09 July 2001
Farrah Follies
Last week, one of my work colleagues (I've nicknamed her Farrah -- it's a long story; this is the woman who refuses to speak to me in the offce. I'm not kidding. She is "senior" to me, and refuses to speak, apparently practicing some odd office politics. Which is just as well, because I prefer not to associate with idiots. But it's still bizarre) sent out an email asking for help with one of the software products I'm involved in producing and supporting. It was clear by the question that she did not at all understand the methodology of the tool she was trying to use, thus making her question altogether silly. So I spent a couple of paragraphs in the email explaining the methodology in a nutshell and why her question wasn't quite right, copying a London colleague who currently manages the product. The London colleague complimented my "comprehensive response" and repeated the name/contact info of our economist who is expert in this particular area. Farrah then responded to THAT (not to me directly) as follows, verbatim:
Thanks I found it eventually. Here's a philophosy question if you simply use a cost per bb/ high low medium it is not really appropriate to rank as some areas are only hgh cost and have no immediate market so are low cost sales.
And my London colleague's response to the idiocy:You may be missing the point of the [product name omitted]. It is not about after tax economics but about the way the fiscal regime works. How does it respond to any before tax economic situation from the most profitable to the most marginal? It is PURELY a fiscal analysis tool.
I must compliment my London colleague! I couldn't extract anything coherent from that jumbled mess of prose myself. Perhaps because I'm just not a very good student of philophosy. I really miss Mr. Kellas on queries like this.* * * *
I just returned from my first workout since MOVING. It's actually a new gym as well, because the arrangement at work with the other gym expired. Although it's slightly more expensive than the old gym (we were getting an exceptional rate that just couldn't last), it's open 24 hours, has more equipment, and does not have the ridiculous dress code of the old gym. That's right -- a dress code. I always thought it was silly for the old gym to insist on NO muscle shirts (very comfy for upper body weight training) and no bike shorts (not that I wear the ridiculous things, but if people want to wear them, why not?). No more of that. The workout was excellent.
[Posted @ 10:43 PM CST]
