Convergence

I\’d like to bring together a couple of scantily related topics. After working at the new gig for about a month, I have gathered sufficient data to report on the facilities (aka \”my office,\” \”my other office,\” \”the log cabin\”). The other office at my last place of employment will be hard to beat. Stall walls that were fully framed and extended all the way to the floor. I usually hiked over to Tower 2 where the solid wood doors went all the way to the floor too. While neither the walls or doors at the new office are floor-length, the whole thing is kept very clean, the paper goods are soft, plentiful and provided in adult dispensers, and, most importantly, it is not too crowded. Nothing sucks worse than a high-traffic office — Odors persist. Awkward moments abound. Privacy is non-existent. And, everyone who likes sitting down on a seat that is still warm from the last person, raise your hand. That\’s what I thought — The dimensions of the individual offices are balanced, as in, they aren\’t so small that the person next door accidentally pisses on your shoes, but they don\’t leave you feeling cold and vulnerable like the godforsaken handi-office. I hate the cavernous warehouse of the handi-office. Also, the new offices feature \”the hook\”, where, after a night of braveheart wings, I can hang my shirt and pants and really get down to business.

The other topic I wanted to discuss today is community. The socialist in me enjoys very much the idea of productive, efficient communities that operate on the fuel of its citizens\’ individual contributions. Rarely does one get to experience this phenomenon, but today was a pleasant exception. One of the things about going to the office is that I often run out of work to do before I\’m finished working … if yer picking up what I\’m putting down. I\’m not obnoxious enough (yet) to actually carry work (ie – a magazine) with me to the office. Today, as I was getting settled at \”my desk,\” I notcied something unusual in the Redneck Cowboy Hat dispenser. Someone had printed out all 5 pages of Bill Simmons\’ ESPN Page2 column from yesterday and left it in the bathroom. The dispenser was actually the perfect size and shape to hold such reading material. Simmons\’ column was similar to most sports columns of late wherein the writer gets all pseudo-philosophical and stiff-upper-lip-sentimental about post season baseball, all the while flexing their knowledge of post-seasons from 20 or 30 or 70 years ago. Baseball is boring enough without having to read what some other douchebag actually thinks about it. As it was, this was the best baseball column I had ever read.

In addition to the facts that a) someone brought reading material into the office and then left it there for everyone to enjoy, and b) the reading material was a sports opinion column (a safe bet to leave in an office for dudes), I was most intrigued by the idea that someone printed the article on the office printer to bring to the bathroom. I would like to think they were sitting in their cube thinking, \”You know what all the guys in the other office would enjoy? Something to read.\” More likely, they were probably in their cube plowing through their morning reading when WHOOPS it is time to go to work. It is time to go to work RIGHT NOW. \”Oh hey, I\’ll just print this bad boy out and bring it with me.\” When he was finished, he probably just forgot it. I\’ll just keep telling myself that I\’m witnessing one person\’s intentional charity for the good of the community. At least in the other office, everything is going to be just fine.