8 March 2002

So, one of the managers came into my office yesterday and said, "I just want to clarify something with you... Are you really working full time on Project A? Because your manager has you listed as only having 40 hours every two weeks."

"I don't have any other projects," I told him.

"But are you really working full time on Project A?"

The truth, gentle readers, as you well know, is that I've barely been working at all. But I'm not about to admit that to a manager. We went in circles for a while, with my point being that if I only had one project, then I must be on it full time. It took him some time to assimilate that.

Finally, he realized what my point of confusion was, and explained: There's a different charge number to use for twiddling one's thumbs, as Project A is on a very limited budget, and they don't want us charging any more time to it than we have to. So apparently Upstairs knows I don't have enough work to keep me occupied, and has made allowances for it.

I agreed to go back to my time card, cross out everything I'd filled in over the past two weeks, and charge half my time to Project A, and half my time to Thumb Twiddling.

Then the manager turned to Mike, and began the exact same conversation over again.

I'm crushed. Being polite didn't pay off. I wrote the artists who had created the original pieces that I'd adapted to for use with Dawn and Dusk and asked for permission to use the modified art. All the other pictures on that site, the ones that aren't in the public domain, I have permission for.

I haven't heard yet from the artist who drew the Dusk picture, though her website provides very clear and detailed instructions on submitting requests, so I have hopes that she won't think the changes I made were too extreme, and will grant permission.

But the artist of the Dawn picture wrote back within hours to say that it had been a commissioned piece, and the owner of the original character would not give permission for it to be modified or used, and so he regretfully declined permission for me to use it. I was crushed - of the two, the Dawn picture is my favorite - the pose is just perfect. Alas.

So if you're at all curious, go look now, because I'm going to have to take it down when I get home from work tonight. Waaaaaah!

I guess I'll spend some of today looking for more pictures...

--Liz