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[14 Jul 2010|11:09pm] |
I never update this thing. I'm so socially awkward that I never know what to say. It's sad, really. I also don't recognize a lot of people. Hi, new folks. I'm Dan, and I'm one of the associate editors. I'm sure I'll meet you at... some point?
Maybe, maybe not. We'll see how long you last. What's new in my life? Nothing much, really. I got a leak in my roof. Which was really awesome, so I had to pay scummy roofers (no offense, but I've never met a well-washed roofer) to fix it. Which in turn cost an arm and a leg. My kids were all upset too, because they apparently liked the leak in the ceiling. I just want to give them water-tight shelter and they give me crap for it.
Kids these days, god.
I find it kind of hard to believe that we're already getting ready for the fall editions of the magazine. This summer has flown by. At least the weather has been passable, because running around for hours in the park really tires my kids out. They're no longer entertained by making macaroni necklaces and stuff while I try to work on the couch. They want adventures. I find it funny to think back to when Richard originally started this blogging system back up. I was still a copy editor, and my kids were tiny. Now Adam is practically a pre-teen and Sarah isn't, but she's trying her hardest. She's awfully precocious for a seven year old.
I need to start planning my summer holidays. I want to do anything that doesn't involve a forest. Throw me your suggestions, Spent. I'm uninventive.
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| A simple question, please respond. |
[31 May 2010|06:18pm] |
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Spent Magazine Softball - yay or nay?
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| Regarding the Company Retreat |
[16 Apr 2010|11:58pm] |
I have more detailed information regarding the retreat.
The Spent Magazine Corporate Retreat will be held from May 10th until May 14th. We will again be using Camp Steppanee Because it is cheap, and no one wants to do anything actually fun. For those who were not with us last year:
We will board buses around 8:50 am on May 10th. The bus leaves at 9 am. It will not wait for you, and the retreat is mandatory. So, you know, be there. We arrive at camp shortly before noon. The camp is located in the Catskills. It's all very Dirty Dancing.
The trip will consist of team building activities, some boring thrilling corporate seminars, and hiking. The camp is on a lake for those of you brave enough for aquatic activities. There will, again, be the optional bungee jumping.
We will arrive back before the end of the work day on May 14th. Cabin assignments have not yet been sorted out; whether or not they are 'assigned' or will be up to you is yet to be seen.
Anyone who has an actual reason not to attend should write an e-mail to HR. Exclusion from the retreat will be made on a case-by-case basis for extraordinary circumstance. We will also be able to help subsidize childcare costs for those who might otherwise find them too prohibitive to attend.
All of your questions and requests can be made here. Conversely, feel free to talk about how much you are all going to enjoy yourselves.
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[06 Mar 2010|11:46pm] |
My sister has been keeping in touch for the last couple of weeks with some sort of renewed vigor. I don't really know if I should be worried or not. For the most part, Amy tends to do her own thing and pretend that we all don't exist (barring major holidays and birthdays, of course), but she keeps writing me these long e-mails that seem to go on forever.
Maybe she's trying to set up a good rapport so she can sleep on my couch when she's in the city this summer. Being an academic, she mostly spends her summers dicking around and writing fluff pieces for the Wall Street Journal. I don't know, because she doesn't like me at her place when I'm in Boston. Such is life when you're someone's older brother, I guess.
I'm really excited about spring. I love that the days get longer and I can actually do stuff with my kids after work. No one wants to hang out with their children in Central Park when it's dark at five-thirty. Of course, spring also means ridiculous office retreats and extremely bad softball. I think we should try a different sport this year. The problem is finding something that is mixed-gender and in some sort of league. Suggestions?
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[27 Feb 2010|10:45pm] |
I am so sad that the Olympics will be over tomorrow. On the plus side, I get to watch the gold medal men's hockey game, and Canada vs. America is the showdown that everyone who loves hockey has been waiting for. My eight year old son has his money on Canada, so I'm really hoping we win and I get to pretend to take his allowance from him.
It's sad that I'm updating about the Olympics. It is really the least interesting thing that anyone could talk about, because it is everywhere. Alas, I'm really just a boring old man.
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[20 Dec 2009|11:32am] |
Just a reminder, guys, that the offices will be closed from tomorrow until the 28th. Please do not come to work tomorrow, no one will be here. Well, other than me because I forgot a pile of work I was going to do over the holidays, but still. Don't bother me.
Go outside and enjoy the snow.
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[06 Dec 2009|11:25pm] |
I really need to update this thing more often. Unfortunately, with all of that work stuff that I do, I don't have time to dick around on the office intranet at work. It's very sad. Anyway, I saw that Madison updated about being an inadequate wife and decided that it was about time that I did the same. Not about being an inadequate wife, though. If I was the wife, I'd be a magnificent wife. Instead, I'm just sort of a mediocre husband.
Anyway, my kids are all excited about Christmukkah. They're going to Chicago on Friday morning to spend a Hanukkah weekend with their grandparents. I think they are more pleased about missing some school than they are about actually having to eat latkes. Both of my children have a random hatred of latkes. I don't really get it.
In more relevant news, the office will be closed December 21st and will reopen December 28th. We'll then be closed the 1st as well, for the New Year. Please remember that if you require extra time off that you clear it with your superiors.
I'm not going to answer the stupid HR questions. Seriously, I find them TMI.
That is all.
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[02 Nov 2009|10:56pm] |
I never remember to update this. I fail as a role model for my coworkers. Sorry, guys.
As per the usual, nothing exciting is going on with me. Halloween was fun. Adam went as a soldier (why, I have no idea), and Sarah was, as usual, a princess. For those new to the madness that is my life, my daughter is always a princess, whether it is Halloween or not. After school today, she put her princess tiara on while she watched TV.
Of course, her big goals in life are to have 'babies' and perhaps be a hair stylist. I am seriously questioning what we're paying for her Brearley education.
That was all sarcasm, by the way. She's going to an Ivy League school, married or not.
Anyway, I think there might be another office retreat thing in the works. Not camping, thank god. It is far too cold outside for that. I suggested somewhere warm, but apparently, that is too 'expensive.' A booze cruise is still on the table though. Which, you know, makes sense. I like to to think my career at Spent has been a series of mishaps drawn straight from The Office.
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[05 Oct 2009|11:55pm] |
So, for those who were fortunately not party to it, the smell in the offices has been discovered and cleaned up. Apparently, a begrudging former employee somehow put fish in the ceiling. It was quite charming. Anyway, things have been disinfected and some new ceiling tiles have been put up in the really gross spots, so all is well.
My children are very excited for Columbus Day, since they get to stay home and terrorize Thor, who likes to nap all day and hates little hands grabbing at him. Alas, it is either him or me, and I am sacrificing the rabbit.
For those who are unaware, the offices will be closed on Monday for the holiday, and will reopen at their regular time on Tuesday. Hopefully everyone can enjoy their long weekends. I will spend most of mine doing irritating fall things, like cleaning out gutters and getting our house ready for the inevitable freezing weather. If the weather is nice, we might even make it to the park.
Anyone have any interesting or novel plans?
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[09 Sep 2009|12:04am] |
I must apologize - I have ignored this journal for far too long. I have, unfortunately, had more interesting and pressing concerns to bother with. Like getting married, which was very lovely. It feels really, really good to have it done with, and it ended up being a really perfect day in general. We took a few days to relax and enjoy married life, and now everything is back to normal.
Plus, my kids are back in school, which is amazing. Back-to-school shopping was a pain, considering Sarah wears a uniform but somehow still thought she needed a whole new wardrobe. What little girl needs four pairs of shoes? I do not know where she gets it, to be honest. Probably all of those snobby little Upper East Side girls she hangs out with. Her vanity is the price I pay for her private school education, I guess.
Anyway, we're preparing for fashion week, so things are certainly busy. Everyone is a big quiet - is everything all right, Spent?
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[09 Aug 2009|11:48pm] |
So, maintenance installed a new fridge today, as the old one was kind of fritzing anyway. Please do not unplug this one - I ensured we got a power bar so we can plug in endless kitchen accessories without touching the coffee or refrigerator.
Thank you.
Anyway, in 'my life' stuff that no one cares about, I'm getting married next week. Which I think I should at least be a bit nervous about, but I'm not. Anyway, I'll be out of the office on the Friday of the 21st, and then on Monday and Tuesday as well. Let's not have some unmitigated disasters.
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[17 Jul 2009|11:38pm] |
I get some of the most unusual e-mails. I don't know if it is because my work e-mail address is on the website, or that I have a really common name or what, but I get weird e-mail.
For example, I got an e-mail just now from some man in Czech Republic who says that Owen's last column is plagiarised from an article he wrote ten years ago in a Czech magazine. I forwarded it to legal, but I have to say, I didn't think Owen subscribed to any vintage Czech magazines. Nevertheless, this is clearly a serious issue that needs to be investigated.
I got one last week which was an unsolicited pitch for a sex column about unusual paraphilias. It was six thousand words on foot fetishes, with pictures. I actually had nightmares.
I love my job.
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[07 Jun 2009|09:50am] |
So, it's that time of year again, and I figured I'd bring it up.
Who wants to play softball? It's one or two games a week, at various parks in and around the city (I think they are all in Manhattan). We need fifteen or so people in order to submit our names for the roster.
Anyway, any takers? I need to have everything submitted by the 15th if we are to play.
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[01 May 2009|01:19pm] |
So, as Richard mentioned previously, the retreat will be held from the 19th to the 22nd of May. We're still confirming a location, but it won't be more than a couple of hours out of the city, as we did last year. If you weren't here for last year's debacle retreat, it is basically four days of team building and stupid nature games communing with nature or something, I don't know.
It's a requirement that full-time staff attend the retreat, unless you have a good reason not to (and 'good reason' is at the executive board's discretion). The retreat is also open to part-time staff and interns. You are particularly encouraged to attend, because it is good work preparation because sadly, most big offices do this awful shit. It costs nothing, other than your sanity.
I'll have to double check with HR, but I'm fairly certain that we can offer some sort of minor renumeration for childcare, if you require it.
Anyway, in non-office related news, my son is going on some sort of second grade overnight trip upstate to Manhattan Country School Farm on Monday, and he's all stressed out about it. It isn't that he's a bad traveller, but he's allergic to everything, including nature. Also being allergic to nature, I feel his pain. Teachers are so fussy about medication too; I cannot send his epi-pin and eight tons of Benedryl with him, I have to send it with the teacher, who probably won't even be with him in the event that he has some sort of anaphylactic episode.
Let's just hope that they follow his dietary restrictions, and there aren't any surprise eggs or nuts in his food.
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| In regards to charity basketball... |
[04 Apr 2009|02:10am] |
So. Charity Basketball Tournament is on April 13th, a little more than a week from now. Background info can be found here. Those partaking will be out of the office for the day, and the event runs from roughly 10-5 at Chelsea Piers.
Signed up thus far we have:
( 20 Players )
Jess was going to organize cheerleaders, if anyone wants to get onto that. Violet mentioned selling refreshments for "Great American Bake Sale" which is a charitable program run through Share Our Strength, a charity to eradicate child hunger in the US, which is pretty admirable. Rosalyn is volunteering 'wherever,' if anyone might like to join her. Izzy is photographing, and Jane is using her videography skills to make an embarrassing video.
We need to pick a charity. Suggestions thus far:
Autism Society of America Foundation (Ewa)
American Campaign for Prevention of Child Abuse and Family Violence (Julian)
I think they are both great causes, so let's just put them to a vote.
We're going to practice at the 92nd Street Y on Monday and Wednesday of next week, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. If you cannot make one, showing up for the other would be great, and if you still want to get involved in the team, please feel free!
Feel free to sign up for anything, and vote for the charity you think Spent should represent!
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[10 Mar 2009|01:56pm] |
So, in reference to my last post, the charity basketball game is a go. The date is set for April 13th. It'll be a most-of-the-day event, and anyone who isn't playing who wants to come and support the team is welcome. Not that it's an optional day for work - you're there, or here, unfortunately.
Anyway, signed up thus far we have:
Azra
Joey
Dylan
Owen
Connor
Mike
George
Julian
Madison
Aaren
Alek
Alex
Brad
Britney
... and me, of course.
Cheerleaders:
Jess
Crew:
Izzy (Photos)
Jane (Video)
We can definitely use more people. Also? If people want to come as cheerleaders, refreshment bearers, any stupid title you'd like to come up with, feel free.
Furthermore, it is a charity event. We need to pick a charity and raise money for it too, so if people who don't play basketball want to get in on some fundraising (I'm looking at you, PR and Sales/Marketing), that'd be much appreciated too. So far, some of the other publications have already decided on the ASPCA, the American Foundation for the Blind, and UNICEF. Options? Anything close to anyone's heart? This would be the time to sell it to everyone.
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[17 Feb 2009|10:07am] |
I always hate being at work when my kids are off of school. Mostly because they always have a list as long as their arms with things they want to do and see over their long weekend. We had a good day yesterday; we went to the park and they ran around like crazy children until they were exhausted and napped in the afternoon. I miss when my kids were actually small enough to have naps in the afternoon. All of the peace and quiet was fantastic.
Anyway, they're stopping by here around the lunch hour so that their babysitter can make her hair appointment, so apparently, I get the honor of trying to corral them into eating lunch. Not that I mind eating with them, but I hate taking them to restaurants. They always want soda and french fries and dessert, and junk food makes them insane.
I'm sure you all cared deeply about this. In more work related news, Alex is going to be working from home for most of the week, so editorial is stuck with me. I know, try to stifle your cries of upset and heartbreak.
Also: I was talking with a friend who is an editor for one of our competitors, and a couple of magazines are considering doing a charity basketball tournament of sorts. It'd be mixed gender, everyone trying to raise some pledge money, and then the proceeds would go to the charity of the winning team's choosing. Are any of you interested?
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[19 Jan 2009|03:47pm] |
Since tomorrow is Inauguration Day, I thought I'd share a link to a NYT article my sister emailed me from February 6, 1990*.
The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School.
The new president of the Review is Barack Obama, a 28-year-old graduate of Columbia University who spent four years heading a community development program for poor blacks on Chicago's South Side before enrolling in law school. His late father, Barack Obama, was a finance minister in Kenya and his mother, Ann Dunham, is an American anthropologist now doing fieldwork in Indonesia. Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii.
''The fact that I've been elected shows a lot of progress,'' Mr. Obama said today in an interview. ''It's encouraging.
''But it's important that stories like mine aren't used to say that everything is O.K. for blacks. You have to remember that for every one of me, there are hundreds or thousands of black students with at least equal talent who don't get a chance,'' he said, alluding to poverty or growing up in a drug environment.
( The Rest Under The Cut )
You look back at an article like that and realize that some people are just sort of destined for greatness.
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[28 Dec 2008|03:00pm] |
Wow. This has been the most unpleasant travel weather for the holidays, ever. I'm really happy to be back in Manhattan. Honestly, our travel arrangements weren't bad (other than my brother and my kids getting delayed at O'Hare for three hours and my sister's flight from Boston being canceled twice), but I hate traveling at Christmas, anyway. My children stress me out too much.
We should have a fairly laid-back week coming up for us at Spent. I don't think Alex will be in, because he's on holiday time, but I'll be in Monday until Wednesday. Depending on what departmental editors want, if editorial wants to 'work from home' on Friday the 2nd after the holiday on the 1st, you can feel free. But if you take the day, you really don't have an excuse if your work is behind. Most of our interns and the like are out until the 5th anyway, since they'd gone home to see their families.
And obviously, we cannot function without interns. I miss being in college, and getting weeks on end off.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a great holiday. The editorial board will have a meeting on January 5th at 9:30 in the conference room, and then we'll have an editorial meeting on the 6th at the same time. Articles and columns for the February issue must be in by the 8th for copy-editing. Getting them in earlier will most assuredly get you in Ewa's good books.
Enjoy your weekend.
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[05 Dec 2008|03:23pm] |
Please refrain from updating more than once a day. Or once every two days, even, unless it's something really worth sharing. Like the birth of your children or the resurrection of Christ. Thank you. God.
Unfortunately, I'm late with my update (my apologies to Brad for messing with his system), but you know, some of us do work and stuff like that. I don't feel bad.
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and that always means the arduous task of figuring out what the hell we're even doing. The kids are going to their grandparents' house for the start of Hanukkah, and while they're apparently old enough to fly alone to Chicago, I don't feel good about it. I never feel good about children under the age of ten and airports, though. It always ends in a migraine.
For those of you who are new (or who don't read the bulletin board in the break room), a reminder that we close for a short hiatus from the 22nd to the 26th. The 1st is also a holiday. If you require holiday time, do let your higher-up know. Our holiday party is normally on the Friday before the hiatus, but we'll have to double check with Lena on that one. Just keep the date in mind.
I cannot think of anything else pointless and procedural to update about, and that's all I use this for. Good day to you all.
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