Things Were Going Great Until I Lost My Pants

Wait, that doesn't sound right. It's true - I did lose my pants, but they weren't on me at the time.

That sounds even worse. Let me start at the beginning. Of course, it involves printing.

Being consumed with print has its shortcomings; I'm the poster child for that. If I weren't so caught up in our upcoming Print Buyers Conference, the pants in question would be hanging in my closet, instead of…well, that's the point - who knows where they are?

My obsession with print and the buying thereof has led to a pair of lost trousers, and it's so ridiculous, I needed to stop, take a long breath, and, frankly, get a grip.

I suffer from perfectionism, which is sometimes a stairway to Hell. Because as much as you (or I) take care to do things right, things will go wrong. With luck, they will be little things, like losing pants.

A Smooth Ride to the Finish Line. Or So I Thought.
I felt confident that we had crossed every T and dotted every last I for this Conference - we being me and the rest of Team PBI - Ken Hablow and Barbara Graham, primarily. Plus writers Melody Howard Ritt and Jonathan Kranz, and graphic designer Linda Powers.

Then about 10 days ago, things started to happen.

My months-old BlackBerry up and died on me. Had I backed up my Calendar? Of course not. I spent hours at the Verizon Wireless store, hoping they could salvage data. No luck. I now have a new one and am still recreating my Calendar. For all I know, I am missing an appointment right now. I also bought a pocket-size paper calendar. (Long live print!)

Count down to Conference: one week. Okay, everything's looking good.

My laptop becomes infected with several nasty viruses, Trojan and otherwise. Of course, I need it for my presentations at the show. So my computer guy Paul Bloom came over, took one look at my pained expression, and hauled the laptop away, promising to clean it up overnight.

Surprises continued. Several people whom we'd counted on to work the show had to cancel at the 11th hour. I contacted several associates who might help us out, and God love them, they came through (and continue to do so).

Lookin' Good? Not.
In very last place on my to-do list was my wardrobe. What would I wear at the Sheraton for three days (that I haven't worn to death already)? To make purchases easier, I carried some of my outfits, including said pants, to Bloomingdales, so I could find pieces to wear with them. After this short shopping trip, I carted my clothes back out to the car and home again.

Somewhere between the store and my house, the pants took a Dixie. They went AWOL on me, and I felt sure a few of my marbles were lost alongside the pants.

The saleswoman couldn't find them, either. So I approached the elderly woman staffing the Mall Information Desk. "Excuse me," I began, "this probably sounds crazy, but did anyone turn in a pair of pants to your Lost & Found Department?" She looked at me five seconds longer than necessary before scooting backwards in her chair (to put some distance between us) and said sweetly, "Noooooo, we have car keys and three pairs of eyeglasses. But no pants."

All I can figure out is that these lovely and pricey steel-blue satin pants slipped off the hanger, out of the open-ended garment bag, onto the ground or an escalator or, who knows? With my mind focused on the Conference, I never noticed.

There was nothing I could do but laugh and let it all go.

A succession of irritating surprises can sure blow things out of proportion. I forced myself to move on, past the pants and the sick laptop and dead PDA. Things always work out even though they might not be perfect. More important, no one close to me is suffering from major health problems, and my son's first day in 8th grade came and went just fine. He seems to have survived back-to-back-to-back bouts of strep throat (yes, three) in late August.

Signing off until September 22nd, with a new Print Tip, is this Calamity Jane of a columnist. Stop by the show this week and say hi. You'll know me - I'll be the one not wearing blue pants.

Comments? Talk to me at mdana@bostonprintbuyers.com.

©2008 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues: please do! However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

Print Buyer Conference Update

September 11th - 12th, 2008

Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, MA

In the morning, in the evening, ain't we got fun?

When attendees aren't in session, there will be fun aplenty. To wit:

• Handwriting Expert Sarah Holmes, Thursday between 10 am and 7 pm, near Booth #14 (Courtesy of Xerox Premier Partners Global Print Network)

• Rumor has it one Exhibitor is having a juggler

• And another, a masseuse! (Sign me up, please.)

• Cocktail Party in the Exhibit Hall on 9/11 from 5 to 7

• Print Trivia Contest with Frank Romano on 9/12 in the Exhibit Hall at 3:45

• Get your Floor Plan stamped at EVERY booth and win prizes!

• Exhibit Hall hours are 10 - 7 on Thursday and 10 - 5 on Friday.

You can register at the event, so come on over to the Sheraton Boston Hotel this week and join us! www.printbuyersconference.com.

About Last Week

Got lots of feedback after my Tip on small stationery orders: Thanks!

• Mark Hoffman of WGBH in Boston reminded me to tell you all to be sure your thermographed pieces are laser compatible - if they will indeed be run through your laser printer. My husband's stationery will not, so I neglected to mention this. Ask your printer to be sure. Laser printers and photocopiers can get hot, which might cause problems.

• - David Elovich of Cascades Paper sent me a lovely handwritten note on HIS personal stationery, thanking me for the column and warning me that personalized stationery "is a dying communication tool." Let's prove him wrong. Order yourself and your loved ones some stationery today. :)

• The link in the Tip to Matheson Higgins Congress Press didn't work. Our bad. Visit them at www.mhcp.com.

NEW Print Buyer Poll

Buyers, newer media are giving print a run for its money. With that in mind, which statement rings true for you?

• My role as a buyer is not likely to change much in the next few years.

• My role as a buyer will change a lot in the next few years.

• I haven't given any thought whatsoever to this subject.

• I don't plan to stay in this field to find out.

Cast your vote on our home page at www.bostonprintbuyers.com.

Print Tips Archives!

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