From Leslie to Tracy (7)

Exuberant AND lovely. Thank you Leslie.

 

The Certificate Story - Chapter 7

I got home on Sunday, took a Tylenol PM (the hard stuff) at 7pm and slept until 8:30am - and raced to the digital art place to see the new improved proof. I walk in and meet person C. I ask for Person A. He's not in today. I ask for Person B. Long pause. Person B is no longer with the company. Is this really happening?

We're not even at the worst part of all - but we are getting close. StupidJean really pulls herself together and says to herself, "This is it. This is the last job you will ever do. You've salvaged a lot of disasters over the years. You're going to have to do it one last time. Pull yourself together. This is your swan song. Whatever the heck that means."

Ok -- Person C - I'm so happy to meet you. What can we do to find this proof that I was supposed to look at. C looks up my name in *the system* - and finds nothing. Somehow I pull up some emails on my phone and she tracks down a digital proof with the new fonts - and prints out an 8 1/2 x 11 proof - and it looks OK - but PulledTogetherJean says -- I think it's OK - but I really need to see a hard copy at the actual size to sign off on it - because... because... well because I need to see it because I have to make sure that the space is right for the gold seal and the ribbon.

People who spend their entire life on screens do not need to see anything on paper. I don't understand how anything turns out the way it is supposed to. But, I am content to declare myself a dinosaur and I am eager to go to my tar pit.

I know I looked like I was being obsessive -- but, in the back of my mind, I just knew that I needed to see the full size proof. It didn't seem like a big ask - and Person C seemed to think she could run it off - and I think this might have been the worst part.....she kept clicking things on the printer - and calling people to come help --

and eventually there were 3 people futzing with a printer -- and this is a company that has the most sophisticated printers in our fair city - and they print really cool stuff on the sides of large buildings - but on this day they can't print out a 11x 17 proof on plain copy paper. I almost asked them to send the file to the OfficeMax across the street - but - did not really trust that kind of alternative to work either. In my heart I know I would have been hit by a truck if I had crossed that street. Not killed - just injured enough to be paralyzed from the neck down.

Can things get worse? Keep in mind - nobody knows where my original layout and original artwork is - while they are futzing with the printer - I figure out a way to show them that something is off with the proportions and it needs to be fixed. I mark up the 8 1/2 x 11. 

Person C calls in Person D who does all the fine art scanning. She could see the proportion and spacing/cropping issues and assured me that they could be fixed - but said we needed Person E the graphic design person who could resolve things - but - I could see some panic in her eyes - because I think she knew we were all cleaning up after that Person B who made the mess and *is no longer with the company.* Heaven only knows how many other messes they were dealing with. I was grateful that they were trying to resolve my goofy certificate.

Person C agreed that once the changes were made she should call me on my phone since neither of us trust email or texting any more - and it would be essential for me to drop everything and drive down to look at the proof. The spacing changes looked like they would be simple.

We shared a moment of happiness over the fact that the business is my neighborhood - and I am 5 minutes away. I could tell she was a smart cookie - and knew how to impress upon me that I needed to be on high alert. I could tell she'd been run around the block a few times by customers who do not hold up their end of the process. But, this did not lull me into thinking that we'd turned a corner.