The Quarter

I used to sit near the break room. One day a colleague, James, loudly asked if anyone had a nickel. Apparently he was 5 cents short of affording the candy bar that he desperately wanted but certainly didn't need.

I waited until it was painfully obvious that nobody else was going to bridge the gap between him and vending machine bliss before I offered up the only piece of change I had (which happened to be a quarter.)

He grabbed the quarter (which inspired me to sanitize my hands - and not because I had just handled money) and walked around the corner toward the break room. I could hear the change being swallowed up by the machine, the sound of the coveted chocolate bar crashing into its target followed by the two tiny dimes falling into the change dispenser and then the sound of the change dispenser flap (as it's officially called) dropping back into place.

James then emerged from the break room, already devouring his prize. I turned in my chair and began to put my hand out for the two dimes that were surely coming my way when I realized that James had no intention of giving me my change. He brushed past me and took his seat at the end of the aisle.

Now 20 cents isn't a huge deal but I really struggled with the details of this event. My first thought was to make an excuse for his lack of courtesy. Maybe he just forgot?? Forgetting was actually the only explanation I could come up with in his defense. After much deliberation and character evaluation, I came to the conclusion that he didn't forget, that is just the type of person he is.

The Intro

I'm not a writer. In fact, I barely managed to earn my high school diploma due to my struggles with English classes. I do know how to run spell check but that doesn't mean that I will or that it will magically fix the grammatical errors on this blog. Please be mindful of this as you read on.

I'm not a blogger. I work for a tech-related company that shall remain nameless. Perhaps I will give it a fictitious name (like I did with my own name on blog spot) but for now I will just refer to it as "the workplace"

I will make every attempt to protect the privacy of myself and my colleagues so don't waste your time googling any of this. Although the events are real, the names are not.

This blog was not my idea. It was my best friend's. I have told him countless stories of events that have occurred at the workplace as I've counted down the minutes until the end of my shift. He has found them interesting, entertaining and sometimes astonishing. My hope is that you will have that same experience.

Entries will be irregular. I am busy with life. Blogging is not a priority so I will make entries when something noteworthy takes place AND I have the time to write about it. I fear that if I attempt to make regular entries, they will be lacking. However, noteworthy events and conversations are a constant at the workplace, it's just a matter of me being in the right place at the right time.

Tech-related companies attract a very particular type of employee. I do not fit this mold. I do not like Dungeons and Dragons. I do not have an Xbox Live membership. I do not live with my parents. I do not have the entire Star Trek collection on Beta, VHS, Laser Disc, DVD, Blueray and HD DVD. I do not collect bobble head dolls and He-Man figurines. I do not believe that "The Lord of the Ring" series was based on actual events.

I DO trim my toenails more than twice a year, shower more than twice a week and DID kiss a girl while in high school. All of this makes me an outcast in the workplace.