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November 2009 Blog Archive
27 November 2009 Please Stop Raining
The title of my blog has nothing to do with the content, I just thought I would use it to plea to the Gods because it cannot possibly rain anymore then it has over the past two weeks in Manchester.
This week I had to do a lot of wrapping, not Christmas presents as you may expect (in fact, as usual, much to my own annoyance I haven't started buying them yet) but packaging potentially breakable objects to be posted all around the UK. It took 3 days (not continuous but I kept running out of supplies!), 3.5 rolls of standard bubble wrap, one sheet of industrial bubble wrap (with the big bubbles), 1.25 rolls of easy tear clear tape, half a roll of large brown parcel tape, 20m of brown paper, 45 address labels and 15 DHL shipment forms.
(Do not be deceived, although my expertise make them look easy to wrap, they were not!).
So I got thinking about wrapping... I think there are two kinds of people in this world; those who enjoy wrapping and those who don't. You tend to find a perfectionist wrapper will carry this trait into other areas of their lives. For example a friend of mine who recently lined up the stripes on stripy wrapping paper so it was impossible to tell where it fastened together in the milli-seconds before the receiver ripped it apart, also keeps her make-up in a carefully arranged, size-ordered and colour-coded display case. But there is also the other-side of the coin, some will receive a present and take 10 years to unwrap it as to 'keep the paper', it then inevitably never gets used again because these people fall into the 'perfectionist' category and would therefore never re-use a scabby, used piece of wrapping paper. Also how annoying is it to receive a package that is wrapped so 'well' that you can't get into it.
This brings me to the memory of one christmas when I received an electric toothbrush (this must have been circa 2002/3 when they became all the rage until everyone realised it is actually easier to brush your teeth yourself and when they were running out of battery, which was constantly, the slow movement was not actually dentally effective). The toothbrush was packaged so 'well' that, despite months of trying by everyone in my Uni Halls, using every implement known to man, I couldn't actually get into it. It got thrown away mid-March but has always haunted my thoughts. This week I found out there is a medical term for the emotions I experienced during the Christmas of 2003 - 'wrap rage' - " In the US, the term "wrap rage" was coined to describe the frustration of trying to open a rigid plastic "clamshell" - two bits of plastic moulded together around a product"
Those who have experienced 'wrap rage' will be pleased to hear that there is now a movement to stop this kind of packaging and we can all rest easy on Christmas Eve.
Although it has nothing to do with wrapping I wanted to include this picture of anamorphic pavement artist Edgar Mueller receiving his record breaking certificate in London this week.
23 November 2009 How 730 days can fly by...
Its been 2 years this week since I started at Rapport, upon exclamation of this in the office it seems no-one remembers that fateful day back in the winter of 2007. I could take this one of two ways; it has been blocked from peoples memories, as would happen if they were involved in a traumatic event, or I obviously didn't do/say anything too ridiculous that its stuck in the mind. Since I started a lot has happened here in the office (well firstly the office itself has changed the most and been completely renovated):
- Abi moved into a new house complete with remote controlled blinds
- Fi started at Rapport and upped the tea bag and milk usage x 6
- Chris got a new dog (see pic below *)
- Paul's cellar flooded 10 million times
Chris's new puppy poodle, Bella... Awwww!
How we envisage Chris in the years to come
In the outside world:
- America got its first black president
- Michael Jackson died
- Co-Op re-branded and is now posh and expensive
So there you go, not only has it been a remarkable and unforgettable 2 years for Rapport, the whole world has changed in so many ways too.
Chris is currently on a business trip to Shanghai, on the plane on the way there an over 'enthusiastic' air stewardess left him an important message...
The note left on Chris's knee whilst he slept on the plane to Shanghai
13 November 2009 Eat and be Merry...
I have always been an advocator of eating foods that have passed their 'best before' date and as long as it isn't growing mould or turned green it passes my taste test, much to the distaste of certain members of the office (Paul), imagine my joy when this week I was proved right all along (and slight relief that I'm not as weird as people (Paul) make out!), gone off food is Ok to eat!! I have even found an online supermarket, only selling food past its 'best before' date, brilliant! Apparently its all completely legal "Shops are allowed to sell food after its best-before date has passed," says Sam Montell, nutritionist for the Food Standards Agency.We will be all fighting over that gone off Becks in the Rapport fridge before we know it! If you would also like to purchase cheap, gone off food go to this website www.approvedfood.co.uk.
Internet virals have become such a big part of life, hardly a day goes by when a funny YouTube clip does pop into the inbox or a conversation on the latest viral stunt isn't overheard on the Train. This week my friend had to come up with a Christmas viral to send out for work so I had the pleasure of giving up my Friday night to help her come up with ideas. In doing so we came across a lovely Christmas clip I thought I would share with you all.
6 November 2009 Google is the Best!
Topping polls countless times the world over as one of the most recognised and truly amazing brands, Google has been hot topic again this week. Firstly they seem to be upping their game with the infamous 'doodles', as ingenious Doodle designer Dennis Hwang has excelled himself with designs we have all been enjoying in the office, such as Wallace and Gromit to mark the 20th anniversary of "A Grand Day Out" and Cookie Monster and Bert and Ernie to mark the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. Always topical and very creative (Doodles not my blog...), I decided to have a look back and see which ones I think have been the best...
... For Einstein's Birthday
... The birthday of Louis Braille
... Just to spook people
See the full catalogue of Google logos past and present here.
The other reason I am writing about the fantastic Google (and maybe being a tiny bit overly complimentary if I'm honest) is the release of their new feature 'Dashboard'. We all know that web information on us is stored and used to get us to buy things, but now Google are allowing us to access it all. From reading whats stored it seems that those wonderful, clever people at Google are watching, listening to and reading everything we do!! Now I have been toying with the idea of keeping a diary, not full of my deepest thoughts and fears but just one where I write down a sentence or 2 every couple of days on what I have done (only on interesting days obviously). I have even ventured into Paperchase to peruse their options in time for the penning of my Christmas list. My reasoning was that it would be useful to look back over a year and actually be able to remember what I did week by week. Then I heard about dashboard and thought I might not have to do it manually, I'll just let Google record everything and look back on it next year! But is ignorance bliss? Or do you want to know what they know about you?...