iEATcars!

Hi, will. This is Danny in cubicle 562. I was curious if you could come to my desk and help me find the any key on my keyboard. Um, I was told I should have an any key, and I can not… find it… anywhere. So if you could help me with the any key, that would be amazing. Again, 562 is my desk number. Thanks, Will.

This was the voicemail waiting for me when I got back from lunch today, and I laughed a bit, figuring it was a joke. But to be honest, I’m not sure, because when I called him back and said I got his message about the any key, his was response was, “Oh, yea. I’m good. Someone showed me where it was.”

I appreciate a good joke, even when it’s a tired and worn-out one like the any key bit, but given the average IQ in this place, I’m never sure if they’re really joking or not.

Coworker: “Dude, that beard’s getting pretty big. You’re looking amish.”

Me: “I am amish.”

Coworker: “…oh… really?”

Me: “Yes. I’m amish.”

Coworker: “Oh, my bad.”

[3/25/2011 8:53:36 AM]

Customer:

Can I transfer files to another editor by unplugging my external  WD hard drive and plugging it into her/his computer? Is there anything special that needs to be done other than ejecting the drive the same as a flash drive? Thanks!

Response:

I’m not sure what you mean by “ejecting the drive”, since it’s a hard drive, and there’s nothing to eject.

But, yes, you can UNPLUG the USB cable from your computer and take it to another computer that has USB access and plug it in there.

Mind you, this response is coming from the same person that constantly pushes the idea of perception; the fact that you’re fixing the issue is far less important than how you make your customer feel when you’re doing it. And to a degree I agree that our role should be customer service driven as well, but why not practice what we preach?

As most of you know, I spend a great majority of my free time working on graphic/web design side jobs and projects. Because my day job is anything but creative, my side work has always been welcomed. It allowed me sort of keep the creative juices flowing. The only real downfall is that I am absolutely terrible at carving out a chunk of “me” time.

Eventually I got to the point that, when left with time to create something for me, I was stumped. Pen to paper… brush to canvas… nothing. In all honesty, it worried me that I may have lost the ability to think on my own in that way. Maybe I could only create something if I was given an outline or set of instructions.

This is part of why I was ecstatic to find out about the Sketchbook Project put together by the Art House Coop. The idea was simple enough. You signed up, they sent you a sketchbook, and you returned it filled with your artwork or what-have-you. They would then take that book, along with the other thousands that they received, show them off to the country via traveling art exhibit, and then bring it to the Brooklyn Art Library where it would forever remain.

So it served two purposes for me.

1. Get me to create stuff. Just for the hell of it. Get the rust knocked off.
2. Help me learn to stop hanging on to everything. I’m a pack rat, and this idea of making something that wasn’t a gift for someone… just for me to do something… then just tossing it in the mail with the high chance of never seeing it again… seemed hard to do but freeing at the same time.

And it worked. Since starting it, I have found myself doodling and sketching way more than I had been. The amateur photography stuff also stemmed from that, I think. And all-in-all, I’ve just found myself more inspired, which leaves me with a feeling that’s really hard to explain.

The official deadline to have the books back to them was earlier this month, and I met it. Sure I waited to the last final day, but I made it nonetheless. And although the amount of art I contributed was probably a pretty small amount in comparison to the rest submitted, it was a good amount for me. I have since thought about how much more I could have done to it, but the truth is that I restarted the book three or four times. It was a lot like trying to start up an old car that has sat a good while.

So anyway, if you happen to care to see my small, itty-bitty contribution to the project and you live anywhere near the cities that the sketchbooks will travel too, check me out.

On a recent trip to Orlando, Alisha and I found ourselves stopping in for a bite to eat at Friendly’s. Although we had stopped at one in De Land once to get some ice cream, we had never gone inside for the full experience. It turns out that a full out visit to Friendly’s, at least to this one, was not unlike some sort of strange sex party.

1. Costumes. Yes, seriously. This is not a themed restaurant. Not a restaurant aimed at children, necessarily. And it wasn’t Halloween. These people were just dressed up as cowboys and firemen, because hey… it’s fun to role play, right?

2. Serviced by a banana. Our waitress was a giant banana. There’s not really more I can say about that one.

3. Happy ending. I nearly choked on my soda when the giant banana asked us if we’d like a happy ending. Take what you want from a happy ending, but know this… their version involves whipped cream and syrup. Oh, and if you have a larger party with you… you can opt for theCrowd Pleaser.

4. A wizard. After you’ve taken in all you can, received your happy ending and paid the banana for the excellent service… a wizard with a motorcycle helmet and a dragon embroidered cloak bids you adieu.

Girl 1: “… some basketball shorts… sweat socks… and sweat bands for Christmas”

Girl 2: “Yea?”

Girl 1: “Yea, I told my dad, mom’s going to love them.”