Saturday, September 13, 2008

I, on the other hand, like it

The Women has gotten some really brutal reviews. Yet I enjoyed it. Especially touching to me were Ryan's relationships with her best friend (Annete Benning) and her housekeeper (Cloris Leachman). Yes, Jada Pinkett's lesbian character seemed more like a plot device than a person. Yes, Ryan's transformation was a bit too neat. But you know what? It was fun all the same. The clothes were pretty (I loved Annette Benning's bag), and most of the performances were good. Hell, it was worth the price of admission just to watch Debra Messing's face while she was in labor. It was a fine enough way to escape a gloomy Saturday afternoon.

I'll be interested to see how The Women did at the box office. While the audience size was certainly respectable, I felt like one of the younger women there … and I'm 50. I wonder how big the middle-aged audience is.

Saturday 9 -- Whistle While You Work


We are talking about jobs today. Pick any job of your career. Tell us when and where it was. Then answer today's Saturday: 9.

1. Tell us which job your are telling us about, and when you had it. I am currently the Associate Creative Director and have been here since 2004.

2. Where do/did you work? Just off Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The location is one of the things I like best about this job.

3. Tell us about that boss. He's another thing I like about it. He's very low-key, which balances my more agitated work personality. And after his dog had hip surgery and couldn't use the stairs as he recovered, my boss slept downstairs with him. Gotta respect a man like that.

4. Do/Did you find your work creative? If yes, how? Well, it is in my title! I do enjoy concepting -- coming up with new ways to sell familiar products.

5. Tell us about your favorite co-worker. I met my best friend at this job. He always put our client first, which I admire. On a personal level, he's one of the few people who seems to accept me as I am. I don't meet people I'm this comfortable with often, and I miss him every day.

6. Tell us about the biggest jerk in that job. The freakazoid bitch who fired my best friend. I know there are tough business decisions made every day and I accept that. Hell, I've made quite a few myself. But this wasn't a business-based decision. She's not about doing what's best, she's about winning. Canning my best bud is just one decision she's made that I don't respect.
7. Where do/did you see yourself with this job in five years? This is advertising -- 5 years out is too far to predict! If I make it through 2008 without being canned, I see myself there through 2010.

8. Tell us about your commute. 45 minutes door-to-door on the el. I have more company on the train these days, with gas prices over $4.00/gal

9. What hours of the day do/did you work? I get there when I get there (at least for now -- I do expect my boss to lose patience with me one of these days) and I stay until 5:30 or ... I once worked until 4:00 in the morning. We live by schedules, and I am proud to report I always make my deadlines. Yes, there may be bruising and occasionally loss of life, but I make my deadlines!

To play along, or see how other bloggers responded, click here.

No More News for Me

The wall-to-wall coverage of Hurricane Ike is making me anxious. No one knows anything yet -- the ferocious storm is still battering Galveston and Houston and it's impossible to know what the damages may be. It's gray and rainy again here, too. It would be easy to get very blue today. So instead, I'm returning to the safe and familiar: That Girl!