Saturday, February 10, 2007

Ode to a Friday Afternoon

I am in a total Google Search Mode Haze

You know what I’m talking about. The effect of several hours of Internet surfing on a lazy Friday, specifically on one’s perception of reality. Hours spent bent over the keyboard, the methodic clacking of the keys and mouse luring me into a hypnotic state. I have haircut appointment next week, I think. I better look up hairstyles to see what I want. I type “short+hairstyles+manageable,” and gaze on as the entire worldly knowledge of short, manageable hairstyles whirls before me. But wait, I need a summer internship… back to Google, “summer+internships+boston.” I search for a while, then remember I’m not sure if I’m staying in Boston over the summer. “summer+internships+Toledo”….

But wait! If I am in Boston, I might get a sublet. To Craigslist, ho! On Craigslist, looking at the exorbitant amount people want for a large closet and “cozy nook”(read: cannot stand fully upright and keep bumping head on the crown molding).. then I meander over to the “Casual Encounters” section for some absurdist comedy. I will not repeat what was written there, but the strange preponderance of the words “riding crop” and “lunchtime fun” will surely make for some bizarre and unfortunate dreams tonight. Ewwwww I can’t believe people write these things...

I know what you’re thinking. What on Earth am I doing wasting time at work like this? I should be fired immediately! But this is Friday, darlings. More accurately, the end of the day on Friday- the critical last hour and a half where all the work that can be done has been done. The boss has checked out early so he can go home and change before a dinner with his wife and their friends. We’re “minding the store,” as it were, running out the clock until we can go home and nap before going out with friends to dance and drink and flirt until the work week is but a distant memory. So there we are, all of us, our noses to the computer screen, typing in things like “tips+save+money” and “Buenos Aires+vacation.” It’s our Google-supported fantasy world, a place of escape. We are wholly in this world. We pay no attention to the land outside. We can barely tear our eyes away to look at a co-worker’s latest hilarious YouTube find. We have no time for his fantasy.

And then our eyes flick to the tiny digital clock in the corner of the screen. 5:03. Time to go at last, to hear the delicious sound of the clock punching our timecard, and move to the door as we drag on our padded coats and hats and scarves. We turn off the lights. We lock the door. We chat sleepily in the elevator about what we’re going to do once we regain full consciousness. We wave at the security guard in the lobby, open door and feel the divine blast of cold air on our faces. We breathe non-recycled air. We are free.

We remember about that one document that needed to be signed. We were too busy with planning our South American getaway and forgot.

Oh well. It can wait until Monday.

Posted by ejohnson at 05:26 PM

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