Way to go Slug-ger. (Part 3)

Where Captain Compensation attempts a world-shattering decision: blue or black.

From where I sit now, this is the most recent of the Cap’n Chronicles, but I’m sure it’s not the last.

Remember the notorious certificate with one-inch margins? I was enlisted to create a program cover for the same event:

Time: 6 weeks ago. Scene: Cap’n enters my office holding an old program from this event.

CC: I would like this to be updated. The new event date is April X, 2008.
Me: No problem. What color do you want? (It’s a one or two color document)
CC: It’s always been blue.
Me: Well, actually, last year was the first year it was blue. Every other year it had been red, but there were printing issues last year. Even so, I need to know what color you want it to be this year.
CC: Don’t care.
Me: OK. I’ll get it done and send you a proof.

Time: 5 weeks and 3 days ago.
This is (seriously) a cut and paste job…the email I sent him:

Cap’n, here is the cover. The files are fairly small, so you should be able to open them on your computer. They’re all black printing with the gold seal and a black binding. (Was I NUTS?!? It’s just a PDF. What should make me think that he could open it?!?)

Time: Last week.

Printer: Cap’n was just down here bitching that these were supposed to be blue.
Me: Sigh. (Told her the whole story…)
Printer: Well, I’ve already run them and think they look HOT like they are, but it’s up to you.
Me: I’ll call Cap’n and see what’s on his squirrely little mind.

*Ring, ring*

Me: I was just going to confirm the program covers. Printer said you had some problems with them?
CC: They were supposed to be blue.
Me: I wasn’t aware of that.
CC: I brought you the old cover and told you to update it exactly as it was.
Me: After which I specifically asked you what color you wanted, and you said you didn’t care.
CC: I told you that it had always been blue.
Me: And I told you that it had ALWAYS been red, but was changed last year due to printing issues.
CC: (trying to cut me off with his sputtering)
Me: Listen. Blue, black, red, purple, or green, I don’t give a flip. I just want straight answers. The printer has printed them in black after you said they were fine that way. Would you rather have them blue?
CC: Well, you and she already decided.
Me: No, I’m asking you, BLUE or BLACK?
CC: (more sputtering)
Me: Look. I don’t care if it’s your fault, my fault, the printer’s fault, or happened because Mercury was in retrograde. I’m just telling you that this conversation will NOT happen again. When you bring me a job, and I ask what color you want and how you want the design to look, and you respond that you don’t care, I WILL do the job, and it WILL be to everyone’s approval. If you aren’t counted in EVERYONE, it will not be my problem. If you want something to be purple and fuchsia, just let me know. I’ll be happy to oblige. However, if you don’t tell me that, do NOT go crying to everyone above you that I refused to do what you wanted done. I have the logs of our conversations. You won’t win.

*Click.*

Clarinazi: 3
Captain Compensation: 0

…to be continued. I’m sure of it.