THE YOUNG AND THE FECKLESS

Such a noisy bunch. They are banging around like a herd of buffalo, crashing into things, and emitting strange noises.

I am of course talking about the people mentioned in my previous post – now into day five of their departmental move. With as little progress to report as last week.


OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT

The brutal reek of industrial cleaning liquid comes wafting over from their new home - they must be using buckets of it. One of them is swearing, and there are the dulcet sounds of gagging - but they will disinfect if it is the last thing they do, even if it poisons the entire company.
On my way past I saw more desks in their area than there are people in their entire department. They have imperialistically occupied part of the common hallway, and blocked off the back of their area to prevent walk throughs.

I already mentioned that the Accounting Department completed its move in less than half a day, didn’t I? There are more of us, and we have more stuff.

[In addition to our files and boxes of papers, we also have an armadillo. A singing bunny rabbit. A dancing robot dressed like a member of Bay Area Women in Black. A wide-eyed plastic duck, a wooden monkey, and a giant rubber lizard. A flock of noisy penguins. Things that go 'beep'. Several miniature porcupines, doggies, squirels, and assorted homunculi. Many tins of pipe-tobacco, plus a furry troll, a freak in a glass jar filled with brownish fluid, and a dissipated looking Mickey Mouse. ]

But we moved in mere hours, our brisk and businesslike efficiency proving that we are trained professionals. With quiet determination we went about our task, no disinfectant, no bleach, no swearing.
No thumping or frantic wails.

No territorial ambitions about the hallway.


A Chinese-American woman with a fluffy black horsy is sitting across from me. She is unperturbed by the smoke and thunder emanating from the sterilized zone. Even if they break out in war chants, she will calmly continue her labours.
Unlike me, the howling of the hairy savages does not disturb her in the slightest.
I am in awe of her composure.

Good lord, something just crashed into the wall right behind me. Are they throwing furniture? It's going to be a long week. Our new neighbors have rabies.

More than ever, I am convinced that my department is far too normal.