Office Space

Peter: So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.
Dr. Swanson: What about today? Is today the worst day of your life?
Peter: Yeah.
Dr. Swanson: Wow, that's messed up.
- 'Office Space'

Oh to work in an office. To sit in front of a computer all day. Working in an office. Doing the 9 - 5 (or 8:30 - 4:30) thing. In a suit. Or business casual. Or all dress code bets are off cause I work in IT. Working in an office.

There are good and bad things about working in an office. Safety wise, there's not much danger of falling off your ladder. Or stepping on a nail. Or getting your finger sawed off.


Instead, office work has different health hazards. Carpel tunnel syndrome has to be the craziest/saddest/most pathetic. Too much typing and then your hands become weak and frail and unusable. What a cruel joke. If you have a bad chair then back/neck/my entire frickin' body pain can become an issue. You can also make plenty of bad financial decisions sitting in front of a computer all day which can be bad for your overall well being.

In the office, there is a different level of decorum than other workplaces. It's not appropriate to talk openly about how loaded you got last night (or how hungover you are this morning). Most conversations are very measured. Maybe it's a strange illusion, but it seems that most office types I work with are alot more conservative/square/older? than myself... so I'm careful when I choose to let the cat out of the bag with regards to what I'm really all about.

For whatever reason, I find the topic of bathroom culture in the office interesting. In an outdoor environment there are a lot more options. In an office, it's either your floor or another. The office provided my first ever exposure to the term 'biobreak'. This finds its way into meeting agendas. It's a polite way of saying: "10 minutes to piss or shit if you have to".

One of the worst office experiences to have is walking into the office washroom and realizing a bombatron 3000 is being released when all you want to do is take a pee. Sometimes the culprit is just leaving as you enter the washroom, and you are left with the airborn remnants of their bodily biohazard. Nature does call, but for whatever reason it just seems like there is never enough bathrooms for the amount of people in the buildings. It's scary stuff, I know.

To capitalize on the office bathroom culture, I am putting forward our product idea, which was originally conceived by LJR. Enjoy. Click the pic to see in actual size.

Life Lessons

"I may get old but I'll never grow up."
-fridge magnet

As one's time spent on earth continues to lengthen so does one's life experience continue to grow. As I meander down the path of pseudo-adulthood, new responsibilities, trials and teachings are met along the way.

During this growing process, I have recognized a need in my self to 'have it all'... something which I think many of my generational cohorts share. This personal sense of entitlement drives within me an urge to procure every item or experience I feel I deserve to have.

Now I may not be a complete and utter cheapskate, but I am thrifty with my money.

The only feasible way for me to 'have it all' at this point is to carefully purchase things. Whether it's calculating the per ml cost of imported ales, finding the cheapest source for a record, getting deals on cable/internet or knowing what the current price of cheese is in every supermarket in Victoria, I try and use my ability to memorize prices and value almost every day. For the most part I think I do a pretty good job making my dollars go far.

Btw, check out this cool jam called "I Need a Dollar" by Aloe Blacc:
http://starkmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-need-dollar.html

There have been some mistakes along the way... but that's what life experience is all about. I know now its best not to try and save by buying two used tires when in reality all 4 are in bad need of an upgrade... I have learnt that an inferior product for a cheaper price can be more expensive in the log run.

Which at last brings me to this postings picture. My friends the Tuppers were over one evening to grill up some burgers and watch a game. We all learnt a valuable life lesson that evening...

4 Semi-Recent Party Invites

"How many days left until our Great task?
There are only 22
Will you be wearing a cat mask,
Or drinking out of a shoe?"
-Ashmo to 2008 House Crawlers

There are many different attributes that can contribute to the success of a party. The theme, date, location, occasion etc. can all influence the outcome of a social gathering.

Truth be told its fun to find an inspiration (or excuse) to have a party and our local party planning committee has been very successful in coming up with a diverse party ideas and plans.

The party invite is a key part of the party planning process which serves several important functions. It provides party time and location details to invitees and also helps the host to find out who will be able to attend. It also can be a vehicle for building interest and excitement in the party which can have a big payoff when the party time arrives.

I have included 4 semi-recent party invites (in chronological order) which all helped to get the party spirit going for what all proved to be great times. Special thanks to Smoka G and Ashmo for creating two of these fine party invites.

Backwoods Xmas Get-together 2007:



House Crawl 2008 Map (part of the invite):




Halloween vs. Christmas 2008:

Sea of Sequins 2009: