Typical Day
JJ Dollar finally drags himself out of bed at 6:48AM—he's hit the snooze button six times. Half asleep, he stumbles into the kitchen and grumbles mid-yawn, "There will never be enough coffee in the world to make Mondays okay."
After a quick pep talk with his coffee mug, JJ gets ready for the day. He has a meeting later that morning with a potential grantmaker, so he puts on his snazziest suit and his lucky Spider-Man socks. Nothing spells success like Spidey socks. He grabs one more cup of coffee for the road and starts his thirty-five-minute commute to the Captain Obvious Research Institute, where he works as a grant writer in the development department.
JJ arrives at work promptly at 8:00AM and plops down at his desk. He opens his email to find a message from Bill in finance. JJ is working on a grant proposal for a potentially landmark research study: Why do bullies bully?
Bill's been dodging JJ's repeated requests for the study's budget, which he needs to finalize the proposal. The deadline is tomorrow, and Bill's email says he still doesn't have the numbers. Feeling his blood pressure rise, JJ starts his counselor-prescribed deep breathing exercises while envisioning his happy place—a magical land where deadlines don't exist.
JJ's mental vacation is soon interrupted by his weekly 8:15AM Monday meeting with Felicity Queen, the director of development. Stopping briefly to top off his coffee along the way, JJ heads to the spacious corner office in the back of the building. He takes a seat across from Felicity, a no-nonsense director who likes to cut right to the chase.
"Good morning, JJ," she says. "Can you give me an update on your current projects?"
"Yes—to start things off, I have great news. The proposal for our study on whether or not exercise is good for you was awarded a federal grant of $180,000."
"That's fantastic! I believe that study is going to bring a significant paradigm shift to how we view exercise. How is the other proposal going?"
JJ shifts a little in his seat. He knows from experience that any excuses about Bill in finance will be met with Felicity's trademark phrase: "Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions."
"Well..." JJ begins, hesitating for a moment. "I'm getting the final budget information today and will have everything ready to submit before the deadline."
"Great, that's the kind of results-oriented attitude I like to hear. Keep up the great work, JJ."
After the meeting, JJ heads straight to the finance department on the second floor. He finds Bill casually chatting away in the break room. "Bill, I got your email. This proposal deadline is tomorrow. I really need—"
"Yes, yes," interrupts Bill, looking annoyed. "Look, I've really been swamped this morning. I'll see what I can do."
Swamped? JJ is unconvinced but manages a forced, "Thanks, Bill. I'd appreciate that."
From there, JJ heads out for a 10:00AM meeting with the Pork Industries Group, a potential funder for a future study into whether or not pigs love mud. The meeting seems to go well, but as the receptionist walks him out, JJ can't help but notice a number of the office staff are giggling and pointing in his general direction.
Once outside, JJ spies the cause of all this giggling: his right pant leg is tucked into the top of his Spider-Man socks. "So much for my Spidey sense," he thinks.
JJ arrives back at the Captain Obvious Research Institute just in time for a quick lunch break. He scarfs down some leftover pizza from the night before (cold, of course), refills his coffee, and settles back down at his desk. There, he spends the next couple of hours lost in a haze of internet research, typing search phrases into Google like: "companies that fund research on pigs" and "help me Google, you're my only hope."
JJ breaks for more coffee and takes the opportunity to catch up on the latest office gossip from Kat Pryde, another grant writer on the development team. "I heard from Sharon, who heard from Frank that apparently Ed lost a huge grant after failing to write the proposal in ten-point Times New Roman, as clearly lined out in the grantmaker's rules."
"Oooooh. That's embarrassing." JJ shakes his head.
"I know, right?" agrees Kat. "I'd hate to be Ed right now."
One more cup of coffee, and JJ is back to stalking Bill in finance, who finally hands over the updated budget. With the proposal due tomorrow, there's nothing to do but work late. JJ hunkers down at his desk and finalizes the budget section of the proposal, triple-checking the numbers and agonizing over every tedious detail down to the font size and word count. There's no way he's going to pull an Ed on this one.
By 7:00PM, it's ready to submit, and JJ breathes a sigh of relief. He heads home, but he's too pumped up to fall asleep. Hours later he's watched everything on his DVR, and he drifts to sleep, counting dollar signs to help him doze off.