My coworker stopped by unannounced this morning. This past week was the busiest of the year here at the office, with our the end of the quarter approaching and a major annual event just having taken place. The office was abuzz with preparations, littered with items from the event, boxes of manilla folders, and other speckles of miscellany. Hours have been unusual all week, with all the preparations being made at off-hours and outside consultants coming in and out of the place. For me, this resulted in extended hours away from my temporary home, dedicating a little extra time here and there at the public library or local park. Needless to say, I was tired. So I decided to reward my hard work and careful...
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I've been making a lot of improvements to the office since I moved in. It started innocuously enough, with me organizing a storage closet to accommodate my stuff. People lauded me for my "proactive" approach to "organization". Which, in a way, was right. Solutions undertaken for my own convenience benefited the company. Besides, everyone loves a go-getter! Then I took notice of the transitional area across from the microwave, where I believed lay a perfect spot for my air mattress (although I'm thinking of converting to couch cushions soon...). What is perfect about this spot is that it reduces the likelihood that I'll be caught sleeping there, even if someone barges in unannounced. There is a double-wide...
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“Good morning! How are you?” Carla walked in, the door slamming behind her, catching my keys awkwardly between the door and the frame as they dangled in the inside lock. “Oops! Do you want these?” “Please, thank you! And how are you doing on this fine morning?” I was in a chipper mood this morning, having just liberated myself from the final $900 of my car loan. All in one fell swoop, thanks to the luxury of rent-free living. I was a free man and I was sharing my happiness with the world. “Oh, I’m wonderful, thank you,” she said, emphasizing the ‘thank you’ with a bow as the she passed in front of me, turning the corner to her desk. The sun shone brightly in through the upper reaches...
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On January 28, I moved back into my office. It's been going very well. Mostly, anyway. I am currently writing this post in the company of our bi-weekly office cleaning crew, a family of Mexican immigrants who has proven to show up at unpredictable times in the past. This evening was no different. Having been lounging behind my desk, updating my increasingly popular Facebook page ("Like" me today!) in the dark, I was fortunate enough to hear the first of my visitors fumbling the key in the door. Managing an acrobatic spring to action, I was able to place my open laptop on the desk and swivel into my chair in enough time for the door to open. "How are you doing?" I offered, cheerfully. The small crew, led by...
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At the beginning of this experiment, I wrote that one of my (painfully obvious) primary objectives was to embrace a lifestyle choosing personal freedom over material possessions. By completing the first phase of the experiment, I reached at least superficial achievement of that goal. There were specific details I outlined in order to get there. I cited having recently overworked myself in undesirable conditions, compromising available time and energy I'd have preferred to spend with my art or with loved ones or on the road. I talked about the subconscious urge to conform, spending above my means to portray and attract the beauty displayed regularly on advertisements everywhere. I detailed my orbit around an...
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At the beginning of this experiment, one of my primary goals was to avoid credit card debt. My financial situation had deteriorated in the weeks leading up to moving into the office, aggravated by an indefinite delay in receiving my income taxes due to identity theft, an organization-wide freeze of raises and bonuses at my work, and the arrival of a hefty insurance bill for an ankle surgery I'd had months earlier. Within a matter of weeks, I'd experienced a $5,000 swing for the worse in my finances. My refusal to go into credit card debt has been a lifelong goal. I don't believe in skating by on someone else's dime, particularly someone whose fine print is riddled with swindles and exclusions. I've never been...
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1. Rise from office floor at 7:15a.m. 2. Look groggily about the place. Decide you have time for a shower. 3. Remember it is last day of trial gym membership. 4. Appreciate yourself for small victory. 5. Drive to 24 Hour Fitness, locate free parking. 6. Note especially crisp morning air, its sharp contrast to yesterday’s swelter. 7. Work out. 8. Revel in liberty of free, accessible hot shower; soon you won’t appreciate it so much anymore. 9. Dry off. Always do this after a shower; walking around the office dripping wet only draws attention to oneself. Have some respect for yourself, this is America. 10. Recite Pledge of Allegiance under your breath while opening locker. 11. Ignore...
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It was a hot Sunday, the temperatures meddling in the high 80s with a callous easterly breeze. I had started to take note of the weather again more in the past few days, preparing myself for a move back into an apartment without climate control. Office-dwelling is a unique brand of homelessness that brings with it the comfort of a thermostat, something seen as more of an extravagance in the low-end rental market of Los Angeles. In summers past, I had spent many a day opening all five windows in my flat, anticipating the rush of the calming crosswind. Sleeping under behind desk required no such faith. Just a click of the digital controls. Today's reminder of impending move-in came courtesy of a voicemail from...
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I wrote a poem about Rob. It goes a little something like this: plumber at my door wants to get into apartment needs the key the key to the apartment you know to get into the apartment just like we discussed yesterday just like I discussed with Rob Rob, respect-er of repairmen Rob, cooperate-er of contracts Rob, agree-er of availability availability of the (now) only key to the apartment the (now) only key to a working toilet the (now) only key to my sanity Rob fucking Rob answer your phone, Rob make good on your word, Rob not even for me don't do it for me no, do it for the plumber for the punctual Plunger Proletariat witness this water closet wonder at work delight in his defecation...
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Woke up in car on side of road, next to stream. Nice morning. Clean air. Stretched. Listened to water trickle. Watched sun rise on mountainside. Gathered belongings and rode into town. Bought breakfast at local cafe. Sat. Ate. Breathed. Observed. Love has no pace. Drove home. To office. Subletter called, said night went well. Place was okay. Lifted my spirits. Highway driving: meditative. City driving: jolting. We choose this. No shower today. Too casual. Deliberate. Reading instead. Nap. Holding on to peace of mountain town. Sweet peace. -...
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