monday morning blues kick in big and bad, the cubicle adventures are a whole big misadventure, and to top it all falling sick somehow sneaks into the agenda.
when you cannot breathe through your nose, you're shivering like a leaf, the computer decides to test your patience, people decide to see how many of those snide remarks you can endure, when cooking is not therapeutic anymore but a really tough chore, and auto drivers pick that particular day to be ruder than usual, the electricity board decides there has been enough light in your life, you run out coffee, and you want to simply run away...
you listen to dave matthews band,
you listen to "crush" a million times, soak in the music..breathe as deeply as you possibly can...
and then you say screw it all.
and sing out loud till you drown out the world.
10 January, 2011
The Cubicle Adventure
For months I sat home, scoffing at people who complained of Monday Morning Blues. Little did I know that it would hit me too, and how. Sunday is gone way too soon and as the dreaded monday morning approaches, i'm beginning to realise that my cursed cubicle awaits me. I can always picture those chairs, and in my imagination, they always seem to have an evil sneering smile plastered across their seats, for having me trapped there monday through friday.
There are quite a few hard workers where i work, diligently slogging to earn their bread and butter, loyal to the employers, reverential in their attitude to work. But MY cubicle adventure isn't anything remotely like the above.
This is how a regular work day would go:
Anywhere between 9.20 to 10.10 : Walk in like a zombie, throw stuff down, turn on computer, stare, curse the day you signed the offer letter. Fill water bottle.
10. 15 : Trudge upstairs and get that wonderfully energising cup of south indian filter coffee. (If anybody asks me what the absolute best thing about my job is, i would very unhesitatingly say, filter coffee.)
10.30 to 11.30 : Now this one needs a bit of a recap. You see most evenings, i invariably begin to contemplate just WHERE I'm headed with this job deal etc etc, and conclude that I should not complain, and its not the job i'm in, but how good i am in the job i'm in etc etc blah blah bleh; you know how those "pep talks to self" sessions are! So 10.30 to 11.30 is the time I actually put it to good use. Jab those ancient keys a little harder, squint at the monitor some more, try to be the diligent employee. I even have a maniacal look especially for this time of the day. Ha!
11.30 to 12 ish : anticipate lunch. fidget. fill the water bottle.
12 ish : Lunch! Yay!
... to 1 something : nobody works, and it is SUCH a put off that i just sit and stare at the computer and curse some more.
1 something to 3 : The alt-tab period. N, a good friend, and a genius work ethics expert, taught me this very valuable lesson very early on, first week at my first job. "hitting the alt-tab keys multiple times makes it look like you're hard at work. Do that for a bit and meet me at the TT table." I send him chocolates at regular intervals even now, although the days of hours spent at foosball n TT tables are long gone. The "alt-tab move" saves me every time the hawk eyed megalomaniac superior makes the routine (and VERY creepy) over the shoulder checks.
3 to 4 : This is the time when i actually feel like earning my pay, and therefore, this happens to be the time that i absolutely cannot. I am forced to go on a "break" despite repeatedly pleading and pointing at the computer. Another shot of caffeine. Fill the water bottle.
4 to 5 : work.work.work. sigh. rub eyes. look for people online. work.work.curse.
5 to 6 : fidget. look at clock. curse. fidget some more. fill water bottle.
"fill water bottle" appearing too many times in this post is not a typo or disorganized writing on my part. It is the best excuse to walk out of the cubicle, head held high, water bottle in hand. Having a water bottle is the smartest investment you can make. Carry it around so you can go to the pantry and "bump into a friend" for a chat. Needless to say, I treasure my sipper more than any other work-accessory (?).
6 PM : fidget. fidget. pick up bag. run.
Monday through Friday, the cubicle adventures continue.
There are quite a few hard workers where i work, diligently slogging to earn their bread and butter, loyal to the employers, reverential in their attitude to work. But MY cubicle adventure isn't anything remotely like the above.
This is how a regular work day would go:
Anywhere between 9.20 to 10.10 : Walk in like a zombie, throw stuff down, turn on computer, stare, curse the day you signed the offer letter. Fill water bottle.
10. 15 : Trudge upstairs and get that wonderfully energising cup of south indian filter coffee. (If anybody asks me what the absolute best thing about my job is, i would very unhesitatingly say, filter coffee.)
10.30 to 11.30 : Now this one needs a bit of a recap. You see most evenings, i invariably begin to contemplate just WHERE I'm headed with this job deal etc etc, and conclude that I should not complain, and its not the job i'm in, but how good i am in the job i'm in etc etc blah blah bleh; you know how those "pep talks to self" sessions are! So 10.30 to 11.30 is the time I actually put it to good use. Jab those ancient keys a little harder, squint at the monitor some more, try to be the diligent employee. I even have a maniacal look especially for this time of the day. Ha!
11.30 to 12 ish : anticipate lunch. fidget. fill the water bottle.
12 ish : Lunch! Yay!
... to 1 something : nobody works, and it is SUCH a put off that i just sit and stare at the computer and curse some more.
1 something to 3 : The alt-tab period. N, a good friend, and a genius work ethics expert, taught me this very valuable lesson very early on, first week at my first job. "hitting the alt-tab keys multiple times makes it look like you're hard at work. Do that for a bit and meet me at the TT table." I send him chocolates at regular intervals even now, although the days of hours spent at foosball n TT tables are long gone. The "alt-tab move" saves me every time the hawk eyed megalomaniac superior makes the routine (and VERY creepy) over the shoulder checks.
3 to 4 : This is the time when i actually feel like earning my pay, and therefore, this happens to be the time that i absolutely cannot. I am forced to go on a "break" despite repeatedly pleading and pointing at the computer. Another shot of caffeine. Fill the water bottle.
4 to 5 : work.work.work. sigh. rub eyes. look for people online. work.work.curse.
5 to 6 : fidget. look at clock. curse. fidget some more. fill water bottle.
"fill water bottle" appearing too many times in this post is not a typo or disorganized writing on my part. It is the best excuse to walk out of the cubicle, head held high, water bottle in hand. Having a water bottle is the smartest investment you can make. Carry it around so you can go to the pantry and "bump into a friend" for a chat. Needless to say, I treasure my sipper more than any other work-accessory (?).
6 PM : fidget. fidget. pick up bag. run.
Monday through Friday, the cubicle adventures continue.
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