How it all went
How did I get through it all? In tears by 10:30 in the morning, first of all. And before even that my computer had a complete psychological breakdown and wouldn't boot (just as Astro Barry predicted). But things improved all day after that and now, almost exactly 24 hours later, I feel pretty good.
The tears were caused by two very bad clients on a very difficult project, that we were late on but they never gave us a proper brief, and now they were screaming at me and wanting everything yesterday and were both exceptionally rude in each email, just uncalled for rudeness. Yesterday I threatened out loud to the boss that if they sent one more email like that I was going to remove myself from the project, and today I got two of them, straight away, and just melted down. But he offered to ring the most difficult one, and we set our terms and stood our ground, and by the end of the day their boss was on the phone and I was very reasonable and professional, and she's actually got more than one neuron to rub together, and so it got sorted out. Still a lot to do, in a flap and panic at the last minute, but at least there's a reasonable person at the other end helping. I felt very professional and like a competent customer service manager when the boss lady called, and my own boss assured me that I hadn't failed in the project, some people are just like this.
One good thing out of the day was that because my computer was broken I had to use the computer of a designer of ours who only works on Wednesday and Thursday, and that's right next to the boss, in the same cubicle. When I became a teary mess so soon after arriving, I was sure he didn't want me near, but when I went and ate lunch at my old desk because there's more room he said, "Ellen! Don't go!" which surprised me, and at the end of the day he kept saying how nice it was to have me there. It would be strategically heaps better to sit there, I could keep track of what he's saying to customers, the other project manager is closer, he's there to ask quick questions of with less interruption, and the best thing is exchanging smiles when the other employees are ranting across the cubicle wall and saying silly things. He asked me heaps more questions today. It would be easy for me to move, if he wants me to, and the junior designer isn't settled in anywhere and is so mellow it wouldn't even occur to him to care. So there could be a good outcome from my computer's nervous breakdown. We'll see.
Another good thing was how the day ended, with a positively lovely evening with a dear friend who's here from out of town. She's staying at the Intercontinental tonight and my place tomorrow, and we met there in the lounge for a drink before dinner and a walk around Circular Quay. Lovely spot, the Intercontinental, very elegant but also quite warm. It was great to catch up with her, and to realise just how far we go back, and to feel that feeling of a solid and lovely friendship.
Now I'm washing sheets so she'll have somewhere to sleep tomorrow, and will have to straighten and things very early tomorrow before my volunteering gig, so the whole sleep thing is still really just not happening, but as I said, that's what long international plane flights are for.
Check in with y'all soon for continuing reports.
The tears were caused by two very bad clients on a very difficult project, that we were late on but they never gave us a proper brief, and now they were screaming at me and wanting everything yesterday and were both exceptionally rude in each email, just uncalled for rudeness. Yesterday I threatened out loud to the boss that if they sent one more email like that I was going to remove myself from the project, and today I got two of them, straight away, and just melted down. But he offered to ring the most difficult one, and we set our terms and stood our ground, and by the end of the day their boss was on the phone and I was very reasonable and professional, and she's actually got more than one neuron to rub together, and so it got sorted out. Still a lot to do, in a flap and panic at the last minute, but at least there's a reasonable person at the other end helping. I felt very professional and like a competent customer service manager when the boss lady called, and my own boss assured me that I hadn't failed in the project, some people are just like this.
One good thing out of the day was that because my computer was broken I had to use the computer of a designer of ours who only works on Wednesday and Thursday, and that's right next to the boss, in the same cubicle. When I became a teary mess so soon after arriving, I was sure he didn't want me near, but when I went and ate lunch at my old desk because there's more room he said, "Ellen! Don't go!" which surprised me, and at the end of the day he kept saying how nice it was to have me there. It would be strategically heaps better to sit there, I could keep track of what he's saying to customers, the other project manager is closer, he's there to ask quick questions of with less interruption, and the best thing is exchanging smiles when the other employees are ranting across the cubicle wall and saying silly things. He asked me heaps more questions today. It would be easy for me to move, if he wants me to, and the junior designer isn't settled in anywhere and is so mellow it wouldn't even occur to him to care. So there could be a good outcome from my computer's nervous breakdown. We'll see.
Another good thing was how the day ended, with a positively lovely evening with a dear friend who's here from out of town. She's staying at the Intercontinental tonight and my place tomorrow, and we met there in the lounge for a drink before dinner and a walk around Circular Quay. Lovely spot, the Intercontinental, very elegant but also quite warm. It was great to catch up with her, and to realise just how far we go back, and to feel that feeling of a solid and lovely friendship.
Now I'm washing sheets so she'll have somewhere to sleep tomorrow, and will have to straighten and things very early tomorrow before my volunteering gig, so the whole sleep thing is still really just not happening, but as I said, that's what long international plane flights are for.
Check in with y'all soon for continuing reports.
posted by Ellen at 12:54 am
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