AUSTIN-TATIOUS...

by Tallulah Lastname , Company Clerk:

While the Toronto-rooted members carried on with business as almost usual today at Headquarters, the Company's touring contingent congregated in Austin, their post-Renegade workspace so generously furnished by Stitch Lab.

(Austin postcard mural photo courtesy of Becky Johnson)

The M.S.Co. will be forever grateful to Ms. Leslie Bonnell. Today's meeting in Austin was originally scheduled to take place in a sweltering parking lot until she rescued the itinerant misanthropes. The large, well-lit work tables of the air-conditioned Stitch Lab provide a far better work surface than the filthy hoods of the misanthropes' shitbox cars. Furthermore, Ms. Bonnell and her husband, Ron Marks, wound up housing part of the Company. Their generosity will not be forgotten.

(a clean, well-lighted place)

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Unfortunately, and to the M.S.Co.'s chagrin, not a single illustration was inducted in the Company's collaborative archive this week.

(re-enactment of this week's meeting at Headquarters courtesy of Mel Brooks)

While this is far from the first time the misanthropes have come up empty after a drawing session, it has inspired more agitated harumphing within the ranks than usual. There are those among the misanthropes who objected to this summer's tour for the very reason that it would impede productivity.

And oft-used Company adage

Indeed, the I told you sos have it. Collaboration slows down when the members of the Company are spread out more than usual. Headquarters has to wait for the touring contingent's illustrations in progress to arrive in the mail before they can add their mark and pass it on to the Hindquarters staff in Montréal, and subsequently to the Company's European outposts. Consequently, voting on which completed projects -- are to be inducted into the Archives is also greatly delayed.

But this is of little concern to the So what?'s, who knew this would be the case and consider touring to be more valuable to the M.S.Co.'s evolution than a compulsive bolstering of the Archives.

A busy day at Company Headquarters

There are also those who argue that the irritated misanthropes hold too narrow a definition of productivity. A number of illustrations and projects were initiated this week; many of which may very well reach completion in the coming weeks. Today also saw the completion of four illustrations, which are awaiting judgment, along with a few of last week's finished projects. So perhaps today's labour was not entirely fruitless.

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THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 16
Number completed: 4
Number inducted: 0
Carried over to next week: 10

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