Major Disappointments

Disappointment #1: Two months ago, when I was still considering full-time positions, I had a great interview at what seemed like a great workplace, only to never hear back, even after repeated phone calls and emails. I've gotten over this, because companies are more and more frequently using this practice of "no response means no." This was one reason I was compelled to start working for myself. It's still frustrating, even when I prop myself up with self-assuring statements like "A company that doesn't call back wasn't good enough for me anyway!"

Disappointment #2: I've been in contact with a guy who used to live in my old apartment building, because he works as a sort of head hunter for editors and other creative folks in DC and he emailed me out of the blue at what seemed to be the most convenient time, as I'm now starting to freelance and could definitely use his help. We set up a meeting for August 11. I filled out all the requisite forms, gussied myself up, and went to meet with him. He didn't show. He was profusely apologetic when I called from our confirmed meeting place ("In my 5 years doing this I've only missed maybe 3 meetings and I'm so sorry it had to be you this time; I'll blame it on the new baby.") and we rescheduled for this morning at Starbucks.

So, this morning, after waiting a week and a half, I dressed myself up even more just to show that I mean business, got myself a small iced coffee (I don't speak Starbucks), and waited. And waited. I called him when he was 15 minutes late, and he said "Are you somewhere I'm supposed to be?"

He then proceeded to say that he was just so embarassed that he'd missed our meeting twice that it must be a sign, and he was going to cut his losses [cut HIS losses???] and wish me luck in the future. And, at this point with me moving to PA he wasn't sure what kind of services he'd be able to offer anyway [even though he scheduled our meeting after noting that he does work with out-of-towners if he starts up with them before they move], and because his business thrives on his being reliable, the fact that he wasn't reliable to me means he doesn't feel comfortable interacting with me in the future.

What sort of professional screws up twice and then punishes the other party for it? I must say that I was completely shocked and crushed. He said he was "speechless" this morning, and it's contagious.

"Rock It, Man"

This is totally off topic, but very funny. It was posted on the Post in an article about William Shatner's upcoming roast on Comedy Central (Sunday at 10PM): Rocket Man.

I am mad!

I was browsing through some fellow editors' blogs, and came across this post, which is a funny little test-yourself quiz that will tell you if you're obsessive enough to be an editor. :)

I rated rather high... yes, I organize my pens by color, and yes I do enjoy lining things up on my desk before starting to work. Too bad I don't get paid to put all the green pens in one mug and the red pens in another.

Hyphen wars

"The only way McMaster-Smith can beat Skilton is to poke him in the eye with his hyphen" - Alf Brown, football journalist, 1960s

Even one little sleight of punctuation can cause serious damage... and here's a current event to back up this statement:

From the 8/7/06 Globe and Mail (Figures are in $C. The actual sentence is at the end of the article under "The Comma Conflict"):

"A basic rule of punctuation"
Grant Robertson
The Globe and Mail
August 7, 2006

It could be the most costly piece of punctuation in Canada.

A grammatical blunder may force Rogers Communications Inc. to pay an extra $2.13-million to use utility poles in the Maritimes after the placement of a comma in a contract permitted the deal's cancellation.

The controversial comma sent lawyers and telecommunications regulators scrambling for their English textbooks in a bitter 18-month dispute that serves as an expensive reminder of the importance of punctuation.

Rogers thought it had a five-year deal with Aliant Inc. to string Rogers' cable lines across thousands of utility poles in the Maritimes for an annual fee of $9.60 per pole. But early last year, Rogers was informed that the contract was being cancelled and the rates were going up. Impossible, Rogers thought, since its contract was iron-clad until the spring of 2007 and could potentially be renewed for another five years.

Armed with the rules of grammar and punctuation, Aliant disagreed. The construction of a single sentence in the 14-page contract allowed the entire deal to be scrapped with only one-year's notice, the company argued.

Language buffs take note — Page 7 of the contract states: The agreement “shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.”

Rogers' intent in 2002 was to lock into a long-term deal of at least five years. But when regulators with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) parsed the wording, they reached another conclusion.

The validity of the contract and the millions of dollars at stake all came down to one point — the second comma in the sentence.

Had it not been there, the right to cancel wouldn't have applied to the first five years of the contract and Rogers would be protected from the higher rates it now faces.

“Based on the rules of punctuation,” the comma in question “allows for the termination of the [contract] at any time, without cause, upon one-year's written notice,” the regulator said.

Rogers was dumbfounded. The company said it never would have signed a contract to use roughly 91,000 utility poles that could be cancelled on such short notice. Its lawyers tried in vain to argue the intent of the deal trumped the significance of a comma. “This is clearly not what the parties intended,” Rogers said in a letter to the CRTC.

But the CRTC disagreed. And the consequences are significant.

The contract would have shielded Rogers from rate increases that will see its costs jump as high as $28.05 per pole. Instead, the company will likely end up paying about $2.13-million more than expected, based on rough calculations.

Despite the victory, Aliant won't reap the bulk of the proceeds. The poles are mostly owned by Fredericton-based utility NB Power, which contracted out the administration of the business to Aliant at the time the contract was signed.

Neither Rogers nor Aliant could be reached for comment on the ruling. In one of several letters to the CRTC, Aliant called the matter “a basic rule of punctuation,” taking a swipe at Rogers' assertion that the comma could be ignored.

“This is a classic case of where the placement of a comma has great importance,” Aliant said.

Unfortunate town names in France (and PA)

I was doing some online shopping and found the string republic, which has two retail locations listed back-to-back that made me giggle:

BLUE STOCK STATION
Quai Buzon Tél : 05 62 68 47 98
32 100
CONDOM

URBAN
112, av Pierre Dumont
69 290
CRAPONNE

Do you think the teen pregnancy rate is low in Condom, France? Maybe to bring in some extra tourism they could erect (HA!) a giant condom in the center of town.

After Googleing, I found even more snicker-inducing information on Wikipedia:

Given the more widespread social use, in the English language, of the word Condom, it is interesting to note that the town is located on the river Baïse; baise, without the diaeresis, is a French vulgarism for a sex act [editorial note from Jen: specifically the F word; but un baiser also means "a kiss"]. In French language however, a condom is called préservatif. The city is a popular target for street sign stealing tourists.

The street-sign stealing link led me to this article on Intercourse, PA, not to far from where I grew up. It is (hilariously) located pretty close to the PA towns of Blue Ball, Peach Bottom, and Paradise. Oh, but the very best part about Intercourse (we're talking the TOWN here people) is that most of its residents are Amish and Mennonite.