PRAISE

Monday, May 4, 1998

Positive feedback is so great! Monday is the day for our group program managers meeting. After doing the bug roundup, our group leader introduced someone new who has just joined the team today. I asked if "welcome" email was going out, and said I'd post it as a news item to our team website when it did. (Part of my time is spent maintaining that site.) Our group leader took that as a cue to tell me and the group how great our site is, and that it's been a great resource for the team! He thanked me, and said it was invaluable to be able to point people there when they had questions about our product. Well! I was kvelling. But I did say that if our team didn't have a good web site, what team would? We are using the web all day long, one way or another.

I know I respond much more favorably to comments like this, than to urgings to work harder that I used to get on other products. When a former manager used to start talking about how now was the time to really buckle down, I'd get resentful. When I'm working, I'm working! and her comments (unintentionally, I'm sure) used to make me feel that she thought we'd been lazing around up till that point.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

My legs felt pleasantly sore and fatigued today, both from dancing last night and from walking up hill and down dale at the RC art car event yesterday afternoon. Julie of Cerebrations has posted some pictures she took, and her description of attending the event.

Lynda (Parenthesis) Bustilloz was talking about me being acquainted with some well-known writers. It's certainly a positive aspect of Seattle fandom that so many writers live here, and are willing to be part of our group. Sometimes I forget that, and focus on the ones that live here and haven't yet been enlightened as to the wisdom of joining us. But the writers we know aren't worshipped because they are pros; they are part of the community. Some I'm very fond of, some I hardly know, some I dislike, though I may enjoy their work. But their threads are part of the net.

In other journal-related news, I joined the mailing list for the folks who are going to work on a journaling e-zine. I don't know yet what my personal contribution will be towards this effort, but it's tough for me to resist a personal request. That's how they got me to run the hospitality suite at Potlatch III a few years ago! So flattering to be asked for help.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

This afternoon I met up with Garlend, who had contacted me from my Yahoo personal ad. He works tech support at Spry. We had coffee and chatted at the Starbucks in the Bellevue Barnes and Noble, then he accompanied me while I did some shopping at the Bellevue Square Mall. I'd been wanting those black leather keds that they didn't have at the downtown Nordstroms, and I also got some Hush Puppies, since my friend Sandy dances in them and likes them. Then I bought more clothes at Lane Bryant: a short black skirt and top, and more underwear (they keep adding new colors!). I offered to go along if there was any store in the mall that he wanted to visit, but he said there wasn't one at this time. A fun afternoon!