Youtube link... Hyundai commercial banned/pulled in Australia for possible imitative behavior.

Thanks for the thoughts. His knee is better today (though he's still home, partly because of what walking on possibly icy concrete could do to the knee, partly to wait for a UPS package).

Knee pain is awful. He was smart to stay home.

Best plan is to give it another day of rest. Slipping on the ice could make it so much worse. I hope the additional day off of it does the trick.

Wow, here it is Monday. I should do the work thing I guess. Maybe more coffee.

Ok. Booking flight right now.

juliana, does that offer still stand? Final answer is that Mr. Jane is not coming.

Ok. Booking flight right now.

Fuck yeah! I'm so so so excited to see you.

"lumberjacks with issues"

Heh. I like them burly and conflicted, 'tis true.

She was all undeterred and proceeded with her wackass Love The Baby program.

JZ is very cute when pursuing her agenda of Love The Baby.

Knee~ma to your hubby, Fred.

DJ, of course the offer stands!!! Whee!!!!!!!

When, DJ?

The not-really-a-resolution of the Ugly Newsletter Saga is as follows:

We had our group's monthly meeting last night. Committee Chairman wasn't there -- because he's never able to be there, because he lives in Florida, and don't get me started on *why* the fuck someone who lives in Florida is given the responsibility of running a committee in Ohio. Believe me, the whack-assery of that has already been covered in detail.

Anyway. I asked Group President when the Board might approve a design for the newsletter, because it's a lot of work for me to come up with new designs that are totally scrapped.

Group President tells me that he wants something "contemporary," "exciting," and "cutting-edge," not a boring traditional design like the the one I did. And I swear to you that's what he said. Ouch.

First of all, I loathe "contemporary" design, because it usually turns into "messy and chaotic just for the sake of being kooky!", and I just don't swing that way.

Second, maybe if you had actually TOLD ME WHAT YOU WANTED before I spent HOURS designing the "boring" newsletter, I could have attempted something "contemporary" (or my version thereof).

Third, insulting, much?

Fourth, I charge my clients a lot of money to do what I did for you gratis, because I did in fact volunteer. But my volunteering is limited by the amount of free time I have and the amount of bullshit I'm willing to tolerate.

So, I sent an e-mail last night to Committee Chairman and Group President saying (1) I thought my design was good, and other people in the group told me they liked it -- don't our actual members' opinions count for anything?, (2) I'm frustrated and disappointed that I spent so much time on something that's going to be scrapped, (3) if someone had TOLD ME what they wanted BEFORE I spent hours working on it, maybe I could have gone in the direction that they wanted, and (4) you have no respect for me or the job I perform you don't value my creative input -- I really feel like I'm being used strictly for labor, in the sense of you tell me exactly what you want, and I will do the labor necessary to provide that. It wasn't my understanding when I joined the committee that I was going to just provide mindless labor -- I thought that my input was wanted, given that I'm THE ONLY PERSON ON THE COMMITTEE (or Board) WHO DOES THIS SHIT FOR A LIVING.

I haven't gotten any reply yet today, but I strongly suspect that it's going to be a "suck it up and deal" kind of response. At which point I am SO off that committee.

Why on earth anyone would be a dick to someone who is volunteering to do something she's very good at -- indeed, why they would be SUCH a dick that she would quit -- is beyond me. They clearly don't see how that's shooting themselves in the foot.

And at this point, I don't care.

At the meeting last night, The Boy spoke up and said that he liked my design, and thought that simple was good. Group President said, "You HAVE to say that -- she's your girlfriend." The Boy said, "That's really uncalled for, [President] -- I can have an opinion without it being colored by our relationship."

The Boy reiterated that he thinks a clean, simple design is effective, and Group President said to The Boy, "Yeah, but -- what do YOU know about marketing? I mean, look at the way you dress!"

This is the kind of rude asshattery I'm dealing with. And, you know, I ain't getting paid for this, so I don't have to put up with it. I mean, you insult my work, you treat me like a chimp who knows how to type, you insult my boyfriend in front of other people -- you're kidding, right? Kiss my big fat white ass.

I'll wait until I get some sort of e-mail reply from Committee Chair and Group President, but if the replies are just more in this same vein, I'm quitting the damn committee.

I am in SUCH a foul mood today.

Should I start posting listings for clubs in NYC, Steph?