#always jarring to realize other people are capable of as much or more disorganization as I am

[mumblingsage]

So we're all familiar with the tactic of "I don't want to do this task so I will do it as poorly as possible so someone else does it."

I feel like a member of my team has just done "I don't want to delegate this task so I will delegate it as poorly as possible so I wind up having to do it."

For an added layer of perversity, she definitely wants someone else to do the task; I think she's just so unused to delegating that, finally surrendering to the necessity of it after years, she's done a wretched job of giving us the tools or explanations we need to do the task she's asked us to do for her.

[the-fixation-zone]

hello hello! @queenspinoodle​ and i started working on a...well, on what started as a crack piece. it may or may not still be crack. if u like circuses, crime fighting, and zuko and sokka being named zucchini and sock THIS IS FOR YOU! first chapter below, with art from my cowriter! comments appreciated :)

enjoi~

Chapter 1

Zucchini is still thinking about his performance last night. He’d wanted to try something new, but every time he’d attempted to nail the trick in rehearsal, it’d just...fallen flat. So, he hadn’t attempted it last night, which left a bitter taste in his mouth. He’s still swirling it around, trying to spit it out, but no luck. It’s his routine, but he still feels like he failed. His thoughts are interrupted, however, when his foot collides with something hard and he trips. Spectacularly. He looks up, embarrassed and angry in equal measures, to see Sock sitting nearby. He gets angrier when he sees Sock is clearly trying to hold back laughter.

 “Sock! Is this your--” Zucchini looks down, “--sandbag that just tripped me?!”

Sock gives him an innocent look. “I think the correct way to say it is, 'is that my sandbag that you just tripped over'? Because yes, it is, and yes, you did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone’s arms flail like that, Zucchini.” 

Zucchini narrows his eyes. “I only tripped over it because someone is incredibly disorganized. Sandbags don’t belong in the middle of the floor!”

Sock narrows his eyes, no longer laughing. “Well, maybe you should look where you’re going! If you were more aware of your surroundings, Mr. Jerk, then maybe you would’ve seen it. It’s a big bag, Zucchini.”

“Yeah, well! Well, you’re--you--ugh, you’re an idiot! Move the stupid bag, Sock!” Zucchini turns away quickly, trying not to dwell on how ridiculous he just sounded. He’s made two strides to the tent’s opening when something collides with the back of his head. He whips back around to see Sock with a smirk on his face.

“Can I help you?” Sock says innocently.

Zucchini looks at him, dumbfounded, then looks at the ground to see a balled up piece of paper. He picks it up. “Seriously? What are you, eight?” 

Sock shrugs. “I know you are but what am I.”

Zucchini’s eyes get wide, his anger inadvertently burning the paper in his hands. “Seriously? You’re such a child!”

“Oh, yeah? Well at least I don’t throw my pillow around my tent when I’m mad, and then apologize to it!” Sock’s look of triumph at that statement makes Zucchini grit his teeth.

“I don’t--! How do you know about that?? It was one time, maybe twice at most!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever."

“UGH, you’re impossible to work with! I don’t know why Piandao keeps you around. My little cousin could do better tricks than you.”

"At least I actually have a talent!"

“Oh yeah?” Zucchini takes a menacing step forward. “You wanna try walking the tightrope, then? You think you could handle it?”

"Only if you do flips off the trapeze!"

“Done! I could do that in my sleep!”

“Fine! I bet the moment you get on, you'll fall off immediately. You’ll go running to Piandao like a baby!”

“Don’t you dare call me a baby!”

Sock and Zucchini’s argument brings them right into each other’s faces, snarling like animals. Both of them have their fists balled tight, ready to throw, when the sound of the tent flap opening gets their attention.

“Boys! Boys, what is going on here?” Their boss, Master Piandao, enters the tent, a frown marring his face.  “Honestly, you two can’t be civil for five minutes? The show’s about to start, and I will not have either of you knocked out of commission over a petty fight!”

On cue, the announcer’s voice cuts through the tent, his voice amplified by his megaphone. “COME ONE, COME ALL! THE SHOW WILL BE STARTING IN TEN MINUTES! GET YOUR POPCORN AND DRINKS AND JOIN US IN THE MAIN TENT FOR A WONDROUS EVENING!”

Sock and Zucchini pull back from one another, still glaring. Sock turns away first, finishing up his preparations for his act, grumbling. Zucchini leaves the tent for his own, having not started his own prep work. When he gets there, he realizes he’s still very pissed off, thank you very much, and knows he can’t work like this. The last time he tried to work angry, well…. It’s better not to think about it. So, to calm down, he tries to meditate. He sits on a cushion in the middle of the floor, crosses his legs, and breathes. In, out. In, out. Not, thinking. About, Sock. And, his. Stupid, FACE.

It wasn’t going very well. 

In a tent nearby, Sock is pulling on his costume, trying to push Zucchini’s attitude from his mind. Honestly, if the guy just looked down from his pedestal every now and then he wouldn’t trip over stuff. A no brainer. But, of course, Sock doesn’t expect Zucchini to understand that. He was so full of himself, just because he could walk on some string. So what? Who cared about that, when Sock worked his butt off doing flips! Ugh. 

He walks out still pretty mad, but when he runs into his co-stars his mood picks up. Zucchini may be a dick, but Katt and Baaang weren’t. They were awesome, and together they’d put on a great show. He gives his sister and her boyfriend a hug, trying to keep the anger off his face. He thinks about it for a moment but ultimately decides not to tell them about the stupid fight he had with Zucchini. It’s just not worth it, in the end. His sister would just worry, and Baaang would tell him he should try to work it out. Neither of these are favorable outcomes. Instead, he grabs their hands and they go out on stage to raucous applause. As soon as the whoops and cheers hit his ears, Sock is grinning. Yes, he thinks. This is what it’s all about. As they go through their routine, Sock loses himself in the moves. He loses himself in the trust he has in his team, in the ooohs and aaaahs of the crowd. Nothing else matters.

Zucchini, upon giving up meditation as an impossibility, paces in his tent. Sock’s performance is about to start and, though he mocked his work before, he realizes he’s never...actually seen Sock and his team perform. He’s passed through the practice tent while they were rehearsing, sure, but he never stopped to look, always too busy with something else. He starts feeling bad about insulting Sock without evidence. Maybe, I could check it out...just for a moment.

 He goes backstage, opening the flap leading to the main room a bit. Sock, Katt, and Baaang are just coming out to the delight of the crowd. Zucchini scoffs, not knowing what the fuss is all about. The moment they get on the trapeze, he gets it. Boy, does he get it. The three of them work as if they were one, dropping through the air and catching each other with such trust it brings a tear to Zucchini’s eye. And the way they move. It’s like they’re not made of flesh and bone, but cloud. Pure vapor, floating from one rung to the next. Zucchini can’t believe his eyes. He’s especially surprised by Sock.

He’d thought Sock was completely disorganized and never thought he’d be capable of performing something so beautiful. Zucchini’s anger completely leaves him watching the performance, captivated beyond his control. When they finish and the crowd claps them off the stage, Zucchini finds himself clapping too. And then running, because there’s no way he could let Sock find him watching. He’d rather die, he thinks.

Sock leaves the stage feeling like he could take on the world. Katt and Baaang are laughing on either side of him, recapping their favorite parts of their performance to keep the energy going. Sock joins in, making jokes and ruffling his sister’s hair. Zucchini is the furthest thing from his mind. Or, he would be, if his act weren’t up next. Somehow he had forgotten in the rush of his own performance, but the announcer makes sure to remind him in a booming voice. Baaang and Katt are going back to their tents to change into their daywear, but Sock hangs back. Sure, he’d told the guy that he didn’t need talent to do his act, but it’s not as if he’d ever actually seen it. He knew what it was, though. He stood on a rope and juggled some things, right? Might as well pop back over and check it out, so he’d have more material to mock him with next time.

Zucchini stands at the performer entrance of the big tent, his usual pre-show nerves surprisingly absent. He feels more calm than he has all day, if he’s being honest. When the announcer shouts his cue, he steps inside, standing tall and walking with confidence to the ladder leading up to the tightrope. Pepper is already up there, the bag of props by his feet. He gives Zucchini a big grin and a thumbs up, which Zucchini returns. The clown looks taken aback, but pleased. Zucchini then moves to the rope, his music being played by a band on the ground. A deep breath, two and then he steps out. 

He hears someone in the crowd scream. His grin grows; there’s always one. He steps out further, footfalls soft and measured, until he’s in the middle of the rope. Arm out to his sides, he bends his knees. Deep breath and….up! He jumps into the air, causing more screams from below. Energized, he does another jump, this time turning in the air so he’s facing his assistant. Pepper claps his hands before reaching into the bag of props, tossing a jar of salt to Zucchini. Zucchini outstretches his hand to grab it and, right before it lands in his palm, he calls his fire. 

Sock will admit it. He was one of the people who screamed when Zucchini jumped. He has half a mind to run over to their boss and frantically ask if that’s safe, or even legal! Even thinking about jumping on a thin rope that far up makes Sock queasy, let alone turning around while doing it. And now the clown is throwing things at him? Really?? Sock is unwittingly watching from the same place Zucchini observed him, gripping the cloth tight. What else could Zucchini possibly be up to? He’s not sure why, but he didn’t see the fire coming.

Zucchini feels the runes on the back of his hand crackling. As he calls the fire, it almost feels like it’s happy to come to him, basking in the joy of performing as he does. The jar, coated in flammable oil, lights immediately, bright and hot. Pepper tosses him another object, this time an umbrella, which Zucchini catches with his other hand. The third object Pepper throws is a bowling pin; Zucchini lifts one foot and catches it on the tip of his toe. Now the fun can begin. 

Zucchini’s always loved juggling, though it was frowned upon in the house he grew up in. Too many broken dishes, too many dropped heirlooms. He tried his best but he wasn’t very good as a kid. Not anymore. Now, he flips his flaming objects in the air with ease. His control over the fire is superb; the audience doesn’t know this but not a single object is actually burned. That reveal has to be his favorite. Items high in the air, Pepper throws more at him and Zucchini flips them faster. Feeling confident, he tosses a few behind his back as well. The crowd loses their mind and Zucchini loses himself in the sound.

Sock is losing his mind. How is any of this possible? He’s sure those things are on fire, but it doesn’t make sense! How is that umbrella not ash? How is the glass on fire? How has Zucchini not dropped a single object?! He must have six by now! Oh, wait, seven now because that sadistic clown just tossed him another. Sock thinks, maybe, he should just sit back and watch rather than overthinking the specifics. He leans back against one of the tent poles and contents himself with enjoying the show. 

When Zucchini finishes by stacking all of the objects in one hand with none of them even scorched, Sock thinks he, maybe, possibly owes the guy an apology. Eventually. He sneaks away, not wanting to be caught watching, and starts heading back to his tent. On the way there, he thinks about whether this changes anything. Like, sure, maybe Zucchini isn’t all hot air (hah!), but he’s still not a nice person. Not even remotely.

Sock is still pondering this when he hears voices around the corner. Usually Sock isn’t the nosy type, regardless of what his sister has to say about it, but something in their tone sounds...off. He doesn’t recognize the voices, either. Sure, they could be patrons taking a smoke or something, but Sock’s gut is telling him it’s something else. He crouches down and peeks around the corner of the tent serving as his hiding spot.

“Should be any moment now, Groff. Master P. will be alone as soon as the show’s over, and that’s when we get him. You got it?”

“Yeah, Lunk, I got it the first million times you told me. Are you sure we should be doing this, though? Like, I get why but...Master P.’s always seemed pretty nice the way I see it.”

A thump. “Ow! Lunk! What was that for, huh?”

“For thinking too hard! We get orders, we carry them out, we get paid. That’s. It. Don’t go getting sentimental on me now, Groff.” 

Sock is very glad he hid, now. They couldn’t possibly be talking about what he thinks they are, right? Only one way to find out…

Zucchini, riding the high of his performance, has a spring in his step as he heads back to his tent. Some of the things he’d tried had gone horribly in rehearsal, but somehow he’d landed them! And the crowd loved it! He doesn’t know what did it but something clicked for him up there. He’d be holding onto these feelings for a while. Or, so he thought, before he saw Sock crouched beside a tent looking incredibly shady. Not wanting to startle him, Zucchini carefully walks up behind him and gives his shoulder a tap. Unfortunately, this has the exact opposite effect, causing Sock to jump a mile. Sock turns, looking terrified. Upon seeing Zucchini his expression morphs to annoyed.

“Sorry. What are you--?” The rest of Zucchini’s sentence is muffled by Sock’s hand over his mouth.

“Shh.”

“Oh. Sorry,” Zucchini says in a whisper, once his mouth is free. “What are you doing?”

Sock puts a finger over his lips, then indicates with his head around the corner. Zucchini peeks, seeing two burly men in suits. He frowns until he starts to catch what they’re saying. It sounds like a plot to murder Master Piandao, but...it couldn’t be. Could it?

The two men start walking in their direction. Zucchini’s eyes go wide and he looks to Sock, but Sock has already stood up and is opening the flap to the tent they’re hiding behind. He grabs Zucchini’s arm and drags him in behind him. Once the footsteps fade away, Zucchini turns to Sock.

“Oh my god. Sock...What the hell did we just hear?” he whispers, dragging a hand through his hair.

“Pretty sure it was a murder plot." Sock replies.

Oh. So, it was actually exactly what he thought. Great. “Right. Right. Murder. Of our boss.” Zucchini can feel himself unraveling. “They can’t  just kill Piandao! He’s like a father to me, they can’t--we can’t let them--” Zucchini starts pacing the tent, at a loss.

Sock, in contrast, is standing absolutely still, hand on his chin as he stares at the wall of the tent. "I have a plan."

Zucchini perks up, then looks wary. “What kind of plan?”

“They’re planning to use a tent nail as their weapon, right? Those are in the storage tent. That tent also has netting and rope, which we can use to trap them.” Sock’s eyes light up as he describes his plan, his hands moving as he talks. “We’ll use the trapeze mechanics to set the trap, and once they’re in range, BAM!” Sock slams his fist into his palm. “We got em.”

Zucchini isn’t entirely clear on how the trapeze artists do their thing, but he can’t help but trust Sock. The way he explains it is so passionate. So, Zucchini nods. “Okay. That...that could work. Let’s do this.”

Sock is surprised Zucchini agreed to the plan so readily but is not about to complain about it. They’ve got murderers to catch. Sock does a cautious check outside the tent before sneaking out, looking over his shoulder to make sure Zucchini is following. Zucchini is right behind him, looking around to make sure the coast is clear. When they get to the storage tent they both do one more look around before ducking inside.

"Grab that net and bring it here." Sock picks up a rope attached to a sandbag, dragging it towards himself. Zucchini grabs the net and tosses it to Sock, then awaits further instructions while keeping an ear out for company. Sock ties the netting to multiple ropes, then hooks up the ropes and adds a few extra sandbags until the net is pulled up. He crouches beside one of the ropes with a knife, ready to cut it.

Zucchini can’t pretend that he followed any of that, so instead he says, “So, now we wait?”

Sock nods. "Cut that rope when they come in,” he says, indicating a rope on the other side of the room.

“Can do.” Zucchini waits, finding a hiding spot and listening for the sound of the would-be murderers voices or footsteps. Eventually, he sees a shadow cross the tent. He hears those voices again, and then the men from before enter. Zucchini makes eye contact with Sock and then, when the perps are in the right position, cuts his rope while Sock does the same to his own. The criminals scream as the net comes down on them. Zucchini pumps his fist in the air, holding back an exhilarated whoop. 

Sock, realizing they could get in trouble for trapping people without hard evidence, grabs Zucchini and flees. Zucchini goes with him, still too excited to really question it. Sock slows down and tries to look casual once they're a bit away from the tent, but makes sure to stop somewhere with the storage tent still in sight. 

Once they’ve stopped Zucchini turns to Sock, a confused look on his face. “Why did we run away? We did something good!”

"We're circus workers who just trapped two people, and nobody else knows what they were doing there. It doesn't reflect very well on us."

Zucchini thinks about it, deflating a bit. “Well...I guess that’s true. What now? They might get out, and no one will know what they were going to do. Should we, I dunno, lead someone with some authority towards the tent?"

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that.” A crowd is starting to form around the tent, likely because of the screams. They watch Piandao make his way through the crowd, opening the tent flap wide. "Groff and Lunk! What are you two doing here?" Sock and Zucchini watch as Master Piandao drags the two men out of the tent, still wrapped up in netting. “I told you! You two don’t work for me anymore. I thought I made it perfectly clear I didn’t want to see your faces again.”

The two men talk over each other, the exact words hard to make out over the distance, but Sock thinks he makes out “not over yet!” and Zucchini thinks he hears “our real boss!” and both register the vehemence in the men's tones. Sock and Zucchini look at each other, eyes wide. Probably a good thing those two were tied up. Pretty soon, Pepper comes out to disperse the crowd and the conversation between Groff, Lunk, and Master Piandao grows hushed.

“I see. That certainly does look taken care of.” Zucchini stares at the three men for another moment, before it seems to hit him. That was something big, they stopped a murder. He starts laughing. Giddy, slightly manic laughs. “We really just did that, didn’t we?”

Sock gives Zucchini a strange look when he starts laughing. He isn’t sure what’s funny at first, then it dawns on him too. "Oh my God, we did just do that…"

“Yep! Yeah, wow, we’re...huh. Guess that makes us heroes, doesn’t it?” Zucchini seems floored by this realization. “I don’t think I’ve ever been a hero before.”

Sock watches guards drag the two people away from the tent. They just did that… He has always wanted to be a hero, specifically a warrior. Is this really his chance? They could take responsibility now that it was clear those two were murderers. He could finally have his dream…but, something holds him back. He can’t do it. It wouldn't do him any good, anyway. Better to move on.

“Hey, Sock?” Zucchini is also watching the people be taken away. He’s thinking about how his life so far has been one failure after another, how he’s always run away when the going has gotten tough, but somehow, with the weird trapeze man beside him, he managed to save someone. Really save someone. “Do you think we could do this again?”

"Huh? Which part? Saving people? Building traps? Not killing each other?"

Zucchini breathes out a laugh. “How about all three?” He turns to Sock, looking him in the eye. “I think we could really make a difference.”

Sock looks at Zucchini, really looks at him. Is he really asking to fight crime together? Sock had always thought Zucchini was stuck up and moody. He'd never really liked his aggressiveness before. But maybe there’s more to him. Maybe they can get along and use their talents to help people. He smiles. "I'd like that."

[dougjpitassi]

Jason Vander Griendt – Founder of Render 3D Quickly

A engineer & entrepreneur expert based out of Toronto, Ontario, Jason Vander Griendt brings a rare combination of experience and expertise to his work with Render 3D Quickly. The longtime mechanical design engineer offers such a wide range of service offerings through Render 3D Quickly that the company’s client base is made up of real estate companies, homeowners, developers, designers, contractors, builders, and architects. In addition to meeting the diverse needs associated with such a broad client base, Render 3D Quickly has consistently proved it is capable of operating on a global scale while working with clients based in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia and China.

As the skilled mechanical design engineer behind Render 3D Quickly’s business prowess, Vander Griendt has garnered a reputation as a detail-oriented professional capable of quickly delivering work that is consistently of the highest quality. Specializing in three-dimensional architectural renderings and animations, Vander Griendt has long understood the importance of delivering highly accurate 3D renderings, animations and virtual reality tours for clients of his company. As a result, Vander Griendt works diligently to ensure the final product is always closely aligned with the precise needs of each individual client.

Although Vander Griendt is deeply passionate about 3D renderings and animation, the longtime resident of Toronto, Ontario, also continues to apply his impressive and diverse professional skillset in endeavors beyond Render 3D Quickly. Vander Griendt has devoted over a decade to his role as the owner of J – CAD Inc. providing 3D CAD design services and prototyping/3D printing to clients globally. In deftly managing the responsibilities required of these diverse professional endeavors, the Fanshawe College graduate has relied on the strength of his work ethic along with his unique leadership capabilities — not to mention his recognition of the importance of always surrounding himself with a team of similarly talented, innovative, and hard-working professionals.

What was your best/favorite subject in school?

I liked 3D design a lot. At the time it was the new thing and the industry was switching over from AutoCAD 2D to 3D CAD design. I seemed to grasp it a lot faster than most of the other students and it’s interesting that now I own 2 businesses that specialize in 3D design.

What was your first job?

My first job was working at a convenience store stocking shelves 7 days a week. My job was to make sure all of the shelves looked perfect lining up all of the items and dusting them off. Everyday I’d show up for an hour or 2 and do this. My boss understood that if his store had nice and shiny products on the shelves looking aesthetically pleasing, the surrounding neighborhood would choose his store over the others in the area with dusty jars and disorganized products on the shelves. This idea worked and he did well and paid me well to do it. Interestingly this mentality applies to what I do now. If the renderings we produce look incredible our clients will choose us over the competition and that’s exactly what we aim to do!

Where and how did you first get into the industry you currently work in?

I went to school for engineering design. I had some 9-5 jobs with the largest engineering firms in the world (Siemens etc.) and started J – CAD Inc on the side. J – CAD Inc. was getting some inquires for 3D renderings as we design products and people needed product renderings for their websites and crowdfunding pages etc. J – CAD Inc. had 3D renderings as a keyword on the site and architectural clients were finding us. I realized that there was a large opportunity to branch this off and make it a separate company and Render3DQuickly Inc. was born.

How have those jobs prepared you for what you do now?

Working for the large firms showed me how the industry works and what is expected. This prepared me to work with clients I would get and know what they expect from me.

Describe the best day of work you’ve ever had.

Today! Lately I’ve been travelling a lot, visiting 22 countries in the last month Currently I’m typing in a villa I rented for a few weeks at the top of a mountain in Lake Como, Italy. I can see the Swiss Alps on the horizon and the Italian country side in front of me from this terrace. I really like online business for this reason. I can work anywhere!

How do you keep yourself motivated?

It’s easy to be motivated when you love your life! “If you’re not tap dancing to work then you need to find another job” – Warren Buffet. I love what I do because I can do it anywhere! My motivation is to keep the life I have!

What kind of business ideas excite you most?

Virtual Reality is in the very early stages as an industry and I don’t think people realize the full potential of it yet. I describe it to clients this way: in the past, before computers people bought property with black and white plans. Then people wanted 3D renderings to go along with those plans as computers and graphics because mainstream. Next people will want to walk through their property before it is built. This will be the norm. Think of how huge of an industry that will become? Right now it’s not even 1% of it’s potential. In the next few years this trend will take affect and the transition will happen. I feel that Render3DQuickly Inc. is very well positioned to capitalize on that movement. I have been working hard to build a large team that can satisfy this rapid growth in the industry. I’d argue that we have the largest VR team in the world!

Have you ever tried any unorthodox techniques to attract attention to your business?

Yes here and there. We’ve used sex to a degree getting a pretty girl to do something rather than a man or less pretty woman. For example, we have a trade show coming up and I have 3 very pretty young female friends that want to be in our booth. I printed business cards with their names on it and I told them to give the cards out to every single guy that comes into the booth. The email address and phone number on the cards forward to me. I’ll get 1000’s of leads for $50 (the cost of the business cards).

What personal achievement are you most proud of?

Meeting all of my employees all over the world. I took a trip for a few months to visit their city and country and spend some time together. Hearing their stories about how life was before we met online to what it is now was incredible! Some went from poverty to mortgage free in just a couple years of working for me. Some bought property they are renting out for extra income. Some were able to move to other safer countries because of the income I provided. So many countries in the world don’t have it like we do in USA & Canada and we don’t realize how good we have it. So much corruption happens that we don’t hear about and so many people suffer. It was really nice to see that because of my hard work I was really helping people in the world have a better life. It makes me want to work even harder and hire more people.

What wisdom you would have liked to share with yourself when you first started out?

Read books a lot sooner. I try to read 2-3 per week but if I started reading 10 years earlier or even 1 year earlier I would have more knowledge today. Something I realized a few years ago is that successful people are successful because they have more knowledge than the average person. That’s all it is. Whether they are more successful in business, have happier relationships, more money etc. it’s because they have more knowledge in those areas and can make better decisions when decisive moments arise. One good decision based on vast knowledge compounded over months and years of good decisions equals success. It’s inevitable. So learn as much as you can.