…the mice will hold an impromptu Employee of the Month award ceremony
It’s been kinda lonely here at Ring House 2 since the heft of our staff took off to Vancouver for Congress (AKA The Learneds). Acquisitions and Managing Editors Michael Luski and Peter Midgley were the vanguard, jetting off to dewy Van a week ahead of Director Linda Cameron and Sales & Marketing Manager Cathie Crooks. That left yours truly alone with Office Manager Yoko Sekiya, Editorial Administrator Mary Lou Roy, and Student Worker / Logistics Superintendent Tony Buchanan to pilot the HMCS UAP through some pretty placid waters.* Certainly, there were bills to pay, proofs to proof, new titles to market, and books to ship hither & yon; but, due to the utter desolation of our staff complement, this was an uncommonly dreary Wednesday.
My office is certainly a cheerier place now that Tony’s courses are done for the summer; he spends every morning at a nearby desk superintending all sorts of logistical matters (mailings, reviewer comps, changes of address, return to sender mail, etc., etc.) all with pluck and a savoir faire virtually unknown to the youth of today, and afternoons he works at our storage facility in the U of A Bookstore. He has an unhealthy affection for CBC’s Radio Two (the classical music station in these parts), but we’ve grown to accept his idiosyncrasies. It beats the sinking feeling of abandonment I have been coping with since our senior colleagues flew the coop.
So, midmorning, while preparing some marketing collateral for a women’s history conference coming up fast, I stumbled upon an InDesign template for a generic award certificate. This gave me an idea. Why not show Tony how appreciated he is here in our quaint, Victorian-style enclave? that success in publishing depended on people more than books, dedicated people like our Tony Buchanan?
In five minutes I completed the certificate and showed it to Yoko as I framed it in one of our spare plaques. This gave Yoko the notion to wrap a little gift for Tony to present at an award ceremony. I phoned upstairs to Mary Lou who was toiling in the old servant’s quarters on the third storey (AKA the attic). I told her to come down for a special presentation.
In a heartbeat we were all set. I called Tony into the front room. He was wearing one of his tentative, suspicious looks that I’ve come to know well. I prefaced the handing over of the plaque with some congratulatory words, and Yoko presented him with the little gift she’d wrapped, reminding Tony that she’d need the gold ribbon back after the ceremony. I whipped out my camera and captured highlights of the event for posterity.
Congratulations, Tony! You deserve it!
*Designer Alan Brownoff took the day off to climb up on his roof and bask in the miserly sunshine; I think he intended to do some repairs.
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- Employee of the Month certificate
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- Logistics Superintendent Tony Buchanan displays the spoils of hard work.
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- Tony is overwhelmed with emotion when he recognises Yoko’s thoughtful gift.
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- The thoughtful gift…
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- …a staple remover!
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- The fresh pencil (behind Tony’s left ear) was a nice touch—good thinking, Yoko!
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- All UAP staff present—Yoko & Mary Lou (w. Jeff behind camera) celebrate Tony’s achievement.
Filed under: awards, events, haha, news Tagged: | Congress, Employee of the Month, Jeff Carpenter, Mary Lou Roy, staple remover, The Learneds, Tony Buchanan, Yoko Sekiya
This is hilarious. I knew that you guys would get up to no good while we were away. However, I heartily endorse the award and its inaugural recipient. I only wish I’d thought of it! Tony enlivens the office and accomplishes great things, despite the distractions of classical music refrains drifting through the house.
(I do take issue with two items in your report. First, the word “heft” implies weight and ponderousness. Hopefully that was not your intent when referring to your senior colleagues. Second, Ring House 2 is only 90 years old—hardly Victorian!)