fifth business

When drunk you look at your copy of Pride & Prejudice the BBC movie release for tv and think “Boy that would be the best thing to watch right now”

I still Vehemently hate my period. The day I come off my pill all shit hits the fan. I can feel it coming, and no matter how logically I try to handle situations, or talk myself out of over reacting. Nothing. Nada. Not doing. I become paranoid, insecure, easily offended. I’ve read that it can be likened to withdrawl symptoms, and of that I have no doubt. I collapsed on my living room floor today crying and dry heaving for half an hour over something that didnt warrant it. Or if it does, it doesnt yet because nothing has actually happened. I then spent the rest of the day on pins and needles trying not to set myself off. I havent actually been able to finish any movies (happy or sad ending) because they all make me cry like a child. I can wait for this week to be over, and I am so glad its only a four day week, with a day off in the middle.

I am very good at what I do. I am very efficient at what I do. Graphic design is not just inputting data into a machine and pressing go. It is more than just tracing images (not trying a low shot today), or slapping copy righted/premade images together. It takes skill. It also takes respect. So when a client attempts to disrespect me, I dont take it to heart. I just put all of the work in my trash bin.

A woman sent in a request for cards at the begining of september. That morning I finished the cards and emailed proofs back to her. I didnt hear from her, work has said not to chase after clients so I didnt call her, infact I just forgot about her. When you deal with any where from 8-16 clients in a day its pretty easy to forget about people who never respond to your email.

She calls at the end of september demanding to know where her cards are. I search my email for her name, and our data base and let her know that I sent the proofs the day she ordered them. ‘Well she never got it’, and it somehow becomes my fault because she is just too busy to chase after her cards so why didnt I call her. I tell her the exact same thing, that dealing with more than a dozen clients in a day, five days a week is just as hectic, and seeing as she was the one to purchase the cards she should have been the one asking sooner where her product was. ‘Well you still should have called me’.

I send them again she receives it, approves them, I send them to print. The print shop does them in the order they are received so hers do not go out as soon as she would like. She calls again with ‘where are my cards’ we track them down and have them driven over by one of the shops employees while I am on the phone with her. She is requesting discounts for having to wait so long for them. To get her to shut up and get off the phone with her I say “I will ask the boss” knowing full well he will say no.

Last week I received an email stating that she would “accept a very large discount on her next order”. I enjoyed telling her, no way no how. We charge 69.99 for 2000 cards, thats a wholesale price on cards. Any cheaper and I wouldnt be eating cookies right now. Well shedoesnt like this and tried to make us feel bad with “I guess I will just go to my regular printer who has just as good prices andI wont have to wait weeks to get my product”

I responded with a “delete”.

Some days I really hate clients

It has been forever since Ive sat down and written. The Hotel finally forked my money over, after a week of me complaining.

Friday Evening I took Greg out for dinner at Chives, our favourite fine dining. Super was amazingly good.

Becky and I went out shopping on saturday and I got a sexy new hair cut for 15$. A salon was doing a “Cut for the Cure” breastcancer fund raiser. So i ’splurged’ and got a hair cut. Becky also humoured me and tried on clothes too. I bought 3 sweaters, 1 shirt, a blowdrier, and a pan, and 2 pairs of leg warmers. One for me and one for B.

I know I didnt do a photo post of this weeks groceries but before I got to take a picture I was already baking. So I will do a list:

10$ Salmon
3$ Tomatos
2$ Celery
5$ Bacon
6$ Bagels
4$ Quark Cheese
3$ Goats Milk
5$ Flour
4$ Quinoa
2$ Peas
3$ Spinach
4$ Eggs
2$ Apple Cider
4$ Cranberries
4$ Honey
5$ Misc Baked goods.

Sunday I spent baking. I made Minestrone soup, 2 pumpkin pies, a batch of cookies that failed, and cranberry sauce.

I am currently working with a client who wants me to use copy righted work and it makes me want to vomit. Vomit so bad.

I had to cut my post short yesterday, Greg was visiting which is a rare occasion and he was making me giggle at silly online video’s. To continue with the rant about hormonal emotions and bad weather. Its odd how one day you go to bed feeling fine, and the next you wake up feeling like the fatest ugliest thing that ever walked the planet. How one lack of a positive comment can make you feel as though the world has lost all meaning. I hate that I have to bleed sp that the human race can continue to fluorish. I hate that it has to come with a hormone imbalance that causes one to be FUCKING CRAZY, all goddamn day.

My new neighbours are fighting. I hope this year wont be a repeat of my first apartment. I dont need to hear people fight and fuck ever again.

customer on phone - “Do you have any of the impatiens?”

me - “well we have double impatiens & new guinea impatiens, which kind were you looking fo?”

customer - “Well the ones in your flier”

me - “Im sorry ma-am but i havent seen this weeks flier, are they the new guinea impatiens? with pointy dark leaves?”

customer - “G-I-G-A-N-T-I-C-O, … Guinea!”

me - “oh all of our impatiens are gigantico brand”

customer - “Oh well do you have the ones advertised”

me - “again I havent seen the paper, can you describe them”

customer - “They are red, do you have lots of the red ones?”

me - *frustrated* ” We dont always get the exact advertised stock, we have not recieved any RED impatiens in ANY of the varieties.”

customer - “oh so you dont stock the advertised colours”

me - “not always we have a lot of stores that the stock needs to be split between”

customer - “thats false advertising” *click*

Oh what a day what a day. Today was full of folly. First off Mr. I have 10 years of experience took about 10 years to do a project. I left at 3pm to run errands for my boss, and it still wasnt finished. We should have been finished printing by noon today. I told him that on friday, the phrase “I want to start printing on tuesday and have it done by wednesday before lunch” should have been a dead give away. Instead today when ever I would try to help him, or suggest something to him he would either talk over me, or say yeah yeah yeah in a way that only one man has ever survived talking to me in (my father, only because I still cant out run him).

While running errands for work I did some running around of my own. I picked up a comic book for the train ride, and some candies (and some candies for Greg, and a gift for Birdie). I also broke down and bought some McGutrot. I have only had McGutrot twice this entire year, although usually I wouldnt be proud of that, for some reason I am proud that I have displayed so much reservation. I havent been eating healthy at ALL this year, and its sounds lame but it is another one of the reasons I am moving back home. I just seem to have a better grip on real life back home.

I think I need to go wash the grease off of my… every where. I smell like fat people, from that awful place.

 ps - I forgot to mention, I also ate 5 cookies, a scone, and chinese for lunch. AND I bought another pashmina. My little asian store is moving and they are having a sale. It was only $10, the woman who runs the place usually sells them 2 for $40, so I almost pee’d when I saw them this cheap and had to resist buying 4.