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viewsMy Fave: Water Cooler Talk
By thatstheticketut, Thursday, May 13, 2010, 2 commentsNot many offices nowadays have water coolers. People carry water bottles or drink bottled water, so there is really no use for the paper cups with the gulping sound of the cooler.
Some people think the coffee pot has replaced the water cooler. People gather around the coffee throughout the day to small talk and gossip. Well, in my office, it seems that the water cooler and the coffee pot are both replaced with my desk.
I usually sit at one of two reception desks in the office . Because I usually answer phones and greet people along with my article/story finding responsibilities, I get a lot of office traffic throughout the day. In the mornings, my desk seems to be the hot spot where people come to tell me about their joys and accomplishments, complaints and exasperations.
One particular day last week really sticks out in my mind. A man that works in my office found out that I was going on a cruise to Jamaica next week. When he found this out, he would ask me about it every time he walked by. I didn't mind because he seemed to be genuinely interested. He told me how he thought it would be such a fun time and how he is just going to Michigan to spend time with his family. He said families are a drag and that he'd rather be on the beach. I would laugh and joke happily with him and that would be the end of it.
Then, on this particular day, he came up to the desk and brought up the cruise. We talked for a bit about it, literally the same conversation we had had the past couple of days. Then, another co-worker walked by and this man says, "Hey, did you know Bridget is going on a cruise?" That co-worker stopped and asked me about it. Then, someone else walked by. It was the same thing. This person then stopped to ask me questions about it.
Before I knew it, five people were standing in front of my desk talking about politics.
What?! They all came to ask me about the cruise, but my vacation segued into talk about beaches. Beaches transitioned to the environment. The environment changes to Al Gore , who is coming to speak on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus. Al Gore obviously segued into politics. It was very interesting to see the evolution of the conversation.
The superior thought that kept crossing my mind was that I had work to do. I had things to get done. If I did, I was sure they did too. However, they stood at my desk for about 40 minutes.
I answered phone calls. They didn't move. I tried to begin transcribing something. They didn't budge. I wasn't even actively involved in the conversation; they were talking among themselves.
In this situation, my desk and I were definitely the water cooler. What's the draw to the cooler: water? What's the draw to my desk: my vacation plans? After you get water, what do you do next to it: stand around and talk? When you find out about my vacation plans, what do you do at my desk: stand around and talk?
Although I kept thinking about my work, I had to laugh to myself about this situation. There was nothing else I could do.
They finally dispersed when a person came in to ask a question, but something tells me that my desk will be the placement of water cooler talk again sometime soon.
Song Suggestion:
"Pardon Me" by Incubus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXzuDXZwZtI
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2 Comments
I work in an office in the
I work in an office in the basement, alone. So, I do get to listen to music while I work, but it'd be nice to serve as a water cooler.
Also, "Pardon Me" was my theme song freshman year of college. I had delusions of marrying Brandon Boyd.
Oh my.
That is absolutely hilarious. Funny how people transition from one topic to the next in a perfectly logical stream of conversation. While common sense should tell them to move so you could work, I think it would be funny to watch all this go down.
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