A Typical Day: A creative version

My typical day at the office starts at 8am. I greet the friendly security officers at the door to show them my badge so I can sneak past the metal detector. I arrive on the second floor with a cup of coffee in my hand thanks to the coffee shop located conveniently around the corner from my office. As I walk to my cubical quietly nestled between the Accounting and IT department, I'm meet with the usual silence befitting with a occasional hello from one of the many employees. Everyday I walk through  a sea of monochromatic grey cubicles to the lone indistinguishable box I call my desk. I can clearly tell the difference between the boundaries of the accounting department and the computer wizards in IT. The guru's of accounting punch frantically at their calculators creating this clickety clack ambiance when you walk near their fortified grey walls. A few strides later I hear the beating of calculators fade to the punching of keyboard and sharp mouse clicks. There is no mistaking the IT department as the accountant nondescript cubical walls transition to walls decorated with star wars posters, Star Wars yoda dry-eraser boards, legos, and other geeky paraphernalia. I always feel a sense of surety and acceptance, because as a fellow Star Wars geek, I know this is where I belong.

I usually settle into my government standard black hard back computer chair, place my books aside, and my coffee where I know where my clumsy elbows won't spell it. My bobble head Yoda smiles "Good Morning" with a chubby R2D2 at his side, and I know if he could talk he would bleep "hello" back. I flick on my computer screen to wake my computer up from a nice 12 hour slumber, and we start the day checking emails and calendar appointments for upcoming meetings. Nothing so far today, but that usually changes mid-day.

I've been given a series of tasks to do over the past few weeks but due to unspoken protocol befitting a John Grisham novel, I am sworn to secrecy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not Julia Roberts in the Pelican Brief or Tom Cruise in the Firm. My work is very mundane befitting a tedious informational video than an edge-of-your-seat Hollywood thriller. Right now I'm reading A.R.S, department policies, records management manual, and retention schedules. Exciting stuff right? Well, for someone who finds records management interesting, you will have to take my word for it.

The day flies by and the next thing I know my phone buzzes to alert me of an incoming text from my co-worker, Abby, telling me it's time to go to lunch. For the most part, Abby and I eat downstairs in the office break room, where there is a TV for employees to watch the various housewife favorites: Price is Right, Soaps, the morning news, or old TV sitcom favorites. Abby and I have our favorite and it has now become a ritual that starts from 12pm to 1pm, the funny Seattle based show-Fraiser. As I've written in a previous blog, Abby and I laugh at the idiotic comedic timing of Frasiers antics as he tries to find love in Seattle and patience with his friends and family.

When Kelsey Grammer sings the ending theme to Fraiser "Toss Salad and Scrambled Eggs" at 1pm, that is our queue that lunch is over and its time to get back to work. We sluggishly wash our plates and empty our trash from our lunch bags. "There is never enough time during lunch", I think to myself as I walk back upstairs to my desk.

While the morning seems to zoom faster than the Flash, the afternoon half of the day crawls slower than an earthworm. I usually regain my momentum by 3pm and the clock reminds me I have 2 hours until I have to leave for home or school. I'm never short of anything to do. I'm always busy or I find something to work on. Never a dull moment at the treasurer's office.

Usually, I am so wrapped up in my work that I am startled by the buzz of my iphone text message notification. It's Abby. It's 4:49! "Are you ready?" She says. It usually takes me 15 minutes to wrap up, send emails, and clean up my desk before the clock hits 5:00. I'm usually a few minutes late and Abby is waiting for me on the first floor. We exchange pleasantries and interesting bits of our daily work. As we walk to the parking garage I notice the swarm of worker bees, like myself, hustling to their cars to do the exact thing-go home.

I say good-bye to Abby as I open the car door. It usually takes me an hour to get home but I could careless. Another day done. Another day of accomplishments. As I turn the engine to my car, I can't help but reflect on the days work and even though today might seem like a typical day, I know it will fly by fast. It won't be long until I pull out of the drive way for the last time and my internship will come to an end.