Thursday, September 01, 2005

Back In Our Groove

We have power and we are again running in the fast lane. The Wife seems a bit overloaded this week, dealing with work and fretting over our professional futures in a tumultuous office. From my end I don't have much anxiety, mostly because I'm not in the direct loop of talk. She goes to the meets and the lunches while I hear about things later, which means a piece of info can drift her way and set her mind a reeling and cause her to go to the money men for clarifications, all while I have no concrete grasp of the meanings.

One bolstering bit of news was that one of our Account Executives--and a friend--said to me that he favors me working on his accounts, both now and in the future. Gradually I have been able to work more and more without having to lean so heavily on TOW. Today was a good one in that I was routinely catching items that the executives found challenging to remedy, (as opposed to,"It's because of this, rookie!). There was even a moment when one mousy executive came to me saying his broker was getting mad that we haven't moved sufficiently on a file that was less than one week old. He was relieved when I eagerly took to the phones to calmly explained reality and put the broker in line, who promptly shifted blame to a realtor. I suggested she remind the realtor there was a significant weather occurance last week that closed offices and bottle-necked businesses affiliated with real estate in our area. Job done there.

Enough gabbing about work. I thought of ranting about our post-hurricane endurances, but when juxtaposed against the dire conditions over in Crescent City it seems like spoiled brat talk. I will give you some curious observations though...

* It was interesting to discover just how much power is needed to make a pot of coffee. Remembering the labor involved to make java on an outdoor grill last year the generator was more than welcome. But after a few times of the lights dimming and the generator growling loud I was at a loss as to why. I soon realized it was the heating element of the coffee maker clicking on. Still, I wasn't about to unplug the pot. We aren't savages, after all.
* With looting predominating much of the news coverage in New Orleans here's one from our region: A man woke up with no power at all in his house despite the fact that he could still hear his generator running outside his home. He went to inspect and discovered that over night someone had stolen his generator and masked their crime by leaving a running lawn mower behind.
* Never a big fan of the hype cyclone that is the MTV Video Awards--which was taking place on Miami Beach--I came to truly hate that show last week. Amidst all the hurricane news coverage we were repeatedly assured that, while many of the pre-show parties were cancelled, the actual ceremony was still going to go on. With all the problems facing our area that was something we could count on. It was enough to almost make me go out and switch off the generator.
* Lastly some trivia. The University of Miami Hurricanes have as their mascot a churlish looking bird named Sebastian The Ibis. Occasionally I'll hear people ask what is the connection with this rancurous feathered creature and the team. Well, it is said that when a hurricane hits these shores the durable native ibis is the last bird to flee the area, and the first to return back when the storm clears out. This came to mind last Thursday when at the office, before leaving early to take cover, I looked out our window to see a few of these birds grazing calmly in a strong rain. With a storm bearing down it made me feel good.

Posted by Anonymous :: 6:55 PM :: | ---------------------------------------