Dear So and So

[OakLeaf]

Dear appliance repair people,

I'm trying to give you my money to fix my microwave. This is what you do for a living, right? Why do you insist that it would be better for me to send my microwave to the landfill, and my money to a sweatshop in China, than to keep it in the local economy by employing YOU?

[ultraviolet]

Dear Universe,

Thanks for making demand so high in my field. You made it possible for me to make a conscious decision to refuse work for a month and a half in order to recharge my mental batteries and then nail down a gig on my first day of making myself available again. And not only that, but to get a series of meetings with people who want to talk with me now to get in line for my next available work window.

I know I just spent four days at a professional conference where part of the frustration within my peer group was at the landrush that's taking place in the field, and the resultant mediocre work that's being produced by newcomers who don't have the first clue about what we really do. So, thanks for taking all of our *****ing and moaning with a grain of salt. We really aren't as collectively whiny as we may have come across. Well, not most of us, at least.

While I know I have a tendency toward jaded cynicism about work sometimes, I'm still grateful that finding people who will pay me to solve hairy problems and create new things is rarely an issue. My landlord appreciates it, too.

Thanks!
Me

[channlluv]

Wow, ultraviolet, if I may ask, what do you do?

Roxy

[ultraviolet]

Wow, ultraviolet, if I may ask, what do you do?

Roxy

I do work that falls under the larger umbrella term User Experience Design. Basically, I try to make the things--software, services, electronic devices, companies--that people have to interact with suck less.

[laura*]

Dear Headset:
You weren't supposed to fail - you're on the nearly new, bought assembled from a bike shop, bike. The five other bikes in various stages of assembly/disassembly/reassembly have excuses for being unavailable to ride today. But your bike was supposed to be the trustworthy "go to" bike. This is especially galling considering the wonderful weather of the last two days. Oh well, your replacement has been bin upon, won, and paid dearly for.

Dear credit card number thieves:
This is a family website so I will refrain from saying what I think about you. Why do you target bike people? This time you must have gotten my number from either the online purchase of bike panniers, or an in person purchase at an LBS. Previously, you got my number twice in the Nashbar debacle. Luckily I paid for the headset mere hours before your actions froze my account.

[Becky]

Dear cold,

Get lost already! I would very much like to be able to add a few days of vacation with DH onto my work travel next week. If you stick around much longer, we will have no choice but to cancel our plans. And don't even think of hitting DH again...he's already hosted you once

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Sick and tired of being sick and tired

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Dear Headset:
You weren't supposed to fail - you're on the nearly new, bought assembled from a bike shop, bike. The five other bikes in various stages of assembly/disassembly/reassembly have excuses for being unavailable to ride today. But your bike was supposed to be the trustworthy "go to" bike. This is especially galling considering the wonderful weather of the last two days. Oh well, your replacement has been bin upon, won, and paid dearly for.

At home, we've been moving our old stereo components around and making changes. I've got stereo equip. on the brain, so:
At first I thought you were talking about a music earbud/headset gizmo that was somehow installed with your bike, and I thought to myself Jeez, can't she just ride a bike without music for a day or two while it's getting fixed?

[laura*]

Jeez, can't she just ride a bike without music for a day or two while it's getting fixed?

The amusing detail is that I never ride while listening to music. I, ... um, ... er, don't even own the necessary equipment.

As for the other item, I'm now 99% certain it was the panniers seller that leaked my card number.

[channlluv]

I do work that falls under the larger umbrella term User Experience Design. Basically, I try to make the things--software, services, electronic devices, companies--that people have to interact with suck less.

That sounds brilliant. I'd love to hear more about it sometime. Seriously. I'm working on an idea for a book for kids about unusual careers. What did you have to study/work at before to get to what position?

Roxy

[bmccasland]

Dear Congress,
Come to an agreement, compromise, no sneaky little add-ons, and pass a dang Federal Budget.

And if you can't agree, and decide to shut down the government, I'm assuming that you and all your staffers will go without pay too. It's the only right thing to do. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Oh, and the next time I have to drop everything to answer a "Congressional" at work, can I remind you that you deemed me "unnecessary?"

[indysteel]

Dear Congress,
Come to an agreement, compromise, no sneaky little add-ons, and pass a dang Federal Budget.

And if you can't agree, and decide to shut down the government, I'm assuming that you and all your staffers will go without pay too. It's the only right thing to do. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Oh, and the next time I have to drop everything to answer a "Congressional" at work, can I remind you that you deemed me "unnecessary?"

We're in limbo, too. The court where I work will operate for two weeks on reserved funds, but after that, we will likely have a floating furlough. DH and I also have a trip planned beginning on April 23rd to two national parks. We're thinking about a Plan B, as we don't really have any desire to travel to southern Utah if Bryce and Zion are closed.

The whole thing is just a PITA. I feel sorry for the people I work with who simply cannot afford any interruption, even slight or short lived, in their income. In past shutdowns, those furloughed got back pay, but we've been told that may not (likely won't) have this time around.

[Becky]

Oh, and the next time I have to drop everything to answer a "Congressional" at work, can I remind you that you deemed me "unnecessary?"

Hear hear!

[lph]

Dear people for whom I am arranging free "bike wrenching for dummies"-sessions - what's up with the badly hidden griping about there being only 3 sessions for 5 people each time? That there "really should be" more sessions for more people? Well, go learn it at home, making all the mistakes yourself, then go spend your own free time teaching everybody else, then. That's what I did, but I also realize that 3 sessions is what I feel like contributing before I get antsy. And it's not my fault I haven't been able to convince anyone else to contribute to this worthy cause just yet.

[ultraviolet]

That sounds brilliant. I'd love to hear more about it sometime. Seriously. I'm working on an idea for a book for kids about unusual careers. What did you have to study/work at before to get to what position?

Roxy

I actually didn't study anything related to my current field. I was in a dual degree program for music and biology. I just kind of tripped into my field based on personal interest and happening upon a job ad looking for someone with web production skills about a billion years ago--ok, not a billion, more like 14. Working at a tech startup in the late 90s meant doing a lot of different jobs and learning them quickly. Through that, I found what I loved in a field that was only just starting to be named.

Many people who started doing this back then came from either a human factors/cognitive psych background or the library sciences. There's not a consistent pattern for the rest of the long-time practitioners--some grew out of development backgrounds, some from creative/design, some even from marketing. In the last five or six years, there have been more applicable formal areas of study really gaining ground: human computer interaction (HCI) and information management programs have pretty high representation. Psychology (human factors) and journalism folks (content strategy is a big deal for us now) have also found welcoming arms from UX practitioners, as well.

If you have other questions, I'm always happy to talk about what I do and why I firmly believe it can make life better for people and change the world. Feel free to PM any time!

[crazycanuck]

Dear clavicle/sternum thingie bit in my body that moved a few years ago when i had a little bike off...

I thought I reminded you to stay put & not bother me again . I didn't know that either the side to side push ups, the single side little weight lifting bit or something else bothered you when I did my first private training session would bring you back onto the scene..

I really don't appreciate feeling bones scrape in my neck or chest or whatever part of my body you're situated in .

Sheep kapoopies I say.

Why haven't they invented some sort of internal super glue to fix these things??

Harumph..
Annoyed human