview I conducted in October. Read the article on the SAS Web site or find out how to get involved at the OneWorld Health Web site.

It's Official!

More good news on the occupational front. Jeromy has received his orders from the Air Force, with a separation date of 15-Sept-2004. That means hes out. In less than two months. Now, as soon as we can find a renter for our house in St. Louis and a financer with a low interest rate for our business loan, we'll be campground owners before we know it. Who's planning to be our first guests before winter hits?