Festuche Redeux

So last Thursday afternoon I got an email from one of the sales reps announcing (not asking or requesting) that he would have an RFI for me today that is due to the customer electronically by 2 pm. (An RFI stands for Request for Information and is formal document that potential customers send out to vendors. It's generally a long list of questions about the product and company that comes with a lot of rules about how to respond and by when.)

My job is to edit the sucker, clean up the formatting and return to the rep by 2, plus prepare two hard printed copies and one on CD for tonight's postal mail.

This one is fairly hefty - probably in the neighborhood of 50+ pages. I sent a note back to the guy saying that he wasn't leaving me much time to do a good job but that I'd be here at 6 a.m. Monday and dig right in to get it done right and on time.

I was here at 6. Any note from him? Any RFI? No, of course not. It is now 7 and I don't even have a response to my "Any ETA on the RFI?" email of an hour ago. This is going to be a lovely day.

But there is one bright spot...

You may remember my entry about the word festuche. Well, that post turned netted me the must fun email that was waiting for me this morning:

Susan,

Hi there. I'm a former IBM'er from Rochester, MN (now working for Hitachi Global Storage Technologies). I was with IBM for 22 years before corporate headquarters sold our entire division to Hitachi. Anyhow, I just wanted to send you a "thank you" for documenting where the word 'festuche' came from.

I recently heard a program manager (also ex-IBMer) use that word in one of his rants. Others have commented that he uses it all of the time - mostly because our industry is so competitive that even the slightest mistake can become one hell of a festuche in a heartbeat. I've been curious about exactly what that word meant, but was not able to find it in any dictionary. I (wrongly) concluded that this guy simply didn't know what he was saying, though in all other respects he is one of the sharper people I've ever met.

Tonight I thought I'd use the Google search engine to search for 'festuche', 'festoosh', 'fistush', etc. Imagine my surprise when Google directed me to your article documenting the origin of 'festuche'. Thanks much - they'll be no more sleepless nights for me, staring at the ceiling and wondering where 'festuche' came from. ;-)

Sincerely,
Don Reif

Festuche Redeux

So last Thursday afternoon I got an email from one of the sales reps announcing (not asking or requesting) that he would have an RFI for me today that is due to the customer electronically by 2 pm. (An RFI stands for Request for Information and is formal document that potential customers send out to vendors. It's generally a long list of questions about the product and company that comes with a lot of rules about how to respond and by when.)

My job is to edit the sucker, clean up the formatting and return to the rep by 2, plus prepare two hard printed copies and one on CD for tonight's postal mail.

This one is fairly hefty - probably in the neighborhood of 50+ pages. I sent a note back to the guy saying that he wasn't leaving me much time to do a good job but that I'd be here at 6 a.m. Monday and dig right in to get it done right and on time.

I was here at 6. Any note from him? Any RFI? No, of course not. It is now 7 and I don't even have a response to my "Any ETA on the RFI?" email of an hour ago. This is going to be a lovely day.

But there is one bright spot...

You may remember my entry about the word festuche. Well, that post turned netted me the must fun email that was waiting for me this morning:

Susan,

Hi there. I'm a former IBM'er from Rochester, MN (now working for Hitachi Global Storage Technologies). I was with IBM for 22 years before corporate headquarters sold our entire division to Hitachi. Anyhow, I just wanted to send you a "thank you" for documenting where the word 'festuche' came from.

I recently heard a program manager (also ex-IBMer) use that word in one of his rants. Others have commented that he uses it all of the time - mostly because our industry is so competitive that even the slightest mistake can become one hell of a festuche in a heartbeat. I've been curious about exactly what that word meant, but was not able to find it in any dictionary. I (wrongly) concluded that this guy simply didn't know what he was saying, though in all other respects he is one of the sharper people I've ever met.

Tonight I thought I'd use the Google search engine to search for 'festuche', 'festoosh', 'fistush', etc. Imagine my surprise when Google directed me to your article documenting the origin of 'festuche'. Thanks much - they'll be no more sleepless nights for me, staring at the ceiling and wondering where 'festuche' came from. ;-)

Sincerely,
Don Reif

Bitching and Moaning

If you come by and tell me that you have the mailing list ready, but you do not give me the mailing list, then you get not points. None. Actually you get a couple taken away for being an idiot.

I had 8 hours this morning to fix this RFI. If it gets to me right this minute I will have 4.5 hours. Tick tock Tick tock - It's usually a 2 day job.

Over the next three days there is the RFI and the lastest mailing of 300 which includes two pieces of paper (one address specific) and a tchotchke, outside labels (address and return), plus customs declarations for the 50 Canadian recipients.

I am waiting on:

The RFI
The mailing list
The letter
The collateral piece

I have all the tchotchkes stuffed into the envelopes and all the return labels on all the envelopes. I have purchased the stamps. There is nothing more I can do until I get something from the list above.

If I get it all done by Wednesday afternoon - great. If not, as we used to say in Sunday School, fuck 'em. I'm taking Thursday off - my flight leaves at 11:30 p.m. Thursday I may go get a manicure. I may do laundry. I may change the sheets on the bed. I may watch a movie or TiVo. I may just screw around. I haven't decided.

I have just spilled coffee on my shirt for the second time this morning.

My cellphone photo journal website is down.

Bitching and Moaning

If you come by and tell me that you have the mailing list ready, but you do not give me the mailing list, then you get not points. None. Actually you get a couple taken away for being an idiot.

I had 8 hours this morning to fix this RFI. If it gets to me right this minute I will have 4.5 hours. Tick tock Tick tock - It's usually a 2 day job.

Over the next three days there is the RFI and the lastest mailing of 300 which includes two pieces of paper (one address specific) and a tchotchke, outside labels (address and return), plus customs declarations for the 50 Canadian recipients.

I am waiting on:

The RFI
The mailing list
The letter
The collateral piece

I have all the tchotchkes stuffed into the envelopes and all the return labels on all the envelopes. I have purchased the stamps. There is nothing more I can do until I get something from the list above.

If I get it all done by Wednesday afternoon - great. If not, as we used to say in Sunday School, fuck 'em. I'm taking Thursday off - my flight leaves at 11:30 p.m. Thursday I may go get a manicure. I may do laundry. I may change the sheets on the bed. I may watch a movie or TiVo. I may just screw around. I haven't decided.

I have just spilled coffee on my shirt for the second time this morning.

My cellphone photo journal website is down.

Better

Well, the day got better... The RFI wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sometimes those guys have page limits and font size restrictions and all kinds of crap. This one just needed cleaning up - language and formatting and it was only 35 pages with not too many tables. Could have been worse and I got it done with time to spare - not a lot but some.

I have letters and labels. Missing one other piece that I should have tomorrow morning and then it's folding, stuffing, sealing, labeling and stamping time. Could be worse. The guy who did the letters sorted them before he brought them to me so now the stack o' letters is in the same order as the stack o' labels. Honestly, I think he was just trying to save his own kneecaps - which he did.

I got a new book in the mail. It's an advanced reading copy from an author who sent me an email last week asking if I'd like to read it. Usually an ARC is the size of a trade paperback but not bound as well. This one is the size of a regular paperback which I love. I'm such an old lady about books I read. The book doesn't look like something I'd pick off the bookstore shelf myself, but heck, it has a nice form factor and the guy was nice enough to send it to me. It is certainly worth a shot.

I am getting to the end of my latest afghan. Usually by the time I get near the end, I'm ready to move on to the next one but not this time. I really enjoy doing this pattern and wish I had made it bigger. Next time. My yarn place is offering free shipping through the end of December so my next one will be of two kinds of yarn that I'm not sure I have enough of. I'll be able to tell how much I'm going to need after the first few inches so I can order more with free shipping if I need to.

Time now to wrap up so I can start the long walk home. Ok, the short walk home.

Better

Well, the day got better... The RFI wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sometimes those guys have page limits and font size restrictions and all kinds of crap. This one just needed cleaning up - language and formatting and it was only 35 pages with not too many tables. Could have been worse and I got it done with time to spare - not a lot but some.

I have letters and labels. Missing one other piece that I should have tomorrow morning and then it's folding, stuffing, sealing, labeling and stamping time. Could be worse. The guy who did the letters sorted them before he brought them to me so now the stack o' letters is in the same order as the stack o' labels. Honestly, I think he was just trying to save his own kneecaps - which he did.

I got a new book in the mail. It's an advanced reading copy from an author who sent me an email last week asking if I'd like to read it. Usually an ARC is the size of a trade paperback but not bound as well. This one is the size of a regular paperback which I love. I'm such an old lady about books I read. The book doesn't look like something I'd pick off the bookstore shelf myself, but heck, it has a nice form factor and the guy was nice enough to send it to me. It is certainly worth a shot.

I am getting to the end of my latest afghan. Usually by the time I get near the end, I'm ready to move on to the next one but not this time. I really enjoy doing this pattern and wish I had made it bigger. Next time. My yarn place is offering free shipping through the end of December so my next one will be of two kinds of yarn that I'm not sure I have enough of. I'll be able to tell how much I'm going to need after the first few inches so I can order more with free shipping if I need to.

Time now to wrap up so I can start the long walk home. Ok, the short walk home.

Sometimes you get a reward just for asking!

My cellphone photo web service has a 10 picture per day limit. This weekend - Saturday - I hit that limit. A few weeks ago they sent out an email saying they were going to soon offer a paid variety (currently all they have is free accounts) that will enable you to have a bigger limit.

So, I sent them an email Saturday asking when they were going to start and if there was a way I could pay now and be an early adapter. I pointed out that Thanksgiving could be a big photo upload time - I mean, you guys want to see airplane shots and the inside skippy on Mom's retirement place don't you????

Anyway, I just got a email from Mr. Buzznet:

Susan,

We have temporarily increased your account to 20 photos / day and we
are about to set up our initial premium membership, which will give you
access to create private galleries, and upload more photos / day to
your account. We will let you know as soon as that is set up.

We do need to get ready for the holidays by implementing these features.

Thanks for your support and using Buzznet,

- Marc

How cool is that? You shall not be denied the fascination that will be my trip to Mom's for Thanksgiving...

Sometimes you get a reward just for asking!

My cellphone photo web service has a 10 picture per day limit. This weekend - Saturday - I hit that limit. A few weeks ago they sent out an email saying they were going to soon offer a paid variety (currently all they have is free accounts) that will enable you to have a bigger limit.

So, I sent them an email Saturday asking when they were going to start and if there was a way I could pay now and be an early adapter. I pointed out that Thanksgiving could be a big photo upload time - I mean, you guys want to see airplane shots and the inside skippy on Mom's retirement place don't you????

Anyway, I just got a email from Mr. Buzznet:

Susan,

We have temporarily increased your account to 20 photos / day and we
are about to set up our initial premium membership, which will give you
access to create private galleries, and upload more photos / day to
your account. We will let you know as soon as that is set up.

We do need to get ready for the holidays by implementing these features.

Thanks for your support and using Buzznet,

- Marc

How cool is that? You shall not be denied the fascination that will be my trip to Mom's for Thanksgiving...