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This whole "getting control of my life and spending more time writing" thing isn't working so well , but this time I have a good excuse. (Sadly, I often do.) I spent the last few days of October frantically clearing the decks of work so I could finalize a workshop I would be giving to ca. 60 editors at the United Nations HQ in New York. A total of 5 days of training, since the main building (famed in song and story, and instantly familiar to anyone viewing the New York skyline from the East River) will be undergoing major renovations for the next 5+ years, and there wasn't any large training space available that would have let me train everyone in fewer days.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, I got nailed by some nasty flu bug (who knows which one) that knocked me flat on my ass and left me weak as a kitten and about as capable of standing on two feet for 6 or so hours per day in a too-warm room. Yikes! Two days before the actual workshop, I was actually wondering whether I'd have to call it off at the last minute, but the fever broke and I managed through dint of diligent sleeping to recover enough that I was able to get through the first couple days of training... though it was a very near thing the first day. Today, after day 3, I'm rapidly approaching normal again. Phew! Too exciting an opportunity to miss, and I'm glad I didn't have to miss it.
New York, at least this part of it, is much less intimidating than I'd remembered from my last visit (farther west, in 1991). Much more expensive in some ways (local hotels run upwards of US$300 per night even for low-end ones) and less so in others (food is quite reasonable by big city standards, and I'm eating well). I'm actually staying at the Vanderbilt YMCA on East 47th St. at 2nd Ave., which only runs $95 per night for a room. The room itself is spartan (think "monk's cell"), but it's clean and safe, and if I were actually capable of anything resembling exercise, it includes free access to a great workout space. If I come back again on my own, I'd almost certainly stay here without a second thought.
Nice neighborhood too! The weather's been great, and yesterday I ate my lunch in a small corner parklet (about 40 feet on a side, but trees and a fountain), watching the people stream by. (Sobering to think that New York plus surrounds packs about half of Canada's total population into such a small area.) I've managed a walk down to Grand Central Station, which is spectacular and not to be missed, and of course the U.N. building itself (fascinating—you can feel a deep sense of history). Time and health permitting, I'm hoping to wander over to Times Square, Central Park, and a few other areas. Realistically, I probably won't get as far as I'd like, but there'll always be next time.
The training has gone reasonably well, given that it's a difficult context. I'm trying to deliver one-size fits all training to a group that ranges from people with nearly no computerized editing experience to people who are very competent and just looking for a bit more of an edge. Other complicating factors: the training should really have been given as two 2-day sessions, ideally divided up into two groups with more similar skill levels. But logistics prevented that, and if budget permits, we'll be trying to arrange more customized training in the coming year.
In retrospect, instead of trying to cover so much ground, it would have been wiser to focus on fewer topics and teach each one more thoroughly—but I'm always hesitant to do that. It makes good pedagogical sense to teach less but do it better, but I have this nagging feeling that it's somehow taking advantage of my client if I don't pack a ton of value (many take-home skills) into each day. Still, I hope that the core concepts got across well, and that the other material will inspire everyone to try out a few things they might not otherwise have considered trying.
The U.N. people have been wonderful: my hosts have been solicitous and helpful and fun to be with. They have also provided all the moral and logistical support any trainer could ask for so that all I had to do was stand up and present the material. The students have been interested (almost all of them), involved, and eager to learn, if occasionally intimidated by the challenges. I've had some really nice conversations with several of them each day, and get the feeling the U.N. is still a nice place to work despite being such a formidable (65 years old or so?) bureaucracy. It's delightfully diverse, with people from all over the world and with a wide range of life experiences and interests. In short, they're fun people to train, and I'd come back to work with them again in a second if invited again. Hopefully they'll have budget for more editorial training in the new year.
Two more days of training, then I fly home and return to the usual chaos. I've already had two client emergencies (mostly dealt with by e-mail) that will have to be handled as soon as I return, a pile of work that's been waiting for me to return, and an expected onslaught of new work from a couple of major clients who knew I'd be away this week and have undoubtedly been stockpiling jobs with which to ambush me when I return.
Just to be clear, I'm not complaining. I know how fortunate I am to have enough work (let alone too much many times) given the state of the economy.
More when I get home and have a chance to recover from the trip.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, I got nailed by some nasty flu bug (who knows which one) that knocked me flat on my ass and left me weak as a kitten and about as capable of standing on two feet for 6 or so hours per day in a too-warm room. Yikes! Two days before the actual workshop, I was actually wondering whether I'd have to call it off at the last minute, but the fever broke and I managed through dint of diligent sleeping to recover enough that I was able to get through the first couple days of training... though it was a very near thing the first day. Today, after day 3, I'm rapidly approaching normal again. Phew! Too exciting an opportunity to miss, and I'm glad I didn't have to miss it.
New York, at least this part of it, is much less intimidating than I'd remembered from my last visit (farther west, in 1991). Much more expensive in some ways (local hotels run upwards of US$300 per night even for low-end ones) and less so in others (food is quite reasonable by big city standards, and I'm eating well). I'm actually staying at the Vanderbilt YMCA on East 47th St. at 2nd Ave., which only runs $95 per night for a room. The room itself is spartan (think "monk's cell"), but it's clean and safe, and if I were actually capable of anything resembling exercise, it includes free access to a great workout space. If I come back again on my own, I'd almost certainly stay here without a second thought.
Nice neighborhood too! The weather's been great, and yesterday I ate my lunch in a small corner parklet (about 40 feet on a side, but trees and a fountain), watching the people stream by. (Sobering to think that New York plus surrounds packs about half of Canada's total population into such a small area.) I've managed a walk down to Grand Central Station, which is spectacular and not to be missed, and of course the U.N. building itself (fascinating—you can feel a deep sense of history). Time and health permitting, I'm hoping to wander over to Times Square, Central Park, and a few other areas. Realistically, I probably won't get as far as I'd like, but there'll always be next time.
The training has gone reasonably well, given that it's a difficult context. I'm trying to deliver one-size fits all training to a group that ranges from people with nearly no computerized editing experience to people who are very competent and just looking for a bit more of an edge. Other complicating factors: the training should really have been given as two 2-day sessions, ideally divided up into two groups with more similar skill levels. But logistics prevented that, and if budget permits, we'll be trying to arrange more customized training in the coming year.
In retrospect, instead of trying to cover so much ground, it would have been wiser to focus on fewer topics and teach each one more thoroughly—but I'm always hesitant to do that. It makes good pedagogical sense to teach less but do it better, but I have this nagging feeling that it's somehow taking advantage of my client if I don't pack a ton of value (many take-home skills) into each day. Still, I hope that the core concepts got across well, and that the other material will inspire everyone to try out a few things they might not otherwise have considered trying.
The U.N. people have been wonderful: my hosts have been solicitous and helpful and fun to be with. They have also provided all the moral and logistical support any trainer could ask for so that all I had to do was stand up and present the material. The students have been interested (almost all of them), involved, and eager to learn, if occasionally intimidated by the challenges. I've had some really nice conversations with several of them each day, and get the feeling the U.N. is still a nice place to work despite being such a formidable (65 years old or so?) bureaucracy. It's delightfully diverse, with people from all over the world and with a wide range of life experiences and interests. In short, they're fun people to train, and I'd come back to work with them again in a second if invited again. Hopefully they'll have budget for more editorial training in the new year.
Two more days of training, then I fly home and return to the usual chaos. I've already had two client emergencies (mostly dealt with by e-mail) that will have to be handled as soon as I return, a pile of work that's been waiting for me to return, and an expected onslaught of new work from a couple of major clients who knew I'd be away this week and have undoubtedly been stockpiling jobs with which to ambush me when I return.
Just to be clear, I'm not complaining. I know how fortunate I am to have enough work (let alone too much many times) given the state of the economy.
More when I get home and have a chance to recover from the trip.