A: Ha yes, yes it does.  My brain didn’t want to function correctly yesterday.  I agree to have lunch and payday together.
S: So where do you want to go for lunch today?  And… more importantly… do you think they’ll let us leave early or make us stay here all afternoon with nothing to do?
A: Both are excellent questions.  I have no idea about either.  Scratch that because I’m always in the mood for garlic cilantro fries but I’m not sure your feelings on that.  I really do hope we get the afternoon off but I don’t feel it’s necessary to get any hopes up at this time.
S: Wise council my friend.  Wise council indeed.

I am always down for cilantro fries.  That sounds like a decision to me!

A: Done and done.  Perhaps we should take an earlier lunch in case we get out early…  ……………………

S: Hmmmmmmmm…………………………………………………………. Intriguing notion.  I think I like it.

A: Ohhh do you have gossip from last night?

A: I invited Barat to lunch since it’s one of our last days together before I head out.  Hope that’s okay!

S: Were you watching TV last night?  At all?  What about at the precise unspecified time and station that I am referring to?
A: Haha I know.  And I’m running around with my head cut off because J’s  client wants to order the product TOMORROW!  I just got this project Wednesday. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
S: Yikes!!!!!!  Well.  I’m bored out of my mind.  So if you need to double-team the project, feel free to make me your gopher.

S: Sorry.  I’ve become slightly unhinged.

A: It happens.  I’m becoming slightly neurotic as I work on this thing.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel but I’ll let you know if I need help!

S: Deal!  Good luck!

A: I think we should go to lunch tomorrow in lieu of payday.

S: In lieu of?  Doesn’t that mean instead of?  I think we should have lunch And payday.  But that’s just me :)

S: If you had to insert a “printer stand” into a room full of wood Walden, what would you use?  Hypothetically of course :)

A: Ha, I believe one of the wood lines has a printer stand, unfortunately I couldn’t tell you which one off the top of my head.  Or possibly one of the Turnstone desking lines has one as well.  I would check in the wood first.  Don’t know if that answered your question…………………………..

S: Yuck… it’s Norfolk.

A: Bleck.

S: So I was staring at my screen trying to figure out why it was wrong—when I realized that CET had closed itself and I had been using it.  Took me like 3 minutes to figure it out :)

A: Sometimes these things happen.  We just have to adapt and overcome office life and the challenges it throws at us.

S: I think you should become a motivational speaker.  Corporations across the country would schedule you to come and speak.

A: Yes perhaps I should.  I go with the “K.I.S.S.” motto from the office.  Keep it simple stupid.

S: Good.  I like it.  No sense in over-complicating things needlessly.

A: Yes, yes I agree.  You should join me in this motivational speaking gig.
S: Freaking sweet!  I am all that.  Those people make so much money.

S: Also.  All *about* that

A: Funny because  I didn’t even know the about was missing until you said anything.  My mind read it as there.
S: Apparently my fingers did too.

S: I am not a fan of Herman Miller.  That’s all.
A: It’s a somewhat sadistic system to put together.
S: You’re telling me :)  My goodness—they want me to use the Baker collection, which means we don’t have access to spec guides because they’re a HM supplier.  Yikes.
A: Ugh I strongly dislike projects like that.  It’s unfortunate but at the same time it’s something to do ;)

S: Fair enough :)

A: Is it bad that I spend half an hour in Paint when I don’t need to but what to?

S: Truth?  ……   But I certainly don’t have room to judge :)

Have you written your little resume-blurb yet?

A: Want to* 

Yes it was terrible but I did it.  I pretty much went off of Aurora’s and catered it to me.  Its shorter than Aurora’s though.  I generalized things like projects I worked on and just mentioned the programs that we work in here.  I really hate writing blurbs about myself when it comes to resumes.

S: I know right?  Mine is terrible.

A: Can’t be any worse than mine.

S: We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

A: I suppose so. 

Why does 5:00 seem so far away?

S: No kidding.  This days has been unforgivably long.  I blame it on eating my snack at 9am…

A: Yes early snacks and lunches can throw off the work day length.  Perhaps it’s the long daylight hours as well, never seem to know what time of the day it is.

S: This is true.  I’ll have to be smarter about my snacks from now on.  Unfortunately there is nothing I can do (nor want to do) about the sunshine.  I just freaking love that giant ball of gas.

A: It’s a pretty amazing thing.  You know what else is amazing?  The new Design Tex Steelcase Select Surface catalog.  Wonderful.  Fantastic.  Yellow.

S: I’m freaking in love with that too.  I also love how it’s yellow and not boring-mcborinton brown.

A: Nobody likes boring-mcborington anymore. 

I do wish CET had a toe kick component.

S: Ooh.  That would be nice.  Can we list all the things we wish CET had?  Cause I feel like that would be long.

A: It would be long but I think it’s worth a try. 

S: I want to be able to rotate the plans view.  Or at least be able to do it on the  paper space.

A: Yes that would be nice.  I want to choose which walls are invisible. 
S: I would love to be able to sneakily use it as a residential design tool.  Which means more homey things.

S: I’m pretty sure I’m going to have 7.5 hrs of admin time today.  Luckily 45 minutes of that was the meeting.  Yikes.  How else can I break that up.
A: Yeah I know how you feel.  At least you have legitimate admin work..

Trivia:  What state(s) have the most surrounding states bordering it?

S: Some of it is.  Other of it… is not.

Umm.  Can I look at a map or is that cheating?

A: I was just curious if you had any guesses before looking at a map.

I looked at a map myself.

S: Hmm.  There are a lot with 5. 

Kentucky?

A: Nope, but close.  You can look at a now if you want :)

A: Wow, forgot a word in there.  I’m sure you figured out that you can look at a map now.

A: http://assets.fbmta.com/clt/bnhn/lp/join/join.asp?q=thechefstable

If you want to sign up for this Benihana Birthday discount here is the link.  They send out email updates so I think you’d have to print off your email and take it in.  The birthday dinner is good for the whole month of your birthday :)

S: I’m about to apply for ASID membership—do you want me to list you as the person who referred me?  I’m all about trying to win money.

A: Sure!

A: Today happens to be Thursday. :)  Almost there.

S: Are you sure?  Because sometimes I feel like we will never get there.

A: I’m trying out this whole optimism thing.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

S: How… unusual.  Please keep me informed.  I’m intrigued by such a ground-breaking experiment.

A: We are 30 minutes away from my second most favorite time of the week.
S: I can’t decide if that feels close enough to touch… or hopelessly far away.  Either way the outlook is rather dismal :)

We’re so close!!! 

S: This made me happy.  That’s all.

A: I feel a little crazy when I start whispering to my computer.
S: Nah, you’re just bonding.  I often feel that computers are like plants.  They are sentient—they just don’t communicate in words.  They mostly respond to your feedback :)
A: And I suppose whispering is better than yelling.  

It is 3:30.

S: Cheers!

A: I love how we (design) all do the same thing yet every one of us has a different title.
S: I know right?  And is he for reals ‘lead designer’—because I thought that was A?
A: Ha his says “Senior Space Planner” on my phone list.  I’m just a plain old designer and you are a designer and space planner which is funny to me because we all do space planning.
S: Yeah—we all do exactly the same thing.  Except A.  Who is legit team leader.
A: Yep that’s pretty much what I feel as well.
S: I feel restless today.  What I wouldn’t give for a walking station.
A: Oh me too it would be awesome to have one.  Our office is not as ergonomic as some may think.
S: J was right the other day when he said we were a poster-child for sound-masking.  We’re also a poster child for a dated office in need of a renovation.
A: Agree and agree.  How come we don’t practice what we preach?

I just restarted my CET.  37 new extensions.  I see what you mean. :/

S: Also, we’ve been using this email for an entire month.  That’s pretty sweet.

A: Yes, yes we have.  Let’s see how long we can keep it going.

S: I feel really good about that.  I think our goal should be a year.  Basically I think we should keep it until the computer can’t handle it anymore :)

A: That’s risky.   I like it.

S: You know me… my middle name is risky.  Stephanie Risky Whiting.  In middle school they called me SWAT-team Stephanie.

A: Haha awesome.  Nothing beats a catastrophic failure of Microsoft Outlike like an ongoing email.

S: I wonder if it’s ever happened before?  Shouldn’t we get into Guinness with this?

A: I would hope so.  It’s got to get us somewhere.

S: Or maybe there is some kind of office Olympics.

A: Yes, office place Olympics.  Like in the show the Office and how they have the Olympics.  It would be funny if we could constantly mess with one of our co workers.  Like put their stapler in jello or lock up the pencil drawer.  Frustration to no end yet endless entertainment for us.

S: You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to do that!  Or relocate all their furniture, or attach it to the ceiling… it would be the best!

A: Put their cell phone in the ceiling tiles and call it.

S: Faxes.  From themselves.  From the future.

A: Forgot about that one.  Such a great show. 

S: That was the first episode I ever saw.  It is forever ingrained in my memory.  Love season two still.

A: Yes, I own seasons 2-5.  I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of them.  My first episode was I believe the one about diversity, season one.  I was hooked after that. 

“I like the smell of bacon in the morning, so sue me”  Do you remember that episode?

S: Yes!  Oh, classic.  What a great show.  So many one-liners it’s impossible to quote them all.

A: It should be illegal in Alaska to go to work on perfectly sunny days.

S: For reals.  I want to enjoy it so bad.  But I guess it still isn’t super warm yet… maybe I’ll try and save my wistfulness for then :)

A: Interesting…

I may just turn into the Hulk if someone tried to take away our dual monitors.

S: I would fear for my mental stability.  I don’t know if I even want to contemplate the horrors of that situation.

A: Let’s just be thankful we don’t work for that company the “research” was done on.

A: Shall we work on the power point today before the presentation today?  I have to take my car in at 12 so unfortunately I have to take an early lunch.   Perhaps after the meeting we can collaborate and figure out what we’re going to present?
S: That sounds great—I’m thinking maybe if we have the time, to re-write your part a little bit so it sounds like you’re saying it, and not saying it how I would say it.  I think it will have a much better flow.
A: Yes that would be good!  I’ll work on finishing up the renderings if my computer allows it.
A: I’m not a fan of how our co-worker likes to point out whoever’s supposed be on Hub duty like a lunch room regulator.
S: I know right?  Also, I love it when he tells us the same thing over and over.  Exactly the same way every time.
A: Perhaps it’s a generational thing we missed somewhere.
S: That would explain it.

S: Facebook sent me this email and I thought it was hilarious—thought I’d share J

A: Haha nice.  Lots of photo tags, eh?

S: Apparently—I logged in to see what it was all about, but it seemed pretty much the same as always.

A: What do you think this means?

S:  An invitation to a party?

I’ll see what I can find.