1st Wrinkle in Time
Work starts at 8am. If I leave my house at 7:40, I arrive at the office at 7:58. If I leave my house at 7:52, I arrive at the office at 7:59. I know this, because usually I try to leave around 7:40 and today I overslept and left at 7:52.
How could this be? I did notice that there is a lot less traffic after 7:50, probably because everyone has to be at work by 8 and is already almost there. Other than that, I think it must be pure will-power for time to slow down, because I didn't really speed more than usual. Its just a time warp.
Crazy time lapse 2
Let me lay out the usual office schedule- I arrive at 2 minutes to 8. All office employees are already there with the exceptions of the big boss and the accountant. The nice accounting lady shows at 9 and the boss between 8:30 and 11 depending on his morning schedule. This means 9 people are in the office when I arrive.
At noon about half the people take off for lunch and half eat something they brought or one person picks up food for more. Generally no one is out of the office more than 45 minutes and people eating in the kitchen only take 30.
In the evening, I leave at 5, and (aside from the big boss, a manager guy and the accounting lady who keep their own hours) one or two people leave with me, the rest staying until sometime after 5.
This is normal. Today is not normal. Today is the day that no managers were in the office. The big boss and his second in command were out on business, the bookkeeper and the sales guy (the only non-boss people I perceive as having more seniority than the rest of my cubicle-mates) were not in the office either.
This is how today's schedule went. I walk in at 8:01 (I was shocked by how fast I made it to work. It took me a minute to recover and gloss) and only one person is there. One. Not 9. One.
Nearing lunchtime, every single person left for lunch at 5 to noon. Everyone. We had to lock up.
Sensing that the ship was not being run as tightly as usual, I didn't bother coming back until 12:55 (usually I'd rush to be back before 12:40). Again, only one person beat me back. (Both times it was the only remaining male in the office- who barely counts as a man, its an awkward 20something tech guy who is like the office pet.) The girls showed up at 1:15. Hour and a half for lunch on a Monday. A record.
And! they didn't go back to work. They took themselves some dessert in the kitchen which lasted at least another 20 minutes. Nobody even answered the phones.
So do you think they all stayed late to make up the hours? Nope. At 4:42 they were gathered near my desk, all, "Abby are you leaving yet?" Um, yeah. They are all waiting for me, a solid 15 minutes earlier than I've ever left the office before. The place was cleared, locked, and parking lot emptied at 4:46.
At noon about half the people take off for lunch and half eat something they brought or one person picks up food for more. Generally no one is out of the office more than 45 minutes and people eating in the kitchen only take 30.
In the evening, I leave at 5, and (aside from the big boss, a manager guy and the accounting lady who keep their own hours) one or two people leave with me, the rest staying until sometime after 5.
This is normal. Today is not normal. Today is the day that no managers were in the office. The big boss and his second in command were out on business, the bookkeeper and the sales guy (the only non-boss people I perceive as having more seniority than the rest of my cubicle-mates) were not in the office either.
This is how today's schedule went. I walk in at 8:01 (I was shocked by how fast I made it to work. It took me a minute to recover and gloss) and only one person is there. One. Not 9. One.
Nearing lunchtime, every single person left for lunch at 5 to noon. Everyone. We had to lock up.
Sensing that the ship was not being run as tightly as usual, I didn't bother coming back until 12:55 (usually I'd rush to be back before 12:40). Again, only one person beat me back. (Both times it was the only remaining male in the office- who barely counts as a man, its an awkward 20something tech guy who is like the office pet.) The girls showed up at 1:15. Hour and a half for lunch on a Monday. A record.
And! they didn't go back to work. They took themselves some dessert in the kitchen which lasted at least another 20 minutes. Nobody even answered the phones.
So do you think they all stayed late to make up the hours? Nope. At 4:42 they were gathered near my desk, all, "Abby are you leaving yet?" Um, yeah. They are all waiting for me, a solid 15 minutes earlier than I've ever left the office before. The place was cleared, locked, and parking lot emptied at 4:46.
Clearly the clock hands travel at a different pace without some supervision. One day without the bosses, it was like anarchy. The music was even turned up. Normally there is some satellite Top 20 station playing in the office at a volume I'd describe as "barely audible" (which is good if they play Justin Timberlake and the Pussycat Dolls 15 times a day). Today the music was more like "just quiet enough that phone calls won't be disturbed. And it was a different station, one with commercials. Who knows what was going on. All I've learned is the next time we're on the honor system, my lunch is going to include a beer and an ice cream.
Which reminds me....
Time Warp 3
How long does it take for Canada to go from early spring to mid-summer? 12 hours. I go to sleep on Thursday and its been cold and dreary and rainy for 3 weeks and I wake up Friday and its sunny, highs in the 80s and cloudless, for going on 4 straight days now. Ridiculous.
2 comments:
I've been watching the weather in Drummondville and was shocked to see it in the 80's, actually. I thought, "My widget isn't reading the right town. Abby said it was rainy and gross." Glad to see that my widget is working perfectly.
You should have taken a longer lunch and worked on your tan..... Abby & a tan.....have not seen that in a few years.
All employees act the same no matter where they work when the boss is away. I can relate to that today!!
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