Everybody Be Extra Nice to Jackie - Please

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

Last night's snow emergency declaration came at the end of an extremely demanding day for my interim successor at the City of Somerville.

Mayor Joe and his Chief of Staff were down in Washington helping Michelle Obama launch her national initiative to combat childhood obesity (based in part on Shape Up Somerville).  The Mayor's office was already short-staffed to begin with, and Dep/Dir Communications Director Jackie Rossetti is trying to do my old job, her own very substantial job and generally hold down the fort.

Given everything that's going on, she's doing an amazingly well, so cut her some slack on inconsequential typos.  I got the call (on my cell phone as I sat in my new office out here in Needham) and I thought it was extremely professional.  I know I can count on my fellow DSLJers to be  supportive while Jackie -- through no fault of her own -- is required to wear so many different hats.

On a completely different topic, you know how the business world is supposed to be an overwhelmingly PC environment?  Well suddenly I'm in an entirely Mac universe.  I've got some seeeerious adjusting to do.

And finally -- and changing topics once again -- I hope to see many of you at Dracula:
http://www.theatreatfirst.org/shows/dracula/dracula.shtml ;      

Comments

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

You, sir, are a good egg!

And yeah, sometimes busy people screw up.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I sure don't envy anyone having to fill your shoes in that job.

See you at Dracula!

[rmd.livejournal.com]

HEY JACKIE! WELCOME TO THE PARTY.

I still have to get used to yelling "HI JACKIE" at the phone instead of "HI TOM" when I get a snow emergency message.

we'll know she's *really* arrived, tho, when someone does a techno remix of one of her snow emergency messages.

[arrowintwolakes.livejournal.com]

I also thought the phone call was both professional and timely. It just sounded odd without you delivering it. I mean, we have to come up with a new mashup and everything!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I think people were more making statements about missing you, Tom, without thinking about the somewhat snarky and unproductive criticisms they were making.

Also, snow makes people irrationally crazy.

Good luck with the macversion! It gets easier.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I read the comments to the other message and none of them struck me as particularly mean. Were there additional deleted comments?

(If it had been Tom, I think people would have been more likely to tease, since "we know him".)


PS: I'll be there opening night!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I didn't say or intend "mean", but a few of the comments seemed a little more critical than necessary (but not to a great extent). That's all.

I've also been the junior to a director of communications who left leaving me to cover things short handed (twice, in fact), so I am probably over empathizing with the situation Jackie is in :)

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I teased about the December thing! :(

(I didn't get an email warning, nor did (as far as I can tell) somerville@mit.edu. Do we need to keep re-subscribing to the warning list, or do you know if there were glitches in this round of email?)

[no1onthecorner.livejournal.com]

I got the email warning at 6:05 p.m. yesterday, to a gmail account from Somerville Constituent Services, and I didn't do anything special this year to resubscribe.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I didn't get a call or an email. I'm guessing there were some tech problems. I've let 311 know and they didn't know why I didn't get the call.

[ron_newman]

My caller ID said I had a call from 617-628-7669 but there was no voicemail message.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i got a phone call and the email, and both came thru correctly.

So mote it be!

[mjperson.livejournal.com]

As Tom has decreed, so shall it be done. Jackie is to be shown mercy.

Re: So mote it be!

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

*grumble grumble*

(puts down pitchfork)

Thanks, everyone

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

Actually, the REALLY snarky comments weren't here, but in return emails.

But I know Jackie appreciates the empathy.

And, now, on to the next question:

Where's all that ^&*%$## snow we were promised?

Re: Thanks, everyone

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

I've heard a rumor that the worst of it is still inbound, but I never would've expected to be getting rain at all up here. It's like the weather gods got Maryland and Massachusetts mixed up this winter - states beginning with M are all the same, right? ;P

Re: Thanks, everyone

[ron_newman]

I was wondering about that too. They cancelled school (including Harvard Extension tonight) for this?

Edit: I bicycled to Harvard Square for a Cambridge Forum lecture on immigration tonight, only to find it canceled too.

Re: Thanks, everyone

[rmd.livejournal.com]

it looks like we got lucky and the pressure area to the north kept the snow from coming up much past the border of RI. at least, so far.

while a busted snow emergency is annoying, it's probably far less annoying than an actual big storm.

that said, snowfall is picking up a bit here, now. the NWS still thinks we'll start seeing accumulation later this evening.

SNOWPOCALYPSE! EVERYONE GO TO THE LOCAL MARKETS AND PREPARE FOR FRENCH TOAST AND DYSENTERY!

Re: Thanks, everyone

[eustaciavye.livejournal.com]

"SNOWPOCALYPSE! EVERYONE GO TO THE LOCAL MARKETS AND PREPARE FOR FRENCH TOAST AND DYSENTERY!"

This. Is. Beautiful.

Re: Thanks, everyone

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

This big mass out of the north. It will meet up with all this moisture coming out of the Gulf... mix together at high altitudes and cause some snow.

It won't hit us here in Pittsburgh. It will push off and hit Altoona.

Re: Thanks, everyone

[ece-drihten.livejournal.com]

It's down here in DC! You're welcome to as much of it as you'd like.

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

> Well suddenly I'm in an entirely Mac universe.....

Lucky you!