fun at work and other stuff

Mondays and Fridays are not good blogging days for me. Let's just say that my workplace is not a blog friendly place. Not only is my "space" a cubicle with two half-walls (not really a cubicle - more of a cubby), but the gal whose desk is twenty feet from mine is a nosy Nelly. Nelly has great distance vision; I know because she is regularly commenting on what site I'm on. "Oh, I see you are on Google over there." Thanks Nelly.

Next to her is Bertha. Bertha, a sturdy woman, has a number of issues. First, she has "chemical sensitivity." That means we can't wear hair spray or perfume, and we can't wash our hair with smelly shampoo either. Basically, we have to come to the office sweaty and ungroomed. Body smells apparently do not bother her.

Yesterday Bertha was having a "headache" brought on by a mystery substance, so of course I was giving her the third degree in regard to which substances bother her.

"What about deodorant. Can I wear deodorant?"

"Yes. Deodorant doesn't bother me."

"Lotion. Can I use hand lotion."

"Only if it is unscented. It can't have a strong smell."

"Is fabric softener okay? Can I use that on my clothes?"

"No, not if it has a strong perfume. Anything with a strong perfume gives me a headache."

"What about deodorant soap? Is that too strong of a smell?"

"Yes."

Then, like detectives, the six other people in that workspace and I tried to sleuth out the offending smell.

"I brought flowers today. Could it be the flowers?" came a yell from an unseen face at the other side of my cubby. "Are you allergic to pollen, Bertha?"

"Yes, but that's not it. For some reason, cut flowers don't
bother me."

"When did the headache start? What time? Who walked in the room prior to the headache. I opened a tube of lotion today, put a dab on, and then washed it off. Could the remnants of that smell be it?"

Finally, we decided that we would all make note of our morning routines and measure that to the headache/non-headache ratio. Aye, aye, aye. Going into the office is such a hassle.

Oh, and Bertha is our local union rep. too. A few weeks ago she mentioned that she wanted to chat with me about some union issues before I left for the day. I quipped, "Does the chat involve a club and a beating?"

Bertha wasn't really amused by that. I'm not sure why. Later that day I heard her whispering into her phone. If my house gets egged, I'm going to be suspicious.

*******************************************************************

Here's the verdict as far as my game picks go: 8 wins, 6 losses. Is that good? If so, it was beginner's luck. I did watch a lot of football on Sunday, and like the good wife that I am, I didn't ask a question about the game.