My Festive Winter Solstice
Two cartoons from last week's New Yorker that I particularly loved: this one and -- oh, the pain -- this one. Speaking of the latter, here are highlights of my day:
1. Had to ask, once again, someone on the packed bus who was sitting on the aisle with an empty window seat next to him, "Do you mind if I sit here?" Once again, he didn't move into the window seat or stand up, just pivoted his knees out enough for me to squeeze by.
2. Was cc'd on an e-mail from the boss in which he admitted a rather serious mistake I hadn't even realized anyone had made, let alone him.
3. Made a lunch of leftovers set out from last night's office holiday party: chips and bean dip, broccoli and celery, a roll, a mini elclair, and many mediocre butter cookies with sparkles on them. I returned three or four times over the course of the afternoon for more cookies.
4. Stopped into Borders at 18th and L at lunchtime to look for a book and was shocked to see the checkout line was fewer than about 20 people four days before Christmas. Found the book and was -- as the employee posted as a kind of checkout barker repeated over and over -- "less than two minutes in line! less than two minutes in line!"
5. Went back to Borders an hour later for an informational interview in the cafe with a young woman in which I was the one from whom information was being sought.
6. Spillled decaf latte down the front of my sweater during the aforementioned interview.
7. Had to ask two colleagues where a recently hired employee in another department sits so I could pass something on to her. I was embarrassed to ask, since the employee in question has worked there for at least a month and it's not that big an office. The first person I asked wasn't sure either and took a guess, which turned out to be wrong.
8. Talked to "Ted" at the Dell help desk in India to fix an ominous error message that kept appearing on my month-old computer. "Yes, William, no problem, you are absolutely welcome for that."
9. Had brought my notebook computer into work with me so I could call the help desk in India, which is why, since I was loaded down with the computer and my briefcase, having to ask someone on the bus for permission to sit next to him was particularly galling.
10. Came home to find my down-free throw pillows had arrived from the Company Store. This is my third attempt to get it right after ordering feathers by mistake the first time and the wrong size both the first and second times. Haven't opened the box yet.
1. Had to ask, once again, someone on the packed bus who was sitting on the aisle with an empty window seat next to him, "Do you mind if I sit here?" Once again, he didn't move into the window seat or stand up, just pivoted his knees out enough for me to squeeze by.
2. Was cc'd on an e-mail from the boss in which he admitted a rather serious mistake I hadn't even realized anyone had made, let alone him.
3. Made a lunch of leftovers set out from last night's office holiday party: chips and bean dip, broccoli and celery, a roll, a mini elclair, and many mediocre butter cookies with sparkles on them. I returned three or four times over the course of the afternoon for more cookies.
4. Stopped into Borders at 18th and L at lunchtime to look for a book and was shocked to see the checkout line was fewer than about 20 people four days before Christmas. Found the book and was -- as the employee posted as a kind of checkout barker repeated over and over -- "less than two minutes in line! less than two minutes in line!"
5. Went back to Borders an hour later for an informational interview in the cafe with a young woman in which I was the one from whom information was being sought.
6. Spillled decaf latte down the front of my sweater during the aforementioned interview.
7. Had to ask two colleagues where a recently hired employee in another department sits so I could pass something on to her. I was embarrassed to ask, since the employee in question has worked there for at least a month and it's not that big an office. The first person I asked wasn't sure either and took a guess, which turned out to be wrong.
8. Talked to "Ted" at the Dell help desk in India to fix an ominous error message that kept appearing on my month-old computer. "Yes, William, no problem, you are absolutely welcome for that."
9. Had brought my notebook computer into work with me so I could call the help desk in India, which is why, since I was loaded down with the computer and my briefcase, having to ask someone on the bus for permission to sit next to him was particularly galling.
10. Came home to find my down-free throw pillows had arrived from the Company Store. This is my third attempt to get it right after ordering feathers by mistake the first time and the wrong size both the first and second times. Haven't opened the box yet.
posted by Billy at 11:50 PM
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