2010 Christmas

WE TAKE HOME THE WIN!!!

Here is a link to the album with a few pictures. Enjoy

Tonight is the night.

Tonight is the judging for the Holiday Decorating Contest. I have up about 15,000 lights this year and it's all gone pretty smooth. I did find out that this year there will be one winner per community, which I think is crap. Almost makes it too easy. So I'll find out tomorrow if I am the victor. I still need to get some good pictures and video posted.

Later.

The Office

A necessary evil that plagues the lives of nearly every person on the planet, the office is a place of love for some, a place of hate for others, or a place of content for the few. Offices vary in every profession, every country, and every environment. My profession, as an IT professional, generally demands the same cookie cutter setting, in every situation.

Part of the office experience is the journey to the office, known as the "commute"; this journey is not a glorious quest, nor a noble voyage. It is usually spent half asleep, perched behind the wheel of my neglected vehicle, sipping on a caffeinated beverage of some sort. I look at the other commuters most days, just to see how they relish there last minutes of freedom before entering their offices. Some fiddle with the radio, others are quickly stuffing a single serving breakfast down their throats, women are putting on last minute touches to their makeup, and some are doing just as I am; observing. There are those who believe getting to the office is the goal of the entire day, they drive fast, change lanes aggressively, peel out, screech to stops, and when others get in the way impeding this behavior, they resort to the honking of the horn, the gesturing of the hand in profane manners, and the yelling out the of window. All of which are really dramatic, all of which I love to instigate, getting a bit of joy out of their turmoil; road rage you say, nope just passing the time.

On my approach to the office, I normally draw in my last breaths of freedom and the last sounds of silence; this is how I prepare for the next eight hours of the office experience. I sit in my car, the engine off, my brown bagged lunch in hand, staring at the clock, waiting for the moment to embark on the next leg of the office journey. Tick-tock tick-tock, every second more precious than the next, until the final second has passed and the assent must ensue. I know exactly how long it takes to trek from my car seat to that desk chair and just how late I can be without anyone saying anything. Like I said the seconds are precious in this game and if I can shave a few off company time, I grasp the opportunity. Walking to the entrance, I see the smokers getting their fix in the designated smoking areas, the late employees hushing to the door looking at their wrist watch watching the second fall away. The hallway on my way to the office is lined with the doors of the offices of the many people that I work for. These people have offices with doors and windows, and personal space, none of which I am not afforded.

Arriving at the door of my office, I must gain access with the swipe of a card that dangles from the standard company issue lanyard around my neck. The card has my name, my picture with the fake smile, and division where I work. The door beeps, granting me access to the mayhem that lies behind. Grasping the door and pulling with all my strength, the air rushes into the negative pressure of the room, like fresh air onto a starving fire. Upon entering the office I observe the situation, attempting to feel the climate of the day the come. I approach my desk, looking first to see if there is already work piling in the inbox, scanning the area to see if anyone seems to be waiting for me, and last wondering if I left now would anyone be the wiser. The inbox is the where the seeds of work are sown, whether it's a physical box on the desk or the virtual email inbox, this is where the work is grown and harvested. There are co-workers that wait for you for you, not giving you a chance to take off your jacket or sit down. These people are like predators waiting for their prey to enter the kill zone, and once they have you in their claws, surrender is the only option, because they will come back relentlessly, until their needs are fulfilled. Would anyone be the wiser if I left before even getting started, my luck says yes. I sit and breathe the stale air and listen to the hum of the computer systems. Others around me chatter about the day’s events to come, I try not to listen; ignorance is a little more blissful than enlightenment in my office experience.

My office setting is comprised of cubicles placed in rows, like corn in a farmer’s field. Each desk stamped with the same basic equipment, slow computer, broken stapler, out-dated calendar, dry highlighters, TPS report coversheet memos, and a self of books that never get used. Each person sits in their cubical, or as I like to call it "a little slice of Hell", staring into the computer monitor. I’ve notice that a person tends not to blink while staring into the computer monitor; hypnosis is the key to corporate productivity. Technology has made lives easier; however every second using it sucks a little more life out of us. Technology has enslaved us, we are just puppets under it power.

The office is a work camp of all classes’ people, the rich, the poor, the average, the hard working, and the slackers living out there days, to necessitate the end of the work day in order to return back to their houses, apartments, or dorms for a short break, before it all starts over again the next day.