First Full Week in My New Cubicle

[rusty_armour]

Well, it's now been a full week since I was moved to a new cubicle at work and what a difference that move has made! I've only been moved one row over, but it's such a huge improvement! I no longer spend most of the day swearing under my breath and trying to control my temper because I'm far enough from the co-worker I despise for it not to be a problem anymore. I know this is going to seem like nothing, but this co-worker is constantly sniffing, snorting, coughing, blowing his nose, and muttering to himself, not to mention banging things around in his cubicle. And he does all of this quite loudly. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but, with the exception of a few glorious months, I've had to sit near this guy for over five years. I literally have reached the point where I loath him. I can't tell you the number of times I've fantasized about him meeting a horrible grisly fate. As I re-watched An American Werewolf in London a couple of weeks ago, my most recent fantasy has involved him being torn apart in some lonely village in Northern England. Anywaaaaay, this move came at just the right time because I was literally at the end of my tether.

Believe it or not, I was moved because they wanted all the IT/Production type people sitting in the same area and not because I'm completely psycho. And the fact that I was sitting with a bunch of people who aren't in my department might be another indication of why I was just a wee bit miserable in my old cubicle. As far as most of these people were concerned, I was invisible. They'd hold little meetings right outside my cubicle (sometimes blocking my entrance and exit) as if I didn't exist. The manager of this department, who I actually like, has the kind of voice that really carries. However, I can often block her out with my MP3 player, which was something I could only do about half the time with the co-worker I hate with a fiery passion. Now, the occasional cough carries over from the other row, but that’s about all I hear. Even then it’s bearable because I’m not trapped right beside him and forced to listen to everything else. Despite the amount of traffic that goes past my new cubicle, it’s practically peaceful in comparison!

Ironically, most people have felt sorry for me in my new cubicle because I used to sit by a window – a window that often made me hot in the summer because of the sun, even with the blinds down. Hell, even if the sun hadn’t been a problem, it wasn’t worth it considering my personal list of grievances. But, then, only my manager, my old boss, and the co-worker I hate (as I haven’t been subtle about my feelings) knew that I had issues. Still, my manager was afraid that I would be upset when he broke the news to me about the move. He seemed surprised that I took it so well. I managed to refrain from telling him that I would have moved years ago if he would have let me! Well, it’s probably better if he thinks I’m actually suffering and just being noble about it. In fact, I’ve let everyone who has expressed their condolences over the loss of my window think that. Well, okay, I told one colleague that I "wasn't entirely happy" in my old spot (massive understatement), but that's the only hint I've dropped. Mostly, I've just told people that a change is as good as a rest and have left it at that.

Wow I've bitched a lot! This was meant to be a post celebrating the fact that I'm in a new cubicle and might be able to save what little is left of my sanity. Oh, and hearing as I haven't had to crank up the volume as much on my MP3 player. I probably had some other point to make, but it must have gotten lost in all the griping. *g*

Comments

[bakerybard.livejournal.com]

oh, fun times in cubicles! A couple of months ago, the guy who talked REALLY LOUD on the phone to his trainer (he runs marathons for fun), his nutritionist, the Ontario Wine Society, clients of his dad's real estate business, etc, retired. He'd been counting down to his retirement for at least 8 years. So had we.

If I haven't directed you to these before, you really should check out http://members.optusnet.com.au/white_gold/ and its sequel, http://blunt-trauma.blogspot.com/. (I've totally forgotten how to do links properly, but they're entitled Enter the Cow-orker, and Blunt Trauma, respectively.)

I can sometimes get away with wearing my ipod in my cubicle, except that sometimes my manager (who is across the hall) likes to yell for me from his desk. (which is fine, because he's the sort of manager that doesn't take it badly when I stay at my desk and yell back, "wha-at?" before schlepping myself the whole five feet to his office. Or when I get up and stand in his doorway and say, "you bellowed?" Policy people. We're all a little nuts...)

Congrats on the new digs!

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Thanks, bakerybard! :-) I'm really happy to hear that Mr. REALLY LOUD retired! I'm sure everyone was ecstatic when he left for good!

I actually hadn't seen the Enter the Cow-order and Blunt Trauma blogs, but they certainly make me feel a lot better about my old situation! In fact, I'm beginning to wonder why I complained in the first place... *g*

I'm glad you have a good relationship with your manager, even if he does yell for you from his desk and it means you can't always wear your ipod. Still, it's nice that you can give him a bit of attitude. ;-)