Eric Bergen

I heard this over the wall of my cube today:

Guy A: Computer or Paperweight?
Guy B: Huh?
Guy A: I’m going to the hardware giveaway. Am I going to get a computer or paperweight?
Guy B: *Mumbles something*
Guy A: It’s a heavy object used to keep papers from blowing away.

After the initial shock of learning someone didn’t know what a paperweight was my brain started to drift away.
*wavy flashback lines lines*
Imagine working in an office long ago before air conditioning. In a time where stuffy wool suits were the only fashion and air moved by the grace of god or by your hand powered fan. Your sitting at your desk writing numbers on a ledger with a quill wet with fresh ink from the well on your desk. It’s 105F outside but you can’t go down to the creek for a swim because your boss demands the accounts be balanced by quitting time. The only water comes from a wooden bucket that was hauled from the well hours before so it’s almost as hot as you are. Sweat pours out of you where it feeds a thriving culture of bacteria in your suit creating a pungent oder that drifts throughout the room. The two small windows in your office are open wide in hopes of a blessing. Then it comes. A small gust of wind. Just enough to give you a second of relief from the heat and rustle a few papers on your desk. Previous experience tells you what to do next. You look for and adjust your paperweight.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2005 at 10:57 pm and is filed under General, Neighbors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.