DPC Scoop_ Summer 2015

THE DPC SCOOP

Summer 2015

On April 22, Ana celebrated her 30th anniversary at ECG! The following week, many coworkers joined her for a congratulatory lunch
at Palomino Restaurant & Bar in Seattle. She reminisced with Diane, Holly See, and Melanee Renner—all of whom have also worked
at ECG for at least 30 years—about their first years at ECG. Later, I asked Ana to tell us about working at ECG in 1985.

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RESPONSIBILITIES? SUBMITTED BY KRISTEN
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RANDOM QUESTION SANDY SAM

YOU’VE BEEN I would travel to a much simpler, less auto- Palace of Fontainebleau, France,
GIVEN ACCESS
mated time—sometime between the inven- circa 1540. Google it; I’m in love.
TO A TIME
MACHINE: tion of indoor plumbing and television. Before AMANDA
WHERE AND the computer and cell phone, the ATM and
WHEN WOULD the self-checkout line, texting and social me- I would travel to any point in the
YOU TRAVEL TO? dia, escalators and moving sidewalks, to a future in which the accepted social
time that we walked more, talked more, a convention is to honor the univer-
SUBMITTED BY MICHELLE H.
time that rivals the gloriousness of a power sal right of all to exist free from
prejudice, harm, or exploitation,
outage when we sit by candlelight, read
regardless of what we look like;
books, play games, and pause.
who we love; what age we are;
CARI LEE what we believe; how we dress;

I’d go back about 30 years and stay here in where we fall on the gender spec-
Seattle. Both my parents would be alive and trum; what abilities we have; or
healthy, I’d spend more time watching them whether we walk on two legs, fly,
with my kids and appreciating their love and
swim, or leap on four legs. The sun
selflessness, and I would listen and really
hear them when they gave me advice (and will likely become a red giant and
swallow the earth first, though.
maybe even follow it once in a while).

Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen, Ana, or Sam.

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FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS

Buddy and Luna Wassink

SUBMITTED BY KATIE

I’d like to introduce the two furry members of the Wassink house-
hold: Luna (left) and Buddy (right). My husband and I adopted
the pups when we were living in Florida, and they’ve adapted
quite well to the Boston climate since moving up with us 2 years
ago. (Luna particularly enjoys romping through the snow.)
We got Luna from a rescue that found her half-starved and run-
ning wild in the countryside. She’s timid around strangers, but
once you get to know her, she’s a friend for life. Luna’s favorite
activities include sleeping on the couch, chewing on her squeaky
tennis ball, running in circles when she gets the “puppy crazies,”
and blazing her own trail when we go for walks in the woods.
Buddy is approximately 12 years old, and he’s quite the mutt; we
call him our “Australian beagle heeler.” He lived for a number of years with my grandmother’s elderly neighbor in
Atlanta, and when she could no longer take care of him, he came home with us. Buddy had a major injury last De-
cember that required extensive surgery and quite a bit of recovery time, but he’s a little trouper and back to his old
self now. His favorite snack is peanut butter.

Magnus Forsyth

SUBMITTED BY ANNE

This is Magnus, my 10-year-old miniature dachshund who really
loves beer and hates my repeated attempts to get him to skate-
board. Because of him, I tend to (poorly) doodle dachshunds
drinking everywhere—usually out of martini glasses since I can’t
draw beer bottles. This ever-expanding whiteboard drawing
(holiday decorations courtesy of Liane and Kaitlin) got left behind
when we moved, so I’m now forced to graffiti Sandy’s whiteboard
wall instead. Thanks to the DPC Scoop, Magnus got to be fancy
and drink beer out of a martini glass for this photo.

Bailey Labrecque

SUBMITTED BY DANI

This is my handsome little man, Bailey. He is full of love and is
always involved in what we are doing around the house. Bailey
enjoys the fact that I work from home, as he gets to sit by my
side on the desk and watch the mouse move all around the
screens.

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RECIPE CORNER

Chocolate Chip INGREDIENTS
Cream Cheese Bars
16 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs,
Chocolate Chip 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 Pillsbury or Toll
CreaYmummCyh, eeaessy,eand House chocolate chip cookie rolls

qubirBcinkag—rtaosnadsgurmeamt etor DIRECTIONS

Yummy, easy, anbdaqrubicekq—ue! » Preheat oven to 350°F; keep the cookie rolls
cold.
and great to bring to a
summer barbeque! » In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs,
and vanilla extract.
SUBMITTSEUDBMBITYTELDOBRYELNOERENE
» Slice one roll of cookies 1/4” thick, and place
the cookies side by side on the bottom of a
13” x 9” pan.

» Pour the cream cheese mixture on the cookies.
» Cut the second roll of cookies and place them

on top.
» Bake for 40 minutes, making sure the middle is

cooked.
» Cool for 15 minutes and refrigerate.

LunchLHuonuchr Hour INGREDIENTS 3
VVaannililallaNuNtuGtranola
Close pGroxrimaintyotolaa full kitch- 2½ cups rolled oats, 3/4 cup slivered almonds
and/or substitute, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
eCnlwositeh parowxeilml-sittyoctokeadfufrlildge pinch salt, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup melt-
kitcishbeonthwiathpaerwkealln-dstoacdkiesadd- ed coconut oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (yes,
fridgevaisntbaogtehoaf pweorrkkianngdfraom that much), 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
hodmisea. dSvoamnetatigmeeosfmwoyrlkuincgh is
tfhreomprehvoimoues. nSigohmt’estibmaetcsh of DIRECTIONS

mcoyolkuinecsh, bisutthbereparkefvaisotuiss al- » Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking
nwigahyts’sdbeactecnht,otfhcaonokksietos,this sheet with parchment paper.
rebcrdeiupecteicdpb,euerwner,ihtanw,ikgcthhfhaoiacsncnhteakicsnslauatnbnolecwbthhmaeiybsamsrdeaeadke.
during one lunch break. » Toss the oats, almonds/other nuts, cinnamon,
and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium
SUBMITTED BY ANNE R. bowl, whisk the maple syrup, coconut oil, and
extract(s) together to combine. Pour over the
SUBMITTED BY ANNE oats and toss to coat thoroughly.

Classic Mint Mojito » Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and
bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
ingUbsCeastlehaisfMosrresofcruiijpciitestMaoysouianhreatfvreesohn- Allow granola to cool completely—the air will
help it get crunchier. Store in an airtight con-
Usheatnhdis. rFeocirpeexaasmaprelefr,emshuidngdle tainer at room temperature.
bbalsueefboerrfrruieitss oyor usthraavweboenrries
INGREDIENTS
ahnadn/odr. Feoxrcehxaanmgpeleb,amsuildfdolrethe
abnldu/eobr eerxrciehsmaoninrgste.trbGaawesbtilecforrrreietahsteive! 2 sprigs spearmint, 2 heaping teaspoons pow-
dered sugar, juice from 1 lime, 1½ ounces rum
mint. Get creative! (more or less), ice cubes, sparkling water

SUBMITTED BY JOANNE DIRECTIONS

SUBMITTED BY JOANNE » Squeeze the lime juice into a glass.
» Add the sugar and mix well.
» Add the mint leaves and muddle them gently—

just enough to release the mint's essential oils.
» After adding the ice, fill the glass about 2/3 full

with sparkling water.
» Add the rum and mix well.

MEXICO Every summer, the church I belong to
TRIP sends a team to Tecate, Mexico, to
build houses on a 6-day mission trip.
SUBMITTED On Day 1, we fly to San Diego and take
BY DIANE a bus across the border. We arrive at
the ranch we will stay at and enjoy a
wonderful buffet dinner (the food is so
great, I end up gaining weight!). On
Days 2, 3, and 4, we wake up at 5 a.m.,
which is sleeping in for me—I wake up
at 3:45 a.m. on work days! We take a
school bus to the building site, which is
on top of a hill. The bus barely makes it up! This is the hard part; to see how these fami-
lies are living, you can’t help but cry. There is not a bit of green grass anywhere, noth-
ing but dirt and rocks. Houses are made out of whatever material they can find. There is
no running water on the hill, so water is brought up by truck. They do have electricity,
though.

Believe it or not, a house can be built in 3 days! There are 20 to 25 people assigned to each house, and we
are usually able to build four houses. You don’t need to know anything about construction on this trip—just
have a good attitude. I learned how to paint a house while it’s being built, hang sheetrock, tape, and drywall.
The families we build the houses for are encouraged to build along with us. My daughter Meghan also comes
along. She speaks Spanish, so she is the “official” translator for our house and communicates with the family.
On Day 4, after the house is complete, we hand over the keys to the family, and more tears are shed. The
houses have two bedrooms, a living room, a loft with a ladder, and an outdoor latrine. Windows are installed,
along with a ceiling fan and locking front door. Day 5 is a free day, so we can visit the orphanage up the
street, hike at the local park, or take a bus to downtown Tecate for shopping. In the afternoon, we send buses
to pick up the families we built houses for, and they come back to the ranch for dinner and to swim in the pool.
The kids go crazy in the pool! On Day 6, we fly home. It is an extremely rewarding experience.

SUMMER
PERCEPTION

SUBMITTED BY MICHELLE L.

4

AWAY SUBMITTED BY CASSANDRA
FROM
OUR DESKS

My area in Chicago (Edgewater) can be a little rough around the edges, but
it also has a neighborhood feel to it that my old stomping grounds (Lakeview)
lacked. I often smile at the same people walking their dogs and riding their
bikes. I love the vibe. This picture shows one of our little libraries (there’s an-
other one just down the block!). I’ve put a book or two in there myself while
trying to declutter my shelves, and whenever I pass by, I always see new ti-
tles. A branch of the public library is just a few blocks away, which adds even
more of a wordy feel to Edgewater. It’s perfect for a DPC home office.

HOME SUBMITTED BY
OFFICE DANI

This is a photo of my home office in Salem, New Hampshire.
When putting the space together, I was going for comfort and
wanted a lot of desktop space. It is very cozy and a great space to
work in.

GRAMMAR SUBMITTED BY Not sure whether to use who or whom in a sentence? Well, it de-
TIP LIANE pends on who’s doing what! Are you referring to someone who is
doing something or someone who is having something done to
him/her? “Who” is a subject, or the person doing an action, while
“whom” is an object, or the person affected by an action.

Who For example, if Ben Colton were to bring in donuts for the whole
Versus Seattle office, you might ask, “Who was so kind as to bring in
Whom donuts?” Ben brought in the donuts! But if you weren’t sure if you
could eat a donut, you might ask, “For whom did Ben buy the
donuts?” Why, the whole office! If figuring out the object or sub-
ject becomes too complicated, there’s an easier trick to use:
simply answer your own question using “he” or “him.” If the an-
swer is he, use who. If the answer is him, use whom—which con-
veniently ends with an “m,” for easy remembering. For example,
“who/whom ate all the donuts?” The correct answer would be “he
ate the donuts,” so “who” should be used.

On the other hand, if you were to ask “who/whom should I thank for the donuts?” a possible answer would be to point to
Ben and say, “Him!” Therefore, “whom” should be used, as Ben would be the object of the thanking. “Whom” should be
used only in reference to the object of a sentence, but because language is evolving, “who” can usually be used to refer
to both the subject and the object. So, the absolute easiest trick? When in doubt, use “who,” or ask an editor!

5

OFFICE RENOVATIONS

SUBMITTED BY MARA Seattle

May 1 was the day—the day that the Seattle office finally moved down two whole floors.
As minor as this sounds, it was actually a pretty big deal, when you think about the fact
that we’d been on the 27th floor since we moved to this building about 23 years ago.
Amazing.

There were a lot of changes with this move, so I asked Sandy what she thought the best
part of our new space was. “Clearly, it’s all the natural light,” she said. “For all the years
we were in that space, we never saw the light of day because we were in that internal
space.” My plants agree.

Another huge bonus of the move was the new furniture: we went from decades-old desks
and chairs to new everything! (I am a big fan of the coat closet in my cube.) Sandy added
that another big upside is that we get to see the editors more often. Upstairs, DPC was
split up, with the operators in a loose grouping of cubes on one side of a wall and the edi-
tors on the other, so days could go by without us seeing each other. Now our department
is together, affording us the opportunity to more easily interact and, of course, to share
sweets! It was a minor challenge to adjust our communication style to fit the more spread
-out configuration and the quieter area we’re in, but we’ve just about got it down.

All in all, it’s been a lot of work and a bit of an adjustment, but the move has been a great
one. Now the last big question is: Can the entire Seattle office really fit in our new, much-
larger conference room? Inquiring minds want to know.

Boston

SUBMITTED BY EMILY

With the ECG office renovations, we saw the dawning of a new era that moved
DPC out of our cubicle fishbowl and into an integrated space that solidified our sta-
tus as a true member of the Boston office community. No longer are we gawked at
awkwardly by passing consultants through the glass panels segregating us from
the main hallway or forced to interact solely with our cubicle mate. In all serious-
ness, though, the most enjoyable aspect of our new office floor plan is that it allows
for increased interaction between DPC and the rest of the office. The large wall di-
viding us from the hallway of consultant offices has been removed, and many of the
interns and consultants who travel frequently are at desks next to our area. It’s re-
freshing to have an open, continuous setup in place of our previous isolating pock-
ets of offices and cubicles. In addition, our old office layout separated us not only
from consultants but from other members of DPC. For a while, Katie W. and
Michelle H. were on the other side of the office. While I know it sounds absurd, I
swear there were multiple instances where I would not see them for days at a time!
Not only is it super exciting to be able to chat with each other every day, when we actually are working (ha ha, just kidding,
Sandy), we can finally bounce our ideas and questions off one another with ease. All in all, the Boston renovation has
brought about many welcome changes, and I genuinely feel like the DPC work environment has improved. Here’s hoping
Seattle has managed the same!

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