Further Insanity at Work, and Some Bad News

Today was, ostensibly, a deadline day. Due to the lack of sales made (clients being overly cautious? Salespeople being rubbish? Who knows?), the deadline was pushed back on Friday to Tuesday, and things were arranged so that we completed two out of three cover sections on Friday, with the last completed this morning, then one of the three sections (not including editions) of the magazine was to be completed by end of play today.

Doesn't sounds difficult, does it? Two thirds of one part on time, followed by the final third of that, and one third (technically one fifth) of the main job on deadline day, with the remainder to be mopped up a day late.

But when you spend most of the morning trying to work around a Salesman who, having royally fucked up a sale and misled his client, continues to mislead his client, tries to fob off responsibility for the situation he's created (and continues to exacerbate) and keeps sending emails to the client CC'ing everyone on the planet, you can see where things might go adrift.

So, come 4.30/5pm, I'm still waiting on signoffs for 2 estate agents, artwork for another, and sales to cover a further two pages in the one and only section we have anywhere near complete.

Oh, and neither of the Commercial Managers involved (one leaving at the end of the month, the other moving in from another office) had considered who would be signing off that one section, so the editor had to do it with the CM's approval.

And this would be the CM who's leaving... and so wouldn't actually be taking responsibility for any problems, however much she said she would.

And, after all this, there are still far too many spaces on the flatplans for comfort, I'll be losing a day's production on my next magazine (deadline of Friday), and tomorrow is going to be just as bad as today.

At least the features are looking good. Ish.

Earlier this evening, I had a phone call from my boss to say that there was a problem with one of the cover sections - not the one that was only sent today, the problem one has been with the Printers since Friday, but hadn't been worked on until I got the print order over today. The print order was delayed because the member of staff who does the numbers for me needs constant reminders, despite having a copy of the schedule and so a good idea of when the numbers are needed so we can produce the print orders.

Having looked at the problem - bleed missing on the outer edge of the inside covers - I concluded that it was better to let the covers run as they are, than risk causing more slippage by asking them to hold it over till tomorrow so I can resupply. Chances are, we'll be OK... if we're not, it's all down to late sales taking up too much time.

Shortly after that phone call, I had a call from my sister. She'd had another scan today, which found a heart defect in her little-finger-sized baby. This is the kind of thing, she was told, that will be fine as long as the baby is in the womb, but the baby will need surgery within hours (perhaps minutes) of birth.

A bit of a blow all round... but then, this is why you don't announce a pregnancy so early.

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