The Office has run amok!

Since returning from vacation, my work environment has run amok!

1. Overcrowded Yahoo! introduces valet parking

Monday morning, I discovered that as a result of our quickly growing number of Yahoos (who are disgruntled over the insufficient parking space and some coworkers' poor parking skills) we now have free valet parking. I was a bit shocked at first, but I suppose it is a nice convenience.

2. My normally functional computer breaks down.

Never has my trusty G4 powerbook crashed, until last week, while uploading photos. It crashed, and then it continued to crash on startup. This happened about 10-20 times in a row, so I gave up. When I brought it to work, the computer technician told me that some kind of settings file got corrupted.

On the bright side, they were able to retain my data and decided to just give me a new laptop (because fixing the old one would require opening the hardware, which would void the warranty). That was great! --until this morning, an error message popped up, telling me that my Microsoft Office database was corrupted.

Finally, it seems to be working well now. Phew.

3. My coworkers are equally plagued with injury and computer problems.

Our Researcher broke her foot, while working abroad! She was wearing flats, just walking along some kind of uneven tiled floor! She had to return early to get foot surgery and now is walking around the office in crutches and a big foot cast. PLUS her PC also broke down and she lost half her data.

Another Designer's PC also wouldn't start this morning. Something to do with the Microsoft platform. Ironically, he used to work for Microsoft. He also was not surprised to hear that my mac's Microsoft data got corrupted. I see why he left his old job.

And another Designer's girlfriend got Viral Meningitis! Luckily it's not the bacterial kind, which can be fatal. (I know someone that nearly died from that kind.) But just recovering from meningitis is a horrific thing in itself. She's been spending several painful days on Morphine, Motrin, and Vicodin. Plus she can hardly eat without barfing. But at least she's getting better.

4. Rodent Infestation.

This morning, while typing away on my pc, I noticed a blur of movement in my peripheral view. For a second I wondered if I was seeing things, until I see the same brown blur shoot back in the opposite direction. I yelped and stood up. It was a MOUSE, scurrying across the back of my desk along the cubicle wall.

I called facilities, and they said they would send some pest control people over. I nervously sat at my desk, but really I wanted to go home. I took my stuffed animals home so they wouldn't get chewed up.

Time to find a new job? Or maybe just another vacation.