French homework…

Okay… so I have a bit of French homework I have to do for tomorrow (glad I’ve learned responsability now that I’m older) so I figured I’ll use vox as my word processor for today… I’m supposed to explain what it is I do at my job. Keep in mind that it is a class I’m taking… which means I’m still learning and fully expect mistakes in this. That being said, here goes nothing…

Je travail comme concepteur graphique dans le centre national de design de Xxxxx Xxxxxx. Depuis mon début, j’étais responsable pour le développement créatif et la réalisation actuelle des projet de design dans notre bureau. Récemment, j’ai reçu un promotion. Un promotion de salaire et de responsabilité… sauf que, on ne m’a pas encore donnée l’opportunité d’employer cette nouvelle responsabilité.

Je devrais être le gestionnaire pour tous les projets sur quels je travaille, mais la majorité de mes projets sont pour notre bureau national. Alors, c’est ni pratique ni réaliste d’avoir moi comme gestionnaire pour ces projets car les décisions et horaires sont trop complexe et beaucoup plus grand que moi et mon cubicle. Donc, jusqu’à on m’explique différent, je suis encore responsable pour le développement créatif et la réalisation actuelle des projet de design dans notre bureau.

Pendant plus que trois années maintenant, j’avais travaillé sur les standards et lignes directrices pour la signalisation extérieur pour la programme d’image de marque de Xxxxx Xxxxxx (PIMPC). Dépendant sur l’aspect du projet actuel, il fallait que je travaille soit seule ou en équipe. Ces derniers mois, il fallait que je travaille seule sur les panneaux pour les droits d’entrée pour plusieurs parcs nationaux et lieux historiques nationaux. Ces panneaux ne sont pas très excitant mais je suis fier du produit final parce que on a utilisé mon idée qui va résulter dans une système qui produit moins de déchet qu’il aurait auparavant. Chaque année les droits d’entrée changent et l’idée initiale été de remplacer les panneaux en complète chaque année. Cependant, la système que j’ai designer est une système fixé avec deux insertion recto-verso, démontable pour seulement les droits d’entrée, et permet l’inclusion de ces droits pour quatre année de suites.

Pour la réalisation de ces panneaux il faut qu’on suive les lignes directrice pour la programme d’identification fédéral (PIF) et les lignes directrices pour la PIMPC, que nous sommes entrain de préparer présentement). La PIF est la programme qui gouverne l’identité ou l’image graphique fédéral. La PIMPC a des aspects uniques à elle mais doit aussi suivre les règles de la PIF qui est assez stricte. Avec la développement du PIMPC comme elle s’applique à la signalisation, il faut qu’on suive certain règles de la PIF mais pas les autres. Les police typographiques sont prescrit par la PIF alors il faut qu’on les utilise pour nos panneaux. Aussi, il faut qu’on suive les règles de la PIF qui gouverne l’espace entre ces éléments typographiques.

Quand les lignes directrices de la PIMPC auront fini, il va falloir que les autres concepteurs graphiques suivent les règles prescrit par nous pour pouvoir créer des panneaux propre. Honnêtement, je ne peux pas imaginer ma vie après avoir compléter les lignes directrices. Y-a-t’il d’autre projet pour vrai? On verra… pour maintenant, il faut que j’attende jusqu’à on me dit que j’avais fini.

Be kind…

steelie

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The trials and tribulations of work-related travel…

Well, I’m home now… have been for almost a week but I didn’t have much “play”-time on the computer, so I’m just updating now…

Having to leave my family to go on the work trip was a drag… I was feeling quite under the weather before I left but my manager GB was even sicker so I didn’t really have an excuse not to go. It made for a long day… We left the  office at 11:30 AM last Wednesday and took a cab to the airport for a flight at 1:45 PM.

Landed at our destination at 3:00-ish, then drove for almost three hours to our hotel. After we got settled, we had supper at about 6:00 and I went to bed almost right after… spent the entire night in a pool of sweat (attractive I know), shivering a fever off until I woke up the next morn.

The next day was one long meeting that went from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM… I still wasn’t feeling that great but it was a productive meeting none-the-less — we were designing a number of signs and needed to have a face-to-face with the fabricators to hammer out the final details.

Day three was nothing but travelling again… left at 9:30 AM… drove to the airport for our flight at 1:00 PM (stopped for lunch and a vanilla soy latte on the way)… the flight was delayed so we arrive home almost an hour-and-a-half after we were supposed to. HOWEVER… the upside to the delay was that I was right on time to be dropped off a the daycare to pick up Little “L”. It was amazing to see everyone.

Now that I’m back, I’m glad I went (work-wise only, that is). Yes, I realise that I was only gone for three days and that might make me a man-baby for being so sappy but hey… that’s me. Back to the routine now…

It’s amazing how the daily pattern can seem monotonous until it’s gone… then it’s amazing how comforting you realise it is and you’d give just about anything for it.

steelie

UPDATE: Okay… so I was going to do a video post to tell this part of the story but I thought I heard Little “L” crying upstairs so I stopped part way through and didn’t save it… Soooo… I’m just going to do a quick textual recap… One of the signs discussed at the meeting had previously been sent to us as a prototype — twice… the company wanted us to bring them back with us for discussion… this means we had to check them as luggage on the plane… the one GB chose to check was small so they took it no problem… mine was about 4' x 3' so it had to go through the “special” check-in place… it was too big to go through the scanner so they had to surface-swab it for illegal substances… they got a hit on it… “What does that mean?” “It means your package tested positive for explosives.” “Excuse me?!?”… a “LEVEL 1” had to come down and question me and oversee the unpacking of the questionable package… the sign/package was cleared because the “swabber” (not his official title) could find no wires attached to the sign… the sign was repackaged… I was escorted down through security for further questioning and a full-body pat-down… they were nice enough to warn me before checking my “back pocket area” (not my words… theirs)… every item in my carry-on was emptied and individually swabbed… I was cleared and allowed to board the plane.

And to top it all off… I was pulled out of the line for a random full-body pat-down on the way home too.
Fun.

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I miss my own bed…

I miss my own room… I miss Little “L” sleeping awkwardly close to my face… I miss Lady “T” sleeping next to him… I miss Baby “X’s” sweet little breathing in his bassinet next to her…

I’ve had to travel for the first time since we became “four” and my hotel room is just not the same… I miss home…

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steelie script…

Nothing life changing to report… yet. For a while now, I’ve been playing around a bit with the idea of designing my own personalised “steelie” T-shirt. I think I may have finally come up with something I like… It’s simple but slick. Just felt like sharing it…

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And one hellish project comes to an end…

This is just a short post to let anyone who has been semi-following my comlaining about this wank of a project, that today, the entire thing came to a close… and on a positive note. I wasn’t able to see the final display’s before they were shipped off but a co-worker/manager, whose opinion I trust, said they look great. And they will get to the client on time.

…relief.

I have accumulated almost five full days of time off. Some of it I will use to sleep the rest I shall use to do Parkour. :OD

There is more to say but I am very tired now… I was sent home a few days ago for “resting with my eyes closed” at my desk — nothing bad, everyone knew that I had just burned myself out…

Alas, it is done.
Final curtain please.
Good night all…
And sweet dreams.

steelie

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All-nighter number four update…

[UPDATE]

Well, I decided I should wait until the day after to update this post so that I might get as much work done overnight as possible…

So, at roughly 4:30 PM yesterday, I went home to take care of my husband & dad duties. I made my way back to work after I put ’lil “L” to bed and got here at approximately 10:00 PM.

At almost 11:00 PM one of my co-workers called to let me know how much he had gotten done on my project while I was at home. He offered to come and help me with the rest.

Over seven hours, three cafeinated beverages and one burrito later, we were both so tired that we had to call it quits at 5:15 AM this morning.

I went home, showered, shaved, ate breakfast, got ’lil “L” ready for daycare and put out the trash.

And so the day began again continues… everything has to be done today so now I’m stressin’ some but also relieved that I’ll be done my part v’soon.

steelie

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All-nighter number two…

Okay… so in all fairness, I have to admit that my “All-nighter number one” was a bit of a failure. I got to work around 10:30 PM and only made it to 1:30 AM… three hours… some all-nighter. I couldn’t help it. I was so tired that I started to do the whole go-cross-eyed-and-doze-off-every-30-seconds thing. It wasn’t pretty.

So now here I sit again… with my 4-pack of Sobe Arush caffeinated “natural health” energy drinks, one already eaten dairy-free chocolate bar, one package of sesame rice crackers with complimenting tub o’ hummus, and one collection of music blaring in the background (current track: The White Stripes).

I hope it goes well… I’m getting worried about the deadline…

steelie

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