One dreary Friday morning, in an office nearby…
Lee: Hey, Ruby, I hate to do this last-minute, but I’m sort of lending you to Odette’s team today. And maybe Monday. But probably not past Tuesday. Or Wednesday at the latest.
Ruby: …why do you hate me?
Across town, in an equally dreary office, a phone rings…
Ginger: Good morning, this is Ginger.
Jerry: Ginger, hi, this is Jerry – I heard you’re pretty good with PowerPoint.
Ginger: Hi Jerry, um…yes, I can work pretty well in PowerPoint. Are you having trouble with something in particular?
Jerry: I’m going to send you something, it’s just, I have the information and I need to put it into a graph, but it might work better in a chart. There’s a lot of information and I need to keep it under five slides.
Ginger: Okay, well, you can send it to me and I’ll work on it now. I have some time.
Jerry: Yeah, I’m going to send you this, but I want to make sure I have it all set for you.
Ginger: That makes sense. Send it when you’re ready. I’ll be here all day today.
Jerry: Okay, I just need to get a few more lines on here and then I’ll send you this.
Ginger: Okay. Sounds good.
In our first office of dreariness…
Odette: Please may I ask that you update the team’s status report presentation to reflect everything that you’re working on so that I can better determine who has capacity to take on new work.
Ruby: Do you mean the spreadsheet?
Odette: Oh, yes, the spreadsheet that I will then read to create the presentation.
Ruby: Will do. Anything else?
Odette: Please may I ask you help Terry with his project?
Ruby: What help does he need?
Odette: I’m not sure, but his manager said he needed some guidance. Please may I ask that you go talk to him about it.
Ruby: Is this more urgent than everything else I’m working on or maybe just everything except that one thing that we need sooner-than-yesterday?
Odette: Just fit it in and let me know if it’ll cause any problems once you talk to Terry.
Ruby: Will do.
In the other office of equal drearidom…
Ginger: Good morning, this is – oh, hi, Jerry.
Jerry: Ginger, glad I caught you. I’m just about to send you these slides, but I wanted to make sure you still have time today.
Ginger: Um…yeah, I just finished up a separate project as you called, so, yeah. Send the email and I can get to work on it. When did you need it back?
Jerry: Well, the meeting is next Friday, so I was hoping I could send this to you today and then you could see what you can do and then get it back to me by, oh, I don’t know…Monday or Tuesday?
Ginger: Absolutely. That gives me plenty of time. Send it on over.
Jerry: Great. I’m going to send this to you and if you could just look it over and call me if something doesn’t make sense. I want to make sure you have what you need.
Ginger: That’s fine. Whenever you put it in the email and shoot it my way…I’m ready…
Jerry: That’s what I like to hear. Okay, I’m going to send this to you. Should be in your inbox in a few minutes.
Ginger: Okie dokie…I’m here…whenever…
Jerry: All rightie.
Ginger: …so you sent it?
Jerry: Hmm? Oh, not yet, exactly, I was just looking it over – I’m going to send it to you, though.
Ginger: …should I…go to lunch or…?
…Dreary Office, The First…
Odette: Please may I ask you to give me a status update on the thing we need sooner-than-yesterday?
Ruby: There are no major problems, but it is going to take another week to finish.
Odette: I need to report on it to the CEO. Please may I ask you to write a presentation on how it’s going.
Ruby: Would you like the thing to take a week and a day with a presentation or take just a week?
Odette: Maybe you could ask Kate to write the presentation or help you?
Ruby: She knows nothing about the project.
Odette: Never mind then.
Ruby: Will do.
…Dreary Office, The Second…
Ginger: Good afternoon, Jerry, how was lunch?
Jerry: Hi, Ginger, lunch was good, we had a potluck thing here for Annie’s retirement…
Ginger: I don’t know Annie. But congrats to her. I’m looking for your email, but I don’t seem to see it…did I accidentally delete it or…?
Jerry: Yeah, sorry, I didn’t get to send it yet. But I’m going to send you this, and I cannot apologize enough for the delay – do you think you’ll be able to work on it today?
Ginger: Have you sent it yet?
Jerry: I’m going to send it right now…
Ginger: …like, right now or…just…nowish?
Jerry: …um…
Ginger: I can wait.
Jerry: Right…okay, you should have it…now, all I need is—
Ginger: The formatting is done now – you wanted it all in the same style, I’m assuming?
Jerry: …uh…yes…how did you—
Ginger: I’m moving the data from slide 4 to slide 3 and reducing the font size and putting it into a table. It’ll still be readable, and with the color scheme I chose, the important bits will stand out a bit more. You wanted lines 6, 7 and 8 to pop, right?
Jerry: …well, yeah, but…I couldn’t—
Ginger: I’m also going to make the page numbers automatic and the title of each slide consistent so the audience isn’t twitching every time a new slide pops up, is that a deal?
Jerry: I tried to…um…where did you learn—
Ginger: Okay, it’s down to four slides, two have charts and one has a table and I’m going to send this to you…just…
Jerry: …just?
Ginger: Yeah. I’m going to send this to you…just…as soon…as…
…Drearily, we return to office one…
Ruby: Hi, Terry, I heard you need some help?
Terry: I do?
Ruby: That’s what I heard.
Terry: I’ve got the meeting under control.
Ruby: It was about your project?
Terry: Oh, right, that!
Ruby: What do you need?
Terry: Please may I ask you to review this document and help me fix up the colors and fonts?
Ruby: That’s all you need?
Terry: Well, maybe the headers and footers too.
Ruby: Will do.
…Drearily, we return to office two…
Jerry: …just…as soon as…I…learn…my…?
Ginger: Wow, the Force is strong with this one…
Jerry: What?
Ginger: Just as soon as you learn your…c’mon, buddy, it’s not that difficult a conclusion…
Jerry: …ABC’s?
Ginger: …yes. Here.
Jerry: Okay, I just got it and…wow. You’re…really good… This looks amazing.
Ginger: Yeah. Next time, just send it to me.
Jerry: I will. How did you even know which lines needed to stand out?
Ginger: I wasn’t always an office lackey. I speak many languages. Kaithanxbai!
Jerry: What? Oh. Bye…
Ginger: sigh.
…one last time…to the first office, we drearily trudge…
Ruby: Hello, this is Ruby—oh, Ginger, I’m so glad it’s you…
Ginger: How’s your day? Because mine was on pins and…………
Ruby: …other stabby items?
Ginger: Obviously. Can I come over tonight?
Ruby: Please may I ask you to show up at my house after work today with wine and chocolate?
Ginger: Not if you ask that way.
Ruby: Sorry… I can’t think where I’ve heard that, but for some reason it just slipped out. WINE. CHOCOLATE. TODAY.
Ginger: I’m going to bring this to you.
Ruby: Do not lie to me.
Ginger: WHY WOULD I LIE ABOUT WINE AND CHOCOLATE?!