Friday, June 15, 2007

Work is (sort of like) Hell

They were supposed to fix the air conditioning in my office yesterday. People had started talking about needing to incorporate naptime into the work day if it didn't get fixed soon, because by mid-afternoon the whole office would be groggy and humid. We kept the window open and sometimes you could feel the breeze if you stood by the printer long enough. Some facilities guys in tan polo shirts finally showed up yesterday to install all the proper parts, and promised that everything would be in working order in the morning.
The morning was beautiful and cool, although you could tell it would be heat up another 20 degrees or so before lunch. I was freshly showered, awake and quite pleased with the world, until I stepped from the hallway into the office.
"They didn't fix it!" I moaned, loudly, without a thought of office etiquette. It was hotter than it had ever been, at least twice as hot as yesterday. It was surreal, like a practical joke. My chair and my desk both radiated heat.
Of course, instead of activating the air conditioner, they had left the heater on all night. Terrific! Fortunately, within an hour the error had been reversed, and our working conditions are now more pleasant. It was a strange way to start the day, though.