While feeling warm and fuzzy listening to Blake gush over Dia Frampton during the finale of The Voice, I realized that I did in fact like the show. And I liked it because of the apparent emotional connections forged between the coaches and their wanna-be stars. I recognized the blatant manipulation on the part of the show's creators, but watching others be nurtured is just so darn enjoyable.
Although the dancers in So You Think You Can Dance aren't assigned coaches, they are guided each week by choreographers. Magic really does happen when the choreographer is inspired by her dancers and the dancers are pushed by the choreographer. Last night I felt that ever so pleasurable tug on my heart watching Mark and Melanie make that magic happen through Napolean and Tabitha's movement.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Feeling awake
After writing about my discomfort with Jonathan Franzen's books, I happened to hear a remark by David Lipsky when being interviewed about time spent with David Foster Wallace. Referring to a comment in an article, Lipsky talked about how "awake" he felt after reading Wallace. Unlike more entertaining fare, Wallace's writings require work to grasp, but the fact that Lipsky felt smarter after reading Wallace made him feel the effort was worthwhile.
Hearing the comment made me wonder if part of the anxiety I feel when reading Franzen comes out of that feeling of wakefulness. Certainly that's not the case when I slip into Jack Reacher's world. Page turners pull me into a dream world that separates me from any real concerns I may have.
I guess after The Corrections must come Wallace's Infinite Jest, that is unless I get my hands on George Martin's A Song of Fire series before then. No matter how much I value being feeling awake, I'm a sucker for warrior women who choose baby dragons as a fashion accessory.
Hearing the comment made me wonder if part of the anxiety I feel when reading Franzen comes out of that feeling of wakefulness. Certainly that's not the case when I slip into Jack Reacher's world. Page turners pull me into a dream world that separates me from any real concerns I may have.
I guess after The Corrections must come Wallace's Infinite Jest, that is unless I get my hands on George Martin's A Song of Fire series before then. No matter how much I value being feeling awake, I'm a sucker for warrior women who choose baby dragons as a fashion accessory.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Jack Reacher invites Jonathan Franzen to dinner
After finishing Lee Child's Worth Dying For, I picked up The Corrections. It's hard to believe that both books can inhabit the same bookstore let alone end up as best sellers. Needless to say, reading the two is a very different experience. When I read a Reacher novel, I'm asking myself: Who is this man? Did Dexter have another brother? (Prompted by my husband) Doesn't he ever change his underwear? In spite of the impossibility of Reacher and the mind-numbing amount of violence, I typically can't put the books down. I have to find out how Reacher is going to extricate himself from yet another hellish situation.
When I visit Franzen's fictional worlds, I also feel as if I'm visiting some kind of hell but for a very a very different reason. Whereas Reacher is someone who I've never known and will never know, I feel uncomfortably close to Franzen's characters. They all seem to intersect my own world in odd ways. In fact, I hate to say it but I often see myself in all their self-loathing glory whether it's the nice, liberal couple in St. Paul or the professor who hopes to teach his students how to read all the texts produced by corporate America.
The Corrections will certainly take me longer to finish than Worth Dying For and it's not because of it complexity. It's because I can only take the character's self loathing (and by extension my own self loathing) in limited doses.
During my current break, I'm just imagining how Jack Reacher would handle Christmas in St. Jude with the Lamberts. A conversation between Chip and Jack would be priceless.
When I visit Franzen's fictional worlds, I also feel as if I'm visiting some kind of hell but for a very a very different reason. Whereas Reacher is someone who I've never known and will never know, I feel uncomfortably close to Franzen's characters. They all seem to intersect my own world in odd ways. In fact, I hate to say it but I often see myself in all their self-loathing glory whether it's the nice, liberal couple in St. Paul or the professor who hopes to teach his students how to read all the texts produced by corporate America.
The Corrections will certainly take me longer to finish than Worth Dying For and it's not because of it complexity. It's because I can only take the character's self loathing (and by extension my own self loathing) in limited doses.
During my current break, I'm just imagining how Jack Reacher would handle Christmas in St. Jude with the Lamberts. A conversation between Chip and Jack would be priceless.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Show about those old guys
A few weeks ago my son saw Ray Romano on The Office and asked, "Isn't he on that show about those old guys?" It took me a minute to realize that he was talking about Men of a Certain Age. The delay in catching his drift was due to a couple of reasons. First and foremost, people in their 40s and 50s do not seem old to someone closer to 50 than 40. Second, Men of a Certain Age is about so much more than three old guys. Watching the season premiere last night reminded of all the reasons why it's on my list of favorites.
Among my favorite moments in the season premiere: 1) Seeing Joe in the opening scene hungrier for conversation with his buddies than he was for breakfast. 2) Seeing Joe finally satisfy that hunger in the closing scene 3) Noting how hopeful the 2 toothbrushes positioned in the same water glass was for Terry 4) Learning his "girlfriend" was also struck by how meaningful those toothbrushes were 5) Learning that Owen wouldn't give up the dealership and 6) Seeing that the connection between Joe's bookie and the stripper really was there.
I can't wait to see what the season has in store for the old guys.
Among my favorite moments in the season premiere: 1) Seeing Joe in the opening scene hungrier for conversation with his buddies than he was for breakfast. 2) Seeing Joe finally satisfy that hunger in the closing scene 3) Noting how hopeful the 2 toothbrushes positioned in the same water glass was for Terry 4) Learning his "girlfriend" was also struck by how meaningful those toothbrushes were 5) Learning that Owen wouldn't give up the dealership and 6) Seeing that the connection between Joe's bookie and the stripper really was there.
I can't wait to see what the season has in store for the old guys.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
If I had a daughter
In today's NYT Week in Review, Frank Rich locates the reasons for the box-office success of the Coen brothers' True Grit in the audience's nostalgia for a time when black and white hats could be easily distinguished from one another and the Law prevails. He sees the western as an antidote to the murky gray of the less commercially successful Social Network whose technologically gray landscape he likens to the pre-civilized Wild West.
Rich offers a fairly standard reading of the western and I won't argue against it. However, it doesn't account for the pleasure I took in TG. In fact, it wasn't until after I saw the movie Winter's Bone and finished the novel Anthropology of an American Girl a few days later that I realized why I so thoroughly enjoyed both movies. At the heart of each are fierce, smart, and resourceful young woman who embark on quests through lawless worlds in an attempt to restore order. Unlike the more conventional narrative thread of Anthropology and so many other texts for and about teenage girls, TG and WB tell coming-of-age stories for girls that do not hinge on the girls' sexuality. Mattie and Ree certainly endure much during their brutal journeys. Both girls see and experience violence that I wouldn't wish on any teenage girl or boy, but for me the fact that their pain wasn't based in a vicious rape or a broken heart made the stories more powerful for me. I found it inspiring to watch the two gritty girls overcome obstacles that didn't originate in their sexuality. As happy as I am parenting my almost 11 yr old son, I regretted not having a teenage daughter by my side while watching both movies.
If I had a daughter, we could admire the determination of Mattie and Ree to do what they thought was right. In watching the two fatherless girls saddled with passive, helpless mothers remain constant in their respective quests for justice, I'd want her to realize that she was blessed with an inner strength that didn't require the passionate embrace of a sparkly blood sucker to activate. She would see the loss that comes in giving up childish things and assuming her place in an adult world with all its violence and pain, but that loss wouldn't be sexualized. I'll need to think more about why this difference matters to me but it does. All I know is that I can't wait for Katniss Everdeen to make her way to the silver screen.
Rich offers a fairly standard reading of the western and I won't argue against it. However, it doesn't account for the pleasure I took in TG. In fact, it wasn't until after I saw the movie Winter's Bone and finished the novel Anthropology of an American Girl a few days later that I realized why I so thoroughly enjoyed both movies. At the heart of each are fierce, smart, and resourceful young woman who embark on quests through lawless worlds in an attempt to restore order. Unlike the more conventional narrative thread of Anthropology and so many other texts for and about teenage girls, TG and WB tell coming-of-age stories for girls that do not hinge on the girls' sexuality. Mattie and Ree certainly endure much during their brutal journeys. Both girls see and experience violence that I wouldn't wish on any teenage girl or boy, but for me the fact that their pain wasn't based in a vicious rape or a broken heart made the stories more powerful for me. I found it inspiring to watch the two gritty girls overcome obstacles that didn't originate in their sexuality. As happy as I am parenting my almost 11 yr old son, I regretted not having a teenage daughter by my side while watching both movies.
If I had a daughter, we could admire the determination of Mattie and Ree to do what they thought was right. In watching the two fatherless girls saddled with passive, helpless mothers remain constant in their respective quests for justice, I'd want her to realize that she was blessed with an inner strength that didn't require the passionate embrace of a sparkly blood sucker to activate. She would see the loss that comes in giving up childish things and assuming her place in an adult world with all its violence and pain, but that loss wouldn't be sexualized. I'll need to think more about why this difference matters to me but it does. All I know is that I can't wait for Katniss Everdeen to make her way to the silver screen.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Repulsive Fly in Red Shoes
It's approaching midnight and I am being kept awake by visions of Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis dancing in my head. I can't remember the last time that I had such a visceral reaction to a movie. Perhaps it's because I spent just enough time worrying that I could never dance as well as the bunheads who had spent years in a studio. Maybe it's because I've thrilled to watch the scale dip below 100. Or it could stem from the years I spent writing about femmes fatales in graduate school. But, whatever the reason, I felt every torn cuticle, every bloody scratch, every thrust of the nail file, every kiss, every disappointment, and every thrill that Nina experienced. Repulsed, fascinated, and excited, I couldn't keep my eyes on or take my eyes off of Nina while she disintegrated on screen.
It should come as no surprise that I'd be entranced by ballet noir. I had been anticipating the movie for months. But what did surprise me about my reaction to the movie is what went through my mind during her final breakdown(or should I say triumph?) Like any normal audience member, my stomach dropped when she fell on her ass during the opening pas de deux and I was even more shocked when she attacked her doppelganger. However, when she dragged her bloody doppelganger into the bathroom and tapped into her inner black swan, my heart soared. I thought to myself, You go evil femme fatale and dance that fallen ass off. I thrilled to see her embody the black swan. I loved it when she pulled the ballet director into a steamy kiss. And as she fell to her death in the finale, I realized that at the moment I firmly believed that such a moment of sublimity is worth the price.
Why should such a cautious woman as myself think such a thing?
It should come as no surprise that I'd be entranced by ballet noir. I had been anticipating the movie for months. But what did surprise me about my reaction to the movie is what went through my mind during her final breakdown(or should I say triumph?) Like any normal audience member, my stomach dropped when she fell on her ass during the opening pas de deux and I was even more shocked when she attacked her doppelganger. However, when she dragged her bloody doppelganger into the bathroom and tapped into her inner black swan, my heart soared. I thought to myself, You go evil femme fatale and dance that fallen ass off. I thrilled to see her embody the black swan. I loved it when she pulled the ballet director into a steamy kiss. And as she fell to her death in the finale, I realized that at the moment I firmly believed that such a moment of sublimity is worth the price.
Why should such a cautious woman as myself think such a thing?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
In the Field
The successful sale and onboarding of a new client to a payroll management company requires teamwork between the Sales and Operations(i.e., Enrollment, Implementation, Client Services) teams. On the Sales side, sales representatives build relationships with bankers who then refer potential customers to them. The sales representative works with customers to find solutions that meets their payroll needs. Once a sale has been made, the sales representative works with the customer to complete a complicated packet of documents called an enrollment kit. On the Operations side, the Enrollment team ensures that the packet is complete. If anything is “pending,” they working with both Sales and the customer until the kit is complete. Implementation works with the customer until their first payroll has been processed at which point Client Services assumes responsibility for the ongoing management of the customers’ payrolls.
Because Sales and Operations are charged with managing different parts of the customer experience, their priorities can diverge causing misunderstandings between team members. Although both teams understand that the customers’ needs are the top priority, their measures for success and the nature of their work environments are very different. Sales representatives work independently. Their compensation depends on whether they make a sale. Simply put, “You sell, you stay. You don’t sell, you go.”
In contrast, Operations work in a highly structured environment where they are expected to satisfy the client while respecting fairly rigid payroll procedures. Their performance, including any interactions with clients, is closely monitored. Their success criteria are more complex than that of the sales representative.
The differences in the day-to-day lives of Sales and Operations team members can create a gulf between the two teams. When a relationship with a customer is damaged, fingers often get pointed across the divide. Building trust between Sales and Operations will help bridge the gap between the two teams. The closer the two teams become, the higher the likelihood that the customer will have a smooth and pleasant experience with the company.
The HIVE (Highly Interactive Virtually Environment) “In the Field” is designed the help reduce misunderstandings between Sales and Operations by building awareness in Operations of the challenges and motivations faced by Sales on the job. The HIVE is not aimed to teach a team member how to be a sales representative. No explicit technical knowledge is required to complete the tasks. Rather, the HIVE is designed to bring the Operations team member “into the field” so that they can experience the frustrations and satisfactions of a sales representative.
The players’ success in the HIVE will be measured in the same way that the success of Sales is measured: Making the sale. If they can build a relationship with the banker, convince the customer of the value of the payroll product, and manage the customer through the enrollment kit process, they will succeed. These three key points in the sales process will be marked in the HIVE by a specific interaction. If the player fails to successfully navigate their way through each interaction, they will lose the game.
The first version of “In the Field” will be treated as a prototype. If the players react favorably to the game in an online survey, I will include more sophisticated visuals, interactions and reward mechanisms (e.g, different levels of increasing difficulty, a more sophisticated scoring mechanism). Future iterations of the HIVE will include, “In the Call Center” aimed at Sales Rep and a more immersive version of “In the Field” designed to simulate the sales process for new members of the Sales team.
See Storyboard DRAFT HERE.
Because Sales and Operations are charged with managing different parts of the customer experience, their priorities can diverge causing misunderstandings between team members. Although both teams understand that the customers’ needs are the top priority, their measures for success and the nature of their work environments are very different. Sales representatives work independently. Their compensation depends on whether they make a sale. Simply put, “You sell, you stay. You don’t sell, you go.”
In contrast, Operations work in a highly structured environment where they are expected to satisfy the client while respecting fairly rigid payroll procedures. Their performance, including any interactions with clients, is closely monitored. Their success criteria are more complex than that of the sales representative.
The differences in the day-to-day lives of Sales and Operations team members can create a gulf between the two teams. When a relationship with a customer is damaged, fingers often get pointed across the divide. Building trust between Sales and Operations will help bridge the gap between the two teams. The closer the two teams become, the higher the likelihood that the customer will have a smooth and pleasant experience with the company.
The HIVE (Highly Interactive Virtually Environment) “In the Field” is designed the help reduce misunderstandings between Sales and Operations by building awareness in Operations of the challenges and motivations faced by Sales on the job. The HIVE is not aimed to teach a team member how to be a sales representative. No explicit technical knowledge is required to complete the tasks. Rather, the HIVE is designed to bring the Operations team member “into the field” so that they can experience the frustrations and satisfactions of a sales representative.
The players’ success in the HIVE will be measured in the same way that the success of Sales is measured: Making the sale. If they can build a relationship with the banker, convince the customer of the value of the payroll product, and manage the customer through the enrollment kit process, they will succeed. These three key points in the sales process will be marked in the HIVE by a specific interaction. If the player fails to successfully navigate their way through each interaction, they will lose the game.
The first version of “In the Field” will be treated as a prototype. If the players react favorably to the game in an online survey, I will include more sophisticated visuals, interactions and reward mechanisms (e.g, different levels of increasing difficulty, a more sophisticated scoring mechanism). Future iterations of the HIVE will include, “In the Call Center” aimed at Sales Rep and a more immersive version of “In the Field” designed to simulate the sales process for new members of the Sales team.
See Storyboard DRAFT HERE.
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