Comic Genesis Forums

dude, i'm offline for four days and i come back to this 'bitter end' hogwash? has no one ever heard of adversity? just because we're getting less of a furry fix by no means says to me that ralph is hanging up his hat any time soon! but it sounds to me like a bunch of doom-and-gloom pessimists have taken what one hopes to be a temporary setback and forcast the end of the world with it. have a little hope, people! the word for the day is 'optimism'. rhj's boss has cracked down on the way employees use their 'down' time. that will last about as long as it takes for a creative soul to find a solution. my thought? pick up some business books. i'd suggest anthony robbins, 'the one minute manager', anything you find in the bookstore under 'personal development--'who moved my cheese?' is another good one. start reading those on the job, and when you're challenged for 'wasting company time', return fire with the fact that what you're reading is job-related. there are many fine self-help books on customer service. now, while many of these books are dull, some are quite interesting (i kind of liked the one minute manager), and no one can fault you for reading them on the job. it shows initiative and all sorts of other things bosses of great big and medium sized corporations like to talk about in staff meetings. say things like, "i'm trying to optimize my potential and realize my goals." once that door is opened, you can slowly add other pursuits, like writing, making chain mail, or embroidery. it's a slippery slope, and management very rarely disciplines people for trying to improve themselves. keep away from controversial stuff, tho. as tempting (and actually workable at first) as it may be to bring in a bible, which many consider to be the ulitmates self-help book, that risks bringing down a furor that results in a documented list of 'acceptable' pursuits, and documentation is the enemy of original thought...

geo, who is happy to work for a company that actually takes steps daily to make it easier for her to do actual work...

Those are some good ones. Another group which is good is the set of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" books - in addition, these give you options for leaving the rats behind.

Personally, though I'm reading those, I'm not looking to get out - I like what I'm doing now, and the benefits are well worth the time I put in. I'm still reading (and using!) the RDPD books, though, because I want to be in the position to work because I want to, not because I have to.

In short: don't despair, find options! Or as a friend put it to me: "Don't like squeezing lemons? When life hands you lemons, don't make lemonade - sell a lemonade franchise to someone else!"

Hi, George -

Sorry you feel that way about the origin of various phrases....I think the topic is fascinating! Like the term, "playing 'fast and loose'" which has it's origin....

Oh, that's right....we aren't doing that....

J (contrite) T

i wasn't talking about the origin of phrases business. i often find that fascinating...i was talking about the sudden descent into melancholy vaguely reminiscent of the last day of my senior year of high school...though i want to support rhj, and let him know not to despair, i was disturbed to see so many people responding to the situation as if this meant the impending and unavoidable demise of the comic, as if this community were going to lose its point of interaction. i was a little bothered to see so many folks immediately assume the worst. and additionally, i'd love to hear where the term "fast and loose" came from, if it's appropriate for our more sensitive viewers and those members of the audience with epilepsy, heart conditions, or who are pregnant, nursing, or less than four feet tall...

geo

Oh. Gotcha, George. I think we're all on the same page as you, it's just that some have different ways of expressing the unity for Ralph.

As for the phrase, "playing 'fast and loose'":

Both the words "fast" and "loose" are terms used in archery, dating back to the Middle Ages; when the "provost of the game" or "lead bowman" used these terms as commands, they were meant to be <i>strictly obeyed</i> - "FAST!!" was short for "hold fast" - in other words, "DON'T SHOOT!!" And, even today, the word "loose" as pertaining to archery means to "release the string" or "SHOOT!!" So, if someone's "playing 'fast and loose'", they're literally "shooting after they've been plainly told not to." The modern interpretation of the phrase indicates simple cheating, not the original meaning of defiant disobedience of a direct order.

J (Still more useless trivia) T