CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT
Today started as a normal day. Woke up, showered, dressed, got my lunch together, drove the 45 minute trip to UMass Amherst.
That is where 'normal' ended and cruel began.
As I was walking into the building, I noticed an annoying high pitched sound and that none of the normal lights were on...only the emergency lights. All of the building's cafe workers were out in the quad chatting - not cooking people's breakfasts. It was obvious the power was out.
I depend on the computer for about 90% of my job so with the power out...there wasn't much I could do. I read the paper (a luxury I rarely get); I even did the crossword (and felt dumber because of it); I cleaned out files from my predecessor that I have wanted to do since November but didn't have the time until now.
I was half hoping that if the power didn't return by 10:30 a.m. we would be sent home. Alright, alright...I was more than half hoping.
As I was finishing my file purging...at 10:30 a.m. on the nose, the lights pop on, the copier starts to whir and the air conditioning crackles and spits to life. If this wasn't cruel and unusual punishment, I don't know what is.
Oh well, now I have to get some work done...like blogging...a very important part of my job! :-).
I hope your day is better than mine has turned out to be.
LT
That is where 'normal' ended and cruel began.
As I was walking into the building, I noticed an annoying high pitched sound and that none of the normal lights were on...only the emergency lights. All of the building's cafe workers were out in the quad chatting - not cooking people's breakfasts. It was obvious the power was out.
I depend on the computer for about 90% of my job so with the power out...there wasn't much I could do. I read the paper (a luxury I rarely get); I even did the crossword (and felt dumber because of it); I cleaned out files from my predecessor that I have wanted to do since November but didn't have the time until now.
I was half hoping that if the power didn't return by 10:30 a.m. we would be sent home. Alright, alright...I was more than half hoping.
As I was finishing my file purging...at 10:30 a.m. on the nose, the lights pop on, the copier starts to whir and the air conditioning crackles and spits to life. If this wasn't cruel and unusual punishment, I don't know what is.
Oh well, now I have to get some work done...like blogging...a very important part of my job! :-).
I hope your day is better than mine has turned out to be.
LT
posted by Liz at 11:10 AM
1 Comments:
When I worked at GEICO years ago, we were made subject to a rolling blackout one summer. The adventure of it was we didn't know what time during the day the power company was going to shut things off. In a most bizarre way, it created an efficiency/productivity contest among some of the staff. You didn't want to be in the middle of a pc file and have the computer go off. Also, being in the stairwell or bathroom at the wrong time would have proved unsettling.
On the flip side, times like these help illustrate just how dependent life has become on technology or the access to it. A "forced" break from our tech culture can provide a nice opportunity to reconnect with people in ways we just don't use much anymore.
Have a good afternoon!
Kim T.
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