pantoum's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COWBOYS AND REMBRANDT INDIANS Betty Chambers's message in today's spam is
Possible translation: I can see cheap maidens and their bulging cleavage compliments of Betty C. I am yawny, puffy-eyed-but nicely-coiffed-with-still-relatively-wild haired grrl today. And my stylist Eddie informed me that "Grrl! You cain't go adopting no children; you are DATING!" • Job Disillusionment Follow-up: An editor came in almost in tears this morning and asked if I okay because she apparently forgot that I was leaving at 4 yesterday for a haircut. She saw that I was gone, asked another editor what was up, and the editor told her that I returned from my meeting with my boss yesterday looking grim, and then left early. My associate dean boss and I met because a faculty member complained to the dean that we didn't publish her publication as quickly as we promised—a misconception that I cleared up damn fast, since the author created delays at every step of the process. I not only informed her at each juncture that making substantial rewrites would create delays, but also got the thing edited, laid-out, and to the printer in under a month (which any publisher will tell you is INSANE). This is especially disheartening because I went out of my way to accommodate what was already an unrealistic request and postponed work on other projects while four people concentrated on her one (poorly written) publication so that we could crank it out quickly. For her to then complain—and to the dean, not even to me—because we didn't meet some arbitrary number of days that she decided it ought to take us to create a book, then, is ridiculous! I compiled benchmarking information, productivity figures, industry-standards information, and a detailed project timeline for my boss, who is well aware of where the delays happened now. The problem is, this won't stop the faculty member from complaining to other faculty members in the hall—people who know absolutely nothing about the project—that we did a poor job on her book. And THAT is disheartening. Apparently, the editor tossed and turned all night because she knew how disgusted I was by this whole thing yesterday and so she convinced herself that I quit after yesterday's meeting Truth is, I did work on my resume and also checked to see when I will be vested, and decided I have to work here through 2006, even if I am disheartened. When I get a little distance from getting burned by someone who will never, ever again get a special favor on a publication she's running late on—and that is a very bad position for someone who isn't yet tenured to be in—I will outline some ways to remind authors that we are partners in the production of their publications and can only meet their needs if they meet our publication agreements (which my boss suggested I put in writing and have them sign). 3:18 p.m. - 2005-05-05 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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