flanerie.org

Tea-break over, back on your heads.

I quite like the working days between Christmas and New Year - the roads are quiet, and the office is quiet. It is a great time to do those things that you keep putting off because there is always so much immediate stuff going on.

For the past five years, it has been the lull before the storm - the quarter ended on December 31 and then all hell broke loose. The big cheese accountants suffer from an inferiority complex at Amazon, and as a result they insist on working New Year's Day. They do this so that the following conversation can take place:

Him: "I am an accountant at Amazon"
Her: "Say, did you see that weather report this morning?"
Him: "No, wait. Accountants are different at Amazon"
Her: "I wonder if I remembered to lock my front door"
Him: "No, but really. We are so important to the success of the company that we have to work New Year's Day every year"
Her: "Wow. I want to sleep with you"

It is not like Amazon is in a hurry to get its results published - it usually reports at the end of January, two weeks later than Apple and nearly three after Yahoo. Such are the needs of unloved accountants.

Thankfully in my new company I get to decide when and how. The December reporting period ended on Christmas Day and we will do some accounting this week, the rest after January 9.

The gap in the middle is because I am celebrating my freedom by going to Miami for New Year, out on Friday back on the following Friday. Yeah yeah yeah yeah, Miami uh uh, as big Willy Smith would say.

During my trip flânerie nonsense will continue unabated, just in case you were hoping otherwise ;-)