the thoughts and experiences of Heather Meadows
Americans are getting fatter, faster!
-_-
I do like what Dr. Ian Campbell, chairman of the National Obesity Forum in the UK, had to say:
“It really is time that we got our finger out and started making real changes.
“This is no cosmetic irritation, it is a serious medical problem.”
Can you figure it out? I sure as hell can’t.
I’m starting to think that the solution must depend on some 1960s cultural factoid ;P
Update 2005/05/25 5:50 pm: BoingBoing has posted the answer.
Wow, am I tired.
Working a full day in a new place is pretty draining.
When I arrived, I discovered that I’d been moved out of the cubicle and into my own gargantuan office.
Isn’t that desk nice? (Unfortunately the chair doesn’t lower enough for the arms to slide underneath the desk, but you know, nothing’s perfect.)
So once we got the desk where I wanted it and I had been made familiar with the passwords and directory structure, we purchased Photoshop and began the two hour process of downloading it :> While that was occurring I set up my account on the computer, cleaned out some files, and searched for stock photos and fonts I could use for web design. This actually killed a good portion of the day.
Once Photoshop was installed and ready to go, I started futzing around with actual layouts. I only came up with two general ideas today, but my brain was kind of fuzzy, and also I had two interesting conversations with the owner (not the guy who hired me) that took me away from my work, so I feel all right about it.
I’m going to the internship tomorrow, and then back to work on Friday. I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep that up, but I really love the internship and don’t want to give it up quite yet. (I’m hoping I can learn more there that I can apply to my new job, too!)
I think once I get more settled in, I’ll be able to manage myself and my time better so that I can make designs without going into a coma. Creative work is great and challenging and all, but it’s by nature fairly unstructured, so it’s hard to keep focused. I think I will try to come up with some guidelines and goals for myself to help me stay on track.
The drive home was nice :) It rained the tiniest bit, but nothing serious, and it was cool out, which felt great. (I should explain that by “cool” I mean it was 88 degrees, with no sun and a breeze. But this felt much better than the arctic temperatures in the office…I don’t know who runs the thermostat in there, but it’s so freaking cold I was shivering. Maybe I’ll take a sweater in on Friday.)
In any case, I snapped a couple pictures of the lake again, and they came out a little better due to the sky being overcast, so here’s one:
There’s a lumber yard along the way, too; here’s a shot of some wood!
There’s a new subdivision being built along Washington Road in Columbia County. I guess it’s technically Evans; it’s not far from Eagle Pointe shopping center (I think that’s what it’s called), which is not far from the big Evans shopping center where the Super Wal-Mart is. The subdivision is called Village at Greenbrier. I wonder if that would be a good place for Sean and me to look into…
I went to Wal-Mart on my way home and got some necessities, and now I’m just relaxing. My eyes have finally come unglazed, thankfully :) I’m going to just enjoy myself for the rest of the evening and not worry about anything!
BoingBoing links to a short film featuring five immediately recognizable Hollywood voice actors. I love how they put the animated films guy in a white suit and made him out to be a dork ;>
So, that explains why I haven’t posted all day.
…wait, it doesn’t? I’ll elaborate:
I was awakened this morning at 11:16 am by my cell phone ringing. I didn’t recognize the number. Leaping out of bed, I forced myself as much into awake-mode as possible–this is something I’m usually able to pull off, although when it happens with friends I generally let the facade slip about halfway through the conversation, prompting a “Did I wake you up?”
This time, I was determined not to sound like an unemployed loser who’d been planning to sleep past noon…for this time, a potential employer was on the other end.
“This is so-and-so with X Corporation. We received your resume this morning.”
“Yes,” I said. (Maybe the facade isn’t as good as I think it is.)
“I was hoping to get together and talk.”
“Sure! Great!” By this time I was finally in the office. I always head straight to the office when I get an Important Call. I sat down in my lovely Aeron chair, and was suddenly able to think straight. “I’m free any day this week except Thursday.”
“It’s really up to you,” he said. “I’m here all week.”
“How about today, then? I can be there in a couple of hours.”
The rest of the conversation involved how to get to the place, and what his name was (I’d not caught it properly during the forcing-myself-awake phase). Then we hung up and I practically leapt into the shower, forgetting my normal routine of Potty, Scale, and Pills. (I took my medicine after the shower, and decided not to weigh myself today.)
I took some time collecting samples and reviewing what the job was, so I could hopefully demonstrate that I was the right choice. I also fussed about what to wear, finally opting for the same outfit I’ve worn to all my other job interviews lately. (Brooke knows which one I’m talking about…)
Then I did my makeup, put on some earrings and slid a clip into my hair, grabbed my huge briefcase (or, as Brooke calls it, my “luggage”), and headed out. I was taking along some hard copy samples of flyers and such from 2go-Box, plus the laptop with screenshots of various web designs.
X Corporation is located in Lincolnton, Georgia. Basically I drive northwest on Washington Road for about 40 minutes, and then I’m there. The drive is really nice–beautiful trees all around, and those old-timey convenience stores you often see in rural areas. Plus, towards the end, I got to drive right over Clarks Hill Lake (also known as Strom Thurmond Lake). The road meanders along, a thin strip bisecting the lake, until finally you’re shunted through a big beautiful green bridge.
(Okay, this is cheating. I actually took this picture on my way home. But you get the idea.)
Seeing all that water was really energizing. I was beaming from ear to ear as I continued on to Lincolnton.
The place was really easy to find. I gathered up my stuff, turned off my phone (which apparently couldn’t find a signal anyway), fixed my hair (with no air conditioning, I have to drive with the windows rolled down), and headed inside.
After a brief uncomfortable moment in which I stood in the lobby staring through a window into an office area while no one helped me, a young (well, older than me, by maybe five years, but still young) man burst out of one of the offices, glanced at me, and said, “How you doin’?”
“Good,” I said.
“Are you waiting for me?”
“Are you So-and-So?”
“Yup! Just hold on one minute.”
And so I did.
Presently I was ushered into So-and-So’s office and invited to sit on a brown leather loveseat. So-and-So slouched back into his desk chair and we started talking about the job.
It was strikingly similar to having a conversation with my old boss, Robert. He was very enthusiastic about what he wanted to do and made the company’s needs clear. I asked implementation questions and made suggestions and basically got a good idea about how it was all supposed to work. Yes, I could do this. It would be fun!
The interview had never seemed like a normal interview–that is, I never felt like I was being grilled. If anything, it felt as if I were interviewing them. (I’ve heard that this is a good strategy for interviews, actually.) But at a certain point, I realized we’d moved past anything remotely resembling an interview, and we were now at the point where I was ready to get started on the project. He realized this too, because not long after that he said, “I guess it’s time to talk about money.”
I stated that I wanted to be fair, that I was basically entry-level despite my abilities, and that I wouldn’t claim to have ten years of experience when I really didn’t. Then I named a figure, and he agreed to it.
I think my figure was pretty reasonable. In all, I feel that we both made off well with that figure. I know I could scarcely have hoped to make that kind of money at any other job…
“When can I start?” I asked.
“Whenever you want.”
“How about tomorrow?”
And so it was settled. Then it was just a matter of logistics. “I’ll need Photoshop,” I said.
“I’ll buy whatever you need,” he replied (which was amazingly thrilling, I must say). I asked to see my workstation, and he led me out to one of the cubicles I’d seen earlier from the lobby. He told me I could have my pick of two of them.
“Are the computers the same?”
“No, actually, that one’s much better.”
“I’ll take that one, then.”
He had to get the monitor for me; it was plugged into the server. Then he logged me in and I took a look around at all the software. As we’d suspected, the previous user, a web designer who hadn’t quite worked out, had installed plenty of software but not registered any of it. I cleaned out everything I wasn’t going to need, then made a list of what I did (which for now is just SmartFTP and Photoshop). I also made myself a list of things to bring in tomorrow.
Once the software issue was squared away, I asked him about cameras. He said they had two, and I’ll get to look at them tomorrow to see if they’ll work for me. If they don’t, he said he’d buy whatever camera I think would be best. I might also just use my own.
After that, I told everyone that I’d see them in the morning, and took my leave.
I managed to restrain myself until I’d pulled out of the driveway, but then I screamed, loud and incoherently. I spent most of the drive back alternately laughing and crying, and haphazardly snapping pictures (of which that bridge one above is the only one worth sharing). Then, inexplicably, I drove to my in-laws’ house, let myself in, called everybody, and played with their Pomeranians until they got home. (I then stayed for dinner, and watched House with them in a state of euphoria.)
I have a job.
I have a good job.
I have a job that pays good money.
I am really looking forward to getting started.
And it all happened within a matter of sixteen hours–I applied for the job at midnight, was called at 11, and had interviewed, been hired, and had my desk set up by 4.
It’s totally surreal.
Not to mention awesome.
I think I’m really going to enjoy this.
Sunshine and her mom (who, as you will recall, live in Mosul) have both written about an inspection of their home by the U.S. military, and their reactions to the behavior of one soldier. From Sunshine’s post:
We heard that some houses were damaged , so we were afraid that could happen to us .
I believed that if we cooperate with them & welcome them, they will check our house with more graciousness.
Every time I hear people saying that the soldiers broke this & did that , I would say: come on they are targets all the time , they expect attacks in every minute , certainly they will be nervous.
But if they see a co-operative family they will be nice!!!!.
Give me a reason i am confused…
From her mother’s:
My kids used to believe in your soldiers & their courage .When terrorists invalidate Mosul &then you came to help us they were very much amazed. But now after they saw that soldier behavior they got confused &disappointed.
I wanted to write about that to stoop the stupid guys in the military forces from offending the relationship more &more between the Iraqis & the soldiers .I want to stop the hate that is increasing even among the most peaceful Iraqis ,due to such irresponsible behavior, such soldiers affect the reputation of the American military forces ,whom already have enough scandals.
I did have a good and productive time at the printer’s. From my arrival until around 1:30 I took a tour with Dave, one of the business managers. After that I was given helpful tips and tricks in various software packages by the job planner, Tim.
The tour of the facility was my favorite part; I wanted to ask if I could take pictures of everything, but I was too busy taking notes. I saw
Account Management, where sales reps/customer service reps take care of client business;
Preflight, where client files are received from the Account Manager and checked for completeness, image quality, and whether or not the files on disc match the client’s proof;
Planning/Management, where jobs are received, set up and scheduled;
Quality Control, where images are evaluated based on how they will appear on the type of paper required for the job and edits are made as necessary;
Processing, referred to as “the Mac Operators”, where the jobs are meticulously assembled–I was told this was frequently unnecessary on jobs from the company for which I intern, as we do most of that work ourselves;
Imposition, in which the pages are laid out–this is tricky, as you don’t always print the pages right next to each other. It depends on the binding how everything will flow;
Proofing, where a regular printout is made to check that everything is set up properly (and there are two types of proof, a low res version that is cut and assembled the way it will look as a finished product, and a high res version that is printed on the paper that is to be used for the job, to check how the ink will look);
Plating, in which literal plates of metal are created from the job files after the proof has been approved by the client; and
The press room, where it all happens. There are 2-, 4-, and 8-color printing presses, and each of them has a “perfector” unit that flips the paper over so that one run through the machine can result in printing on both sides. The plates are wrapped around cylinders inside the presses. Ink is ferried down to the plates by the inking rollers, a set of cylinders that begins at the very top of the press. (The ink levels have to be just right, or the color will be incorrect. This is not an exact process, meaning that workers must constantly check the color output and adjust the levels. Temperature and humidity are both key factors.) By the way, printing ink looks like this:
That’s the one and only picture I took at the printer’s.
The plates are moistened with water. Only the spots on the plate where ink is to go do not hold water; the rest of the plate does. This ensures, for the most part, that ink won’t get where it’s not supposed to be. The plate cylinder rolls up against what’s called a “rubber blanket”, which absorbs/deflects the water and catches the ink. The rubber blanket then rolls across the actual paper, leaving the imprint of the ink.
There is one plate for each spot color. As you may know, there are four of these: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). So only one color goes onto the page at a time. A 2-color press only has two plates in it at a time and is used to run monotone or duotone projects. A 4-color press can do 4 colors at a time, and an 8-color press can do 8. While I was there, the 8-color press was being put to work on a 3-color project because that particular project was on a tight deadline; paper was whizzing into that thing.
Once the page has been inked, it passes through an infrared dryer before landing in a stack with the other pages. This dries the ink and keeps the pages from sticking to each other.
As you might have guessed, the printing presses are the coolest part. They are controlled by a computerized apparatus that looks fresh from the 1960s (okay, maybe the 1980s): a long bay of red LEDs (or maybe they’re just regular lights, I’m not sure) is spread out along the bottom of an easel upon which the printed pages are laid by the operator; he can then check the colors against his handy-dandy Pantone chart to make sure they’re correct, and if they’re not, he uses buttons beneath the red lights to increase or decrease the ink levels on any portion of the page. I find old computers like that to be incredibly funky and cool.
Beyond the presses, there were areas for storing printed pages to await the next step in the processes, cutting the pages with dies, and storing old jobs. Adjacent to the presses was
Binding, where machines sort the pages and stack them, then score, fold, and bind, then finally chop away the excess paper, first top and bottom and then along the side.
All in all, I left the tour mildly wishing I could stay and work in the press room.
My software tutorial thingamajig went fine, although I yawned rather too much and felt very sleepy towards the end. Tim gave me some good tips and some definite things I needed to know about sending files to the printer, which of course was the purpose of the visit. Here are a few things I learned:
Hope that wasn’t too boring for those of you with no interest whatsoever in graphic design. It was a nice review for me, at least ;>
On my way out of the building, Dave showed up again and introduced me to some more people, including Mike, a manager. When Dave told Mike who I was, Mike said, “Oh, I hope I didn’t say anything bad! I thought you were a new employee.” So it would appear that either:
Or, you know, it could be both of the above! I was wearing sneakers as well as the khakis and white shirt, so I didn’t look particularly professional, that’s for sure. It was nice to think that my clothes made me fit in, though! (I totally obsess about what I wear…;P)
In any case, it was a nice, educational trip. I had fun.
You know what I hate? My car.
You know what else I hate? My car.
By the way, I hate my car.
And let’s not forget my car. Which I hate.
…Okay, fine. I don’t really hate my car. I just hate the fact that it’s fucking broken.
Right now it’s sitting in the Sam’s parking lot. I was sitting in it, myself, for over half an hour trying to get the damn thing to start. Unlike the time this happened in Aiken, it wasn’t particularly hot. A cool breeze was blowing, and it had rained. I don’t know if the car itself was hot from the drive back from Columbia, or if there’s some factor other than heat that causes the starter to not function. I do know that on my way up I turned it off to gas up and it started back just fine.
I guess it’s just “finicky”.
In any case, I walked home.
If anyone knows where I can get an ignition switch for a 1986 Subaru GL two door hatchback, let me know. ;P
Today I’m going to Columbia to spend a little over half a workday learning about the printing process. This will help me optimize my graphic designs for print.
I’m pretty excited (and nervous) about it. I should learn a lot, and that is very cool. But, of course, it involves going to a new place and meeting new people, so, you know.
I’m beginning to rethink wearing a white shirt. This could be bad. I was thinking that surely they won’t expect me to dress up, because it’s a printers for goodness’ sake, but I didn’t want to look crappy either so I put on khakis and a white shirt. Now, though, I’m thinking darker colors might be better, in case of an ink accident…
But meh. I don’t feel like changing clothes, and I don’t really have anything I feel like changing into anyway. (Famous last words?)
In any case, I’m going to take my camera, so hopefully I’ll get some interesting pictures of the printing process :) No promises, though–even if I am allowed to take photos, they may not want me putting them on the web. We’ll see!
*DIES*
There are open auditions this coming Saturday from 8:30 am until noon for somebody to act like a complete freak in an ad campaign. It’s best if you have something of an open schedule, so you’d be available to show up for photo shoots and such during the day. Yes, there will be monetary compensation if you’re picked. (I heard it’s something like $200.)
If you live in the CSRA and are interested in auditioning, find my email address hidden somewhere on pixelscribbles.com and email me, or leave a message in the comments with a way for me to contact you privately. They’re open auditions, but they’re discreet open auditions. ;>
A piece in the Augusta Chronicle about native Augustan Lt. Col. Stan Heath, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, points out a major issue in rebuilding:
“Many people believe that the Americans can do miracles, and cannot understand why there is no security, no electricity, no services and so on,” Mr. [Hamid] Alkifaey[, leader of the Movement for a Democratic Society in Iraq,] said in an e-mail. “Many people do not believe the Americans when they say they are there to help Iraqis. … People believe the message when they see there is a difference in their lives, and this has not happened.”
It’s Lt. Col. Heath’s job to let Iraqis know that work is being done.
Although Lt. Col. Heath has worked with reporters from CNN, Fox News and The New York Times, he said he’s had more success getting his message out in Iraqi newspapers such as Al Sabah, Al Taakhi and Addustour, and on Al Iraqia TV and the U.S.-sponsored Al Hurra satellite channel.
This alternative press
not only reports on the incessant insurgent attacks, but also picks up Lt. Col. Heath’s news releases about the Corps’ work on water plants, electrical substations, military bases, hospitals, railroad stations and bridges.
Of course, there is another problem:
When he sends them news releases, he doesn’t list the districts or towns where projects are under way, lest they be targeted by bombers.
“It’s not like the Marshall Plan,” Lt. Col. Heath said, referring to the rebuilding of Europe after World War II. “We’re doing this while we’re still fighting this counterinsurgency battle, fighting against these saboteurs and these insurgents. It’s a tough mission. Let there be no mistake about that.”
They’re fighting an uphill battle over there.
For the past week, every time I have opened Bloglines, there it is: a piece on Yahoo! about Israel saving the kitties and doggies.
Every. Single. Freaking. Time.
I’ve seen the story four times today.
It’s the same headline. It’s probably the same freaking story. I don’t know, I have never, not once, clicked on it, not even the first time I saw it.
Maybe it’s happening because the picture they send along with the story each time keeps changing. Did you notice they’re doing pictures in the RSS feed now? Yeah, it’s pretty cool, unless that’s causing me to see “Israel to rescue cats, dogs from Gaza settlements (Reuters)” every time I check for news, in which case I will gladly go without them.
I mean it. Seriously. Make it stop. Just make it stop.
I don’t care, Yahoo! Leave me alone!!!!
It was Will who pointed out to me awhile back that “website” is not the proper spelling. Ever since he let me know, I’ve noticed the doofy spelling “Web site” everywhere, and it annoys the hell out of me.
“Website” is better. It’s faster, and doesn’t look stupid. People who actually have websites use “website”, I promise you.
A Google search for “website” gets 1,080,000,000 hits, while a Google search for “Web site” (as a phrase) gets 888,000,000–and Google asks me politely, “Did you mean: ‘Website’“.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition has this usage note:
The transition from World Wide Web site to Web site to website seems to have progressed as rapidly as the technology itself. The development of website as a single uncapitalized word mirrors the development of other technological expressions which have tended to evolve into unhyphenated forms as they become more familiar. Thus email has recently been gaining ground over the forms E-mail and e-mail, especially in texts that are more technologically oriented. Similarly, there has been an increasing preference for closed forms like homepage, online, and printout.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary chimes in:
It always takes a little time for new words to settle to a standardized form. Our most recent dictionary, the revised 11th edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, published in July 2004, shows website as the standard form, and future dictionaries will reflect this.
We recommend capital initials for Internet, World Wide Web, the Web, but not for individual sites.
So, you see, the spelling is more than accepted. I think it’s only the AP Stylebook that’s living in the freaking Dark Ages.
My copy of the AP Stylebook (The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2002), donated graciously to me by Kevin, states the following under its “AP Internet Guide” entry for “World Wide Web”:
The shorter the Web is acceptable. Also, Web site (an exception to Webster’s preference), and Web page.
But webcam, webcast, webmaster.
I have no idea what the current AP Stylebook states, but if news articles are any indication, the “exception to Webster’s preference” hasn’t changed.
Give up your sad devotion to that ancient spelling, Associated Press!
(It’s funny how I develop these spelling prejudices…ever since I was a teenager I’ve railed against the generally accepted spelling “alright”, because to me it looks lazy. [See, it’s wrong!])
Blogger’s comment thingy doesn’t seem to be working right–I’ve had people tell me they put their name in, only to come up as Anonymous–so please do me a favor and let me know who you are in your post. Thanks.