Recently, as I have been saying and along with others around the globe, Earth, our planet, our only home, is for lack of a better term, dying.  We have been reminded through the species that face extinction right now, we are no better than them and that we are next.  How many known dying species are there??  44,838 species.  Do you realize that this count is truly unbelievable, considering just how much is out there! Wow! (*****Quarter of species on Earth may face extinction: expert http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081006/sc_afp/environmentbiodiversityspeciessurvey and http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081006/ap_on_sc/sci_endangered_mammals)

Scientists stumble upon “mysteries” all the time.  These “mysteries” are a small portion of a pie that makes up the whole to our environment…the environment we live in.  Sure we get up and go to school, go to work, go shopping, drive to the farthest reaches of the mountains, vacation, and all the commercialism that goes along with so called “life” now.  We did not use to live this way or be so easily lead or controlled.  A unique balance was always front and center to the way the World was created.  See it or call it what you will, but do you really think that a cubical was meant for you to live in Monday thru Friday, eight to five - five days a week?  No.  You are not an animal right?  Ever feel like one on display at your office or part time job? I mean, if you don’t, hell let us go ahead and put up museums for humans right now that work.  Ha!  Could you imagine??

According to a recent article, and I am sure I touched on this; the “herding” effect was and has taken place over Wall Street.  What does this mean?  Confirmation that yes we are apes, that have less fur, a bigger brain, and intelligence that has been misused.  Buy! Sell! Buy! Sell!  Everyone relying on the other, to get him/her on the right path, and/or direction to “lead them”, out of the storm. Continuous denial of the bigger picture, I.E. life, not a safety bubble of things, that has brought us closer to our own extinction.  Yet, as the “ruling” species, we refuse to see the damage caused.  (I say “ruling” because we have chosen not to live in balance with our Natural surroundings.  We want to “rule”, not “work with”, a simple observation.)

Again we have reports emerging of the glaciers retreating and thinning out – but in Alaska this time.  There has not been a follow up to the Greenland http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080923/sc_afp/denmarkgreenlandclimatewarmingice_080923041933
or Africa or the Arctic, but Alaska.  (****Most Alaskan Glaciers Retreat and Thin http://www.unisci.com/stories/20014/1211011.htm) Have you noticed that the dates and estimated time changes all the time?  We live unbalanced and consumed by what we do not see, because of distraction. Ah. If you really question all of the melting and rising of the global waters, seeing as how it does not effect you yet, read about **Study finds recent global warming unprecedented in 1,300 years ** http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080912/sc_mcclatchy/3043658. I like this, “The new study “establishes further evidence that the recent warming isn’t just part of a typical cycle,” said climatologist Michael Mann….

Granted he is not saying that this is due to mankind.  No. No. This study is an ongoing events of the global work that has been started by many others before him.  This is a gathering of scientists and data, in which they are finally beginning to work together.  In other words, they are looking for the patterns or “hot spots”, in which all things are, connected – basically – what I have been trying to say. 

How mad would be, seriously think about this…how mad are you and do you get when you are “invaded”?  Take the word invaded as you will.  Invasion of privacy…Invasion of having someone tell you how to raise your child/children…Invasion of the life you lead?  Does it make you mad?  Do you feel helpless and hopeless? If so, what makes you and I so different from the planet that has given us the basic needs that any man, woman or child needs?  

Conserve your resources. Educate your mind on what is going on around you and the World.  No scientist, expert, religious leader, or leader of any kind in the world, has all the answers.  All decent “things” have come from a mere person, like yourself and/or me, because of a mere idea that if really this is all there is to life – we are far worse off then the animals that face extinction – we have reached the “end” of our human development.  What happens at the end of anything?

And here is something else for all out there who look at numbers – Why is it the studies seem to start on or in, 1970?  Seems interesting – just rolling it out there. 

As always – just food for thought.  Right or wrong – at least you thinking and taking a look around.  J

And actually, these are the musical projects that I'd rather see.  It's not hard to make, say, Crybaby or Nine to Five into a relatively straightforward musical.  American Psycho on the other hand--that's going to require some darkness.  It's going to require a subversion of the form.  Could be interesting.  Could be a disaster.

2.  If you read the comments, you'll have seen that we got a "confirmation" on the casting of Josefina Scaglione as Maria in the Broadway West Side Story, supposedly from one of her friends in Argentina.  Of course, this is the internet, so I don't believe everything I read, but it does seem a little more likely today than yesterday.  In discussions with Mandy (one of the loyalist readers ever), we  came to the conclusion that we're not huge fans of that casting decision.  I've never seen a Maria that I've been really impressed with, vocally or stage presence-wise.  I hope they make a strong choice.

I might add to this post throughout the day, so check back.

"9 to 5"  Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton.

Can you believe it was 28 years ago that the movie Nine to Five was released?  Gawd, I love that movie. Here's how Netflix.com summarizes it:

A troika of female employees (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton) fed up with their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss (Dabney Coleman) entertains fantasies about evening the score. But fantasy turns into reality when the women think they've inadvertently poisoned his coffee. To cover their tracks, they concoct an intricate scheme that will turn the tables on the chief and shred the patriarchal old boys' network. 

I was only ten years old when this film was released, and I bet I haven't seen it in 15 years or so, but I'll be damned it I couldn't do the entire screen play off the top of my head right this very minute.  As a young girl growing up in the 80s, this film heavily shaped my pre-teen understanding of working women, female friendship, gender inequality in the workplace, comedy, vengeance, and S&M ("M&Ms).  It was an instant classic in my home and to this day I can't look at Snow White, an electric garage door opener, or a woman wielding a firearm, without thinking about this benchmark film.  And I am fairly certain that listening to Dolly Parton's deliciously funny and sexy southern drawl in her Nine to Five movie debut is the very reason why, to this day, I write like a potty mouthed southern belle even though I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA.  ("Ya'll" is sexier than "Yinz" any day of the week, in my humble opinion.)  

And even though it is almost 30 years old, the story is timeless.  Everyone can relate to an oppressive asshole boss like Mr. Hart or the need to break out and do things your own way.  Who hasn't fantasized about getting revenge on an enemy or two?  And that song...the catchy Grammy winning one Dolly Parton took all the way to number one back in 1980!  Just listen to it.  I've got three bucks and a Huggies coupon that says your feet will be tappin', honey.  And Lord have mercy - the "I'm gonna change you from a rooster to a hen, in one shot" monologue...it just doesn't get any better than that.        

So imagine my excitement to hear this morning on NPR that this classic, beloved film about female empowerment and friendship has been turned into a full fledged MUSICAL!  And get this, the one and only Dolly Parton wrote the score her own damn self.  And Allison "West Wing" Janney is starring as Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin in the movie). How freakin' perfect is THAT?!  Can you feel it, ya'll?

But oh, whoa is me.  This musical opens tonight in Los Angeles and then next March, just a few days after my birthday, it will open on Broadway!  And here I am, a suburban POW, sitting here with my unbrushed teeth on my third cup of black coffee, nursing my little one's DOUBLE GOD DAMNED EAR INFECTION.  Oh that poor little baby.  But enough about him.  Back to pathetic little ol' ME, stuck here, with not even a snowball's chance in hell of ever seeing that musical.  Shoot, I bet I couldn't even get to that show if it came to the local high school and there were special half price tickets for auto club members on sale at the Piggly Wiggly.  Just the other day I asked my gatekeeper husband if I could go to a Moveon.org "calling party" tomorrow to recruit swing state Obama supporters and you know what that punk ass bitch said?  "Geez Hon.  Sunday is like my only day to relax."  To which I replied, in my most loving tone of voice, "Well that is true, sweetie pie, and I sure appreciate the need to relax after a long week.  But you know what, sugar?  I think it will be a whole lot easier for everyone in the free world to relax over the course of the next four years if we can get Obama elected and end this crazy Bush legacy of terror.  And if you would please just watch the babies for a few hours on Sunday afternoon so I could go and make some phone calls with my free nights and weekends cell phone plan, you could probably rest a whole lot easier knowing that you did your part for the greater good.  Just think about that, OK honey buns?"  ACK!  Yeah, those single working gals on Nine to Five were totally on to something.  Where is that rat poisoning when I need it?

Or maybe I'll just head on over to the Ace Hardware and pick up some chains.  I do have an electric garage door opener, and I'm not afraid to use it.  Moveon.org Calling Party Members, I'll see you all tomorrow.  

Oh, and my email address is imbearded@gmail.com, just on the off chance that you want to send me, oh I don't know, two free tickets to the Broadway opening for my birthday? And not to be all Mrs. Fussy Britches or nothin', but I'm kinda nearsighted, so if those tickets could be up close and personal, that would probably be best.  Thanks sugar.

9 to 5: The Musical (LA Opening info)

9 to 5: The Musical (Official Site)

All day, five days of the week for the rest of your life. Thats how long you're bound to work to live and keep consuming. I've realized that what you do or what you are going to do for a living is one quite huge matter. Myself I'm a workman. Every time I go to work, I work my ass off for a relative small sum. It's like in the world of ants. At my "anthill" there are no career-ladders to be climbed and the salary is independent of how good I am at what I'm doing. Frankly, I don't even like what I do! Just pulling splinters for the top of the hierarchy. Crap, that ant-theory just failed as I realized that ants are communists.

However, my work isn't exactly top of the league. It takes its toll upon body and mind. Lifting of heavy packages causes *eer lets stretch out and feel it...* shoulder, back, neck and some wrists pain. And I always risk getting fingers and my body pinned between cages, but don't worry bout that, it doesn't really get to me since my lovely Amy bites and pinches me every day. As it is today, I would definitely say I work for the living and not the other way around, live for the job. But I really hope that one day I find happiness and inspiration when its time to get to work.

Another charming downside with my job at Posten is that it is very monotone. There are no opportunities for intellectual stimulation so you have to try to maintain some sharpness over free time. I have been so desperate that I've downloaded an Iphone application called "Brain Tuner", so I wont find myself brain-dead sooner than necessary. In this monotone environment the Ipod becomes an instrument of survivability and being without it is like a deaf man going to a mozart concert or watching a female beach volleyball game with the competitors dressed up like eskimos. Yeah, okay that might be fun, but only for a couple of minutes.

I do have dream of getting "out of here". - ha ha that might come out a bit more grave than it was meant to. This post has almost made it sound like my pitiful existence is completely unbearable. Its not like that all, I'm a very happy person as it is. but I think that my future life might belong somewhere else. I need to save money for the future but I'm a bit worried about myself, thus if I am for example really hungry for a steak at any time, it doesn't matter how much the stake is, I'll buy it. I guess I'm not much of a saver, really. I've only just started my working life, had a few salaries, and they seem to just be enough to go round.

I mean, what do you do? Only You can decide what paths you're taking. In the end its only about the decisions that you've made and chances that you have chosen to take. But its so hard to know what doors to open among thousands that looks the same. And who dares to travel without knowing the destiny.

Now, its time for me to go and bite the dust again at Posten. Thanks for reading! /Sam

What should I wear?

My office is "Business Casual", and I'm not really sure what that means. My previous jobs have been more along the lines of Strictly Corporate America with strictly corporate dress codes. Women must wear nylons!  And jackets!  No open-toed shoes!  Must look like a cookie-cutter drone!  Seriously, it was intense. My regular work-wear looked something like this:

With such strict dress codes, it is difficult to have any kind of fun with your clothes. Of course I rebelled, and wore fancy shoes but I had a very limited margin for creativity. This week I carefully chose my outfits but I couldn't help but regress back to my corporate guidelines. But, dear Internet, what is Business Casual?!? For boys it's easy, khaki's or slacks and a shirt with a collar. But what should women wear? I don't own the ubiquitous khaki pants. Can I wear a t-shirt? What if it is layered over a button-up shirt? Is a jacket too corporate? What about a denim jacket paired with a skirt or dress? Is that too casual? I tried to be "business casual", but I'm not sure if I succeeded. I think I'm a bit half-and-half, depending on your definition of the term. I was definitely more dressed-up than most of my co-workers in our training class, but I have no intention of ever dressing for the job I have; I always dress for the job I want, which--shockingly--does not put me in a cubicle for 8 hours a day. Because I love Polyvore so much, I've used it to recreat a few of my outfits for the week, what are your thoughts?

My office has Casual Fridays...which apparently is more casual than "business casual." I knew about this policy, and I knew that jeans were allowed on casual Friday. However, because I was still a little unsure of how casual "jeans allowed" was going to be, I opted to err on the safe side and chose a denim skirt.  As I was sleepily walking through the parking lot I wondered if I was dressed too casual.

Imagine my shock and surprise when I entered into the building.  Everywhere I looked I saw outfits that made my corporate-eyes bulge out of my head.  I saw t-shirts so large they looked like they were sleep shirts, jeans with enormous holes in the knees, flip-flops, logo T-shirts, even a Chicago Bears jersey. One girl actually looked like she was going to a club; denim mini skirt and a sparkly tank. I think about a dozen people asked "didn't you know it was casual Friday?" Yes. I knew. But I was unaware that flip-flops, straight from Old Navy, would qualify as "work appropriate."

What are the rules of wardrobe at your work?  What is acceptable?  What is a pink-slip?  How do you determine what is ok and what should be limited to the weekend?  Please help!

The 1980 film Nine To Five - about three female colleagues who plot to turn the tables on their sexist, lying boss - is to be turned into a musical which will open on Broadway on April 23, 2009.

The musical will feature Dolly Parton’s original score for the film, as well as 20 new songs.

The West Wing's Allison Janney will take on the role played by Lily Tomlin in the original film, while Stephanie J. Block will play Jane Fonda's character, and Megan Hilty will co-star as the sexy executive secretary originally portrayed by Dolly Parton. Marc Kudisch will play their bigoted boss.

It was producer Robert Greenblatt and original screenplay writer Patricia Resnick who persuaded Dolly Parton to work on the stage adaptation.

Although she was unsure about it at first, Dolly Parton, 62, said working on the musical turned out to be the most fun she had ever had as a songwriter. "I don't know that much about Broadway; it's a little bit out of my league,” she said. “But when they asked me if I would write the music, I said I would try.”

Meanwhile, the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Wicked is heading in the opposite direction. It’s set to become the latest stage show to be turned into a major film.

Following the success of Chicago, Hairspray and Mamma Mia!, the Wizard of Oz-inspired musical is to be turned into a film by Universal Pictures. It will be produced by Marc Platt and Stephen Schwartz.

However, fans will have to wait some time to see the film, according Wicked author Gregory Maguire. He says it may be four years before it actually hits the big screen.

From writing proposals, tenders, case studies and any number of internal documents, the boss was suitably impressed and set me to working with clients on ad copy, websites, brochures and anything else that's thrown at me. I'm finally embracing the role of official copywriter, doing a creative job in a creative environment. My perfect job, and I love it. But knowing I'll be leaving the job I've carved out for myself has made me question exactly how employable I am in what I thought was my niche. Turns out I may have underestimated the task of a copywriter. I have a lot to learn - proofreader's marks, copy editor's marks, SEO, NLP and all sorts of marketing psychobabble to enable me to write commercially effective copy to entice consumers.

I'm studying for a marketing accreditation in my 'spare' time outside work, so I'm on a step in the right direction, but it seems as though this further education route is a long and winding road. What next? Do I take a proofreader's course, a copywriting course, a publisher's or journalist's? Do I want to do travel writing, press articles, technical documents, fiction or children's books? The answer is, I want to do it all. I want to be a writer, and I want to dip my nib in every inkwell. And although I know I can turn my hand to anything I want to; without the qualifications will employers take a chance on me? I'll just have to take a leap and see. It's too late to worry about it now - however much I love my cushy little career, I'll never choose it over the chance for an adventure and of course, my life with Kiwi.

Now Cali and Jody are leading a dramatic, global movement to change the activity formerly known as “work.” Their vision: to create a workplace where nothing matters except great results.

Their message: there is a better way. People across the planet want better lives; employers want better results; neither side has to compromise. Cali and Jody are leading the movement to make this dream a reality.

Clearly, this is one of the latest business/management crazes to come out of the USA and from what I see so far, aside from all the American hype, it has my complete approval. That's not easily given as I'm not a businessman who's bookshelves are full of the works of Tom Peters, Peter Drucker & Co, I don't read about time management, searching for excellence, power or decision making. It all seems just like common sense with flashing neon lights around it, they might as well be saying "And don't forget to breathe!". Like all these things, I'm sure it will be in fashion for a while and then there will be reports about how it didn't work too well at XYZ Corp and then a new craze will arrive and so ROWE will crawl off to that smoking room reserved for expired management tools to die quietly.

But I do like this idea, it certainly fits well with my own management philosophy, style if you like. The nine-to-five idea really is very old fashioned and utterly pointless in any business except those requiring you to be at a certain place during "opening hours". Much of what I have to do can be done, and is done, at strange times - early mornings, late evenings, weekends, whatever fits with the rest of my life and does not impact client service - and I think being given the ability to do this does move a step closer to a more humane work-life balance.

I've worked very much in this way years ago back in the UK when I was living there but responsible for loads of places around Europe/Middle East. Which office I was in, or even if I was in an office at all, was irrelevant and so my home became the office. I found this worked well, especially when dealing with all the time zones meant my 'clients' business days spanned almost the entire 24hrs of my day! Everything got done as well, if not better, than it would if I had slogged my way from Guildford to Uxbridge every day. However, where this method falls down is with the lack of "face-time" with colleagues and particularly with superiors. Sadly, many superiors have a tendency to believe that if they don't see you around then you're obviously not working hard enough, despite what results may be being delivered. The results are obviously a happy accident, not the fruit of any hard work on your part.

My time at Marks & Spencer was what truly brought this home to me. I was there for four years. The first couple of years I concentrated on trying to get the job done and was spending most of my time "at the coal face". This was wholeheartedly not appreciated, to the point that my annual review was not altogether complimentary, especially as regards my apparent desire to put service ahead of process. I changed my tack midway in my career there and decided to try doing all the things everyone else was doing. This involved four very important points;

1. Get into Baker Street office at about 07:00 and sit around having coffee with people.
2. Play golf
3. Join the Masons
4. Spend most of my time doing paperwork

For a laugh I did all four. The golf was actually a great idea and I thank them for that. The Masons lasted a year or so until I found I just couldn't roll up my trouser leg any more without laughing my head off. I'm still waiting for my tongue to be cut out and left on a beach at low tide, or whatever the punishment is supposed to be for leaving! The 07:00 start was tough, especially as I lived in St Albans at the time, but I managed it and the paperwork was dull, dull, dull. But guess what? My next review was glowing, I had transformed myself from zero to hero in just 12 months. Now all I had to do was wait for an entire management structure to get old and die and perhaps there might be a promotion in it!

M&S was extreme, but this attitude of doing the right things as opposed to doing the job well is still there today and that is why I would welcome a global outbreak of ROWE fever. Focus on results, not on what time people get into or leave the office. We all know the games that are played. Get in the office on time, be seen, then go out for a coffee with your mates, bugger around on the internet, long lunch, dentist appointment and before you know it you've been seen as doing a good job but not actually done any productive work.

This Telegraph article pretty much hits the nail on the head for me.

"We're still locked into a 1930s mind set," says Ressler.

"In the US, we owe the 40-hour working week to the Fair Labor Standards [Act] of 1938. The idea was to make [working practices] uniform back when companies had too much control over workers' lives. But somehow the 40-hour working week morphed into the gold standard for competency, efficiency and effectiveness."

And if you think ROWE sounds New-Agey, think again.

"We've cleared out some teams completely," says Ressler. "ROWE is performance orientated. Anyone not delivering is weeded out of the system."

I'm not sure the break-loving, clock-watching Europeans will want to jump on this bandwagon. For some, showing up at work and looking at Facebook all day is a holiday. Why rock the boat?

I'll just make one comment on that last quote there. Just because most Americans have chosen an obscene system of two weeks annual holiday and a high pressure work environment does not mean that we Europeans are lazy, break-loving, clock-watching SOBs. Many of us happen to be just as hard working and roughly twice as effective as our friends across the Atlantic. So, I like your idea but lets not start insulting each other, okay! :)