January 27, 2005
Dear Everyone:
The document management software training business, which had been in a bit of a lull over the holidays, has picked up suddenly. The project manager for that new project, “Pangaea”, wanted all of his team members (over 30 of them) trained by the end of January. So we scheduled as many classes as we could given the time frame and the fact that the training room is only available when the department that owns it isn’t using it for themselves.
We even set up a “Bring Your Own Laptop” class in a conference room. These days we have things called hubs. A hub is a gizmo that lets you connect up to five laptops to a single network line. If you need more, you get a second hub and “daisy-chain” it off the first hub.
In fact, after the first time, we realized that we needed to put together a “BYOL” kit with hubs, extra network cables, an extra-long heavy-duty extension cord and power strips. Then I found out that a contractor, who had actually been hired by another operating company as an employee, had a projector left over from some previous project. So we added the projector to the kit. Now we can set up shop just about anywhere. (As an added plus, I’ll be able to borrow the projector for ARMA dinner meetings.)
In other news…
Back in December, “Jeannie” and I were in a
knitting shop in
The knitting shop was in the same tiny strip mall as the consignment store. So naturally, we had to stop in there as well. This is the kind of store where you can pay $50 for a single skein of yarn. Serious stuff.
The store also offers knitting classes. Since “Jeannie’s” birthday was coming up (or had already passed), we agreed that my birthday present to her would be “Knitting Beginners II” in January. I also paid for a single ball of yarn that she was going to use to knit a small hat for someone.
The classes took place on Sunday afternoon for three consecutive weeks. This was good as it wouldn’t interfere with our every-four-weeks haircut appointments. However, it did mean that half of “Jeannie’s” weekends were already committed to for pretty much all this month. I figured, if I was going to see any movies, I’d be doing it on my own.
But last Saturday “Jeannie” called. She had plenty of work to do, but she’d rather go to a movie instead. We settled on In Good Company on the basis of a recommendation from “Alice”.
Dennis Quaid plays Dan Foreman, a middle-aged ad executive for a major sports magazine. Marg Helgenberger (Erin Brockovich, CSI) plays his not-quite-so-middle-aged wife who soon learns that she is pregnant. They already have two daughters, 18 and 16, and Dan really wants a son. Meanwhile, back at the office, Topher Grace (Traffic, That 70’s Show) plays the business school prodigy, Carter Duryea, who has just been placed in charge of Dan’s department.
It seems that a company that acquires other companies, apparently just for the fun of it, has bought the company that owns Dan’s magazine. Carter knows all the best and latest buzz words and platitudes. In his first department meeting, he starts talking about “synergy”. It’s clear that no one knows what he’s talking about. Neither does Carter, but he doesn’t know that himself.
Carter is essentially clueless. He can’t figure out why his wife of seven months wants to divorce him. Evidently he’s so self-absorbed that he can’t perceive that she’s even more self-absorbed than he is. He thinks the best way to sell ads in the magazine is to cross-promote with a breakfast cereal aimed at small children.
Then Carter meets Dan’s oldest daughter. Soon they’re having a relationship. Which, of course, they strive to hide from Dan. And soon, the new company is looking to make money the old-fashioned way: By laying off workers. Nothing good can come of all this.
Everyone learns some little life-lesson by the end. Quaid is quite good as the older guy who develops clients through handshakes and building relationships. He honestly is looking to help his clients improve their business through his ads. Grace makes the transition from TV comedy to light romance movie fairly well.
All in all, a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Certainly beats getting any work done. Good call, “Alice”.
Love, as always,
Pete
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