glossy hard copy is not shot out of a monkey's ass, thanks

From Matt (Dude in DC): Crispin Glover is pretty darn sharp.

Photos of a house collapse four blocks south of my home. This is not uncommon in DC. Even though we just went through a housing boom, there are still plenty of vacant and often derelict properties in tha 'hood that are just left to rot until they implode. There are many reasons for this - sometimes a home owner is just sitting on it and is too lazy or cheap to sell or upgrade. Sometimes the property owner doesn't want the property to be bought by 'the wrong people' which I will leave to your interpretation. Sometimes the designation of 'historic' makes a property too expensive or complicated to renovate - so instead it's better for them to rot.

But more often than not it's a matter of the city government having to get around to inspecting the property or enforcing derelict or tax laws. And in this town unless you start screaming loud enough, such properties often eventually just rot away even though there are many potential homeowners or people who would or could do something positive with such places. But far too many neighbors or government officials prefer to keep change from happening. Change is frightening and upsetting. It's too bad, because many of these places were once beautiful buildings and could be again.

Another frikken'-frakkin' newsletter draft is finished at work. It looks great, but I get little thanks or recognition for what I do. I guess it's my fault for making it look like it can be done in an hour or so. I eventually want to move away from desktop production and Internet design for many reasons. At the very least it is stressful and exhausting. Well, layout and design isn't hard for me, it's getting the information that is far more difficult than necessary, especailly in my current situation.

First you have to gather the information from overly entitled state government workers who feel insulted that you asked them for data that their office produces and should be sharing for the sake of transparency anyway. Getting a single numerical statistic or number usually takes an average of an hour, first of begging nicely, then re-explaining several times what you need, then finally screaming that it's the same number (new year) that you asked about last year, that you will ask for again next year, that the boss will ask of you anyway once I tell him that you didn't cooperate with me in the first place. Multiply this by one hundred - an hour of begging, cajoling and/or screaming times one hundred, and this is why it takes so long to produce a newsletter or annual report, and why it stresses me out. No one ever gives me this information freely, I have to ask, beg and then scream for it. Add all this to making sure all the fonts are the consistent, line spacing the same, image resolution is maximized, writing the news stories, fact checking, then dealing with a printer, then the mailhouse, delivery and distribution. I know I can't do this crap forever, it totally stresses me out and most people don't understand what is involved in this process. Again, I think because we make it look sleek and easy (which is what we're supposed to do) it does.

Today everyone is pouting and avoiding me because yesterday I was screaming at them to give me information my boss requires me to publish. I asked them nicely the first time, then I begged. I do not want to have to scream but it seems like I have to.

Just venting. But the next time your graphics designer or institution's communicator asks you for a number or statistic, just remember that glossy hard copy is not magically shot out of a monkey's ass. Please get that fucking number to them as soon as you can - and that doesn't mean in a month, and don't make sourpuss faces about it either.

Thanks.