Today, our office is at a standstill because somehow or for some reason, our server got locked up by all this outgoing spam. So, while our resident computer-fixer-guy is working on it, I’ve come up with a list of things to do (in no particular order) at work while you can’t work.

1. Complete whatever tasks you CAN complete without email, printer, and/or file server access (which, believe me, is limited).
2. Follow up on personal email correspondence.
3. Catch up on your social networks (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.).
4. Shop online and make a wish list of stuff you want to buy and stuff you wish you could afford.
5. Clean your desk and catch up on filing.
6. Actually talk with your coworkers face-to-face rather than via AIM or email.
7. Search your to-do list for something SOMETHING you could do that doesn’t require email, printer, or file server access.
8. Have a meeting that you’ve been putting off or have scheduled meetings earlier.
9. Call your mom to see how she’s doing.
10. Talk to your coworkers about dogs and chickens.

Ok, so I intended on having a video tutorial up tonight, but it turns out I won’t have any time to finish editing the video until tomorrow evening. I spent all day working on a client’s newsletter that I almost totally forgot about the presentation I have tomorrow around noon. Luckily I have my outline of speaking points, I just need to put together the actual power point which means I’ll be working on that tonight instead. I feel like I’m having a college flashback.

Totally unrelated, but I couldn’t remember the name of the muppet that always forgot stuff so via Google’s Suggested Searches, I found out his name was Forgetful Jones. This then brought me to an entire wiki dedicated to muppet knowledge. You can find it here. Amazing what comes up in Google search results!

I will never run out of trash bags. Ever., originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Carlos’ (the janitor) last day was yesterday so everyone in our building got together to throw a surprise going away party for him in our lobby, complete with balloons and cake. He was so surprised, especially when we presented him with a Visa gift card to spend however he wanted. Everyone was so heartbroken to hear his company had been outbid by another company. From what I understand, all of the companies in the office sent emails to the building management to let them know how we felt about the decision to let him go.

Originally his last day to clean was Thursday but he returned Friday to clean out the rest of the stuff in his closet, some of which were these trash can liners. Rather than tossing them, he wanted to give them away so I figured what the heck, I’ll take them. As I showed him where my car was, he told me that he’d been cleaning here for 14 years and would really miss everyone in our building. Although I’ve only known him for the 4 years I’ve worked there, it would be very sad and very strange not hearing the wheels of his trash cart come rolling into our office around 5:00 Mondays through Thursdays.

Goes to show how even the smallest most insignificant roles can have a huge impact on a community.

The Most Exciting Battleship Game in History, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

At our Christmas party last month, I won the Battleship game at the white elephant exchange so I brought it in to the office. My coworker and I started this game yesterday and just finished it (he won). Clearly it was by far the most exciting Battleship game I’ve ever played.

How did we do this at work? Via IM! We each had our own boards at our desks and we would send coordinates over instant message in between projects. Hence the reason why it took two days to complete

Ah, the perks of living in an office that has questionable temperature control., originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Ok so just in the last year, we’ve grown to hate our office building. We’ve had several days where the temperature just wasn’t right. It was usually too hot in the summer and seeing as how we couldn’t open a window without our building managers saying we violated our lease and damaged their property, we would usually have to suffer with it.

This time it was the heater, or lack thereof. Yesterday it got so cold in our office, we considered dismantling some of the spare cubicles and turn them into kindling. It turns out the fan that blows air into our part of the office was broken and so they had to replace it. As an interim solution, our building management decided to bring in several of these radiant space heaters and placed them throughout the office. Yeah they work great actually. Now all we have to do take occasional breaks throughout the day to stand over one of these beauties and we’ll be nice and toasty!

High priority work going on here, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Vanessa was the winner of October’s prize at work which was an infrared sharp shooter toy. The log that the can and bottle are sitting on has this spring-loaded knot that pops up and sends the cans flying when your aim is on target. The gun also makes a shooting noise and the log makes a ricochet noise when you successfully hit them. Lots of fun!!

Every couple weeks, my company hosts an informative workshop on Internet marketing, which is great and all, but there IS a downside. “What, pray tell, might that be?” you wonder.

Cookies. Yes, that’s right. Workshop cookies. Gooey, chocolatey, chewy, or sometimes stale (depending on where they came from, though that’s never stopped anyone in the office from consuming them) workshop cookies. Unfortunately for me, these workshop cookies often turn into workshop snack, which turn into workshop calories, which ultimately turn into workshop love handles.

It doesn’t help that my coworker heated up this delicious meat-loaf smelling frozen dinner, or that my spiced (albeit healthy) lamb and vegetable lunch turned out rather boring, or that my lotion smells like a donut shop.

But each time I walk past that counter, it takes a lot of willpower for me NOT to rip into that plastic container to consume one of the chewy fudgey chocolate ones, which, by the way, are my favorite kind.

Because I was out of the house so often last week, I wasn’t that strict about my meal choices, but I did try to stick to the healthy side of the spectrum. So this week I’ve set a goal to plan every meal from now until Sunday when I leave for San Jose. When I meet that goal, my reward will be this Omron Pedometer. Granted I don’t really need one, but it’s a gadget and I love gadgets. Not only that, it comes with software that tracks your progress and I love that even more.

Anyone who says the reward for a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be material things, but the satisfaction of doing something good for their body, is high off their reusable hemp grocery bags and alfalfa sprouts.

I won’t lie, I LIKE COOL GADGETS.