The person who designed my company's breakroom must be related the guy who designed the "combimouse". Because they're both terribly-designed. Our breakroom is a square room where three of the walls have stuff on them that people need. One wall has the coffee maker, trash can, and utensil cabinets. The next wall has the sink, the refrigerator, and the coffee supplies. The next wall has a doorway to the next room. So if you're in there eating lunch, people are bustling about and weaving in and out of the tables like it's Grand Central Station or something. And you have the feeling that you're always being watched (or slowly being surrounded).
One of the main reasons I stream videos on my laptop during lunch is because wearing headphones make it acceptable to completely ignore people. In fact, even if I'm just checking my email or reading something online, I wear my headphones and smile occasionally to make people think that I'm watching something (like a video of the combimouse in action). And if I hear someone talking, I fight the urge to look up at them. But today I couldn't even do that. Because I forgot to charge my laptop last night and it was running on reserve battery power. And in any other room in the country, I would just plug in the power adapter and continue with my lunch. But our ridiculous breakroom only has one usable power outlet. And it's on the wall between the sink and the refrigerator, underneath the microwave. So I would have to pull up a chair to the counter and use my laptop there. And since that's not an option, I was forced to actually talk to people today.
It was horrifying. I had to pretend to know something about one coworker's college football team (and then pretend to care). Then I was sucked into a work-related conversation about client emails. During lunch! Hearing people discuss work while on your lunch break and then being asked your opinion about their conversation is America's greatest flaw. In Spain, you can be shot for mentioning work during lunch. And in Luxembourg, coworkers who try to discuss work during lunch are put in the stocks for 3 days. Not a bad system actually. We should bring the stocks back.
11 comments:
Love your blog, have become a recent fan... but please, check out the correct use of "there" and "their"... as a German who was hammered with English grammar in high school, this truly bothers me ;)
I'm so embarrassed! I'm an English major! I think I originally meant to say something about how "people are in their work modes" or something but forgot to change the word.
I can't believe I did that. I mock people who do that.
Anyway, it's fixed now.
*cough**cough* Nope, it's not, lol... well, one is, but the other one is not...
"Hearing people discuss work while on your lunch break and then being asked your opinion about there conversation is America's greatest flaw."
I hate to be a stickler, lol ;)
I DID IT TWICE?!?!
Someone must have spiked my afternoon coffee yesterday.
OOoohh, Taylor, burn! They gotcha!
No, Jill, they didn't get me. He or she got me.
It probably wasn't spiked coffee. I suspect the Lysol cupcake!
Well if you are going to call someone out on their grammar, at least do it as a real person not anonymous!
First!!
Why does it matter if I post a remark with my blogger name or anonymously? It does not make me any more "real" to the author, or does it? And the reason I posted anonymously, is because I can not remember my password for the life of me...
I enjoy reading this blog, just as I enjoy reading on facebook or other places. But when I see something like "their" "there" "they're" misused, or a very common mistake "would of" instead of "would have" or "would've", I feel entitled to point it out. Especially to an English major who is not above poking fun at himself. That is why I like his blog... I get corrected all the time because English is not my native language and I do make mistakes... that's how I learned this language so far, but getting corrected and learning from my mistakes...
And I am a "she"... just to make sure I am more "real" to y'all, lol...
I don't care if commenters stay anonymous. I'm a big fan of being anonymous (which explains why half of my "older brothers" stories are actually about me).
All I ask is that if you make a comment, please also become a follower. It's the only validation I have!
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