Drone

I work at a little desk. It is a very little desk indeed.

So much so that if I sneeze, my neighbour's neighbour will know. In fact if my neighbour's neighbour's desk were a country (it would be a very little country indeed) then the sexy weather girl on TV would predict "a strong gust of wind, accompanied by mild showers".

So much so that that if I poke my finger into my ear to clear out wax/mosquitoes/bad vibes, my elbow is dangerously close to the ear of the fellows I sit next to, which are also presumably full of wax/mosquitoes/bad vibes.

So much so that if I burp (this is merely for illustrative purposes, I have never in fact burped) the person who sits in front of me will know the exact composition of my meal. Or meals for that matter… Depending on the potency of the food in question, the extent of indigestion and the magnitude of my shamelessness.

So much so that if I yawn… Everyone yawns.
But then we all yawn, all the time. By the time one yawn ends another begins so its hard to pin point which one in particular set the ball rolling. In the interim between one yawn and the next we complain about yawning, have a lengthy discourse on yawning and miraculously even manage to get some work done. It is a beautiful community experience.

So much so that it is impossible for the boys who sit next to me to check out porn. Of course the virtually impenetrable "web-washer" the fine folk down at IT have installed would never allow for such depraved activities to be carried out. But hypothetically, if viewing pornography were an option, my female-ly presence would rule it out completely.

We have our pockets of gossip, us small people. We buzz, giggle, frown, dissect, digress… Did you ever think one could do so much with tiny, seemingly insignificant stories?

We sit dangerously close to the corridors of power. At times we infiltrate them only to discover that they reek of indecision.

We sit all day at our desks, making dispassionate love to our computers. Occasionally we go for walks, sandwiches, chai, fruit chaat, conversation. And on these all too rare occasions we congratulate ourselves for having taken a break.

I feel I am the littlest of all the little people. Warm and snug in my swivel chair. Hiding behind my monitor. Brilliantly anonymous. At times I chide myself for what is a clear lack of ambition in life. A blot on the otherwise aspirational middle class landscape. On others I congratulate myself for getting paid generously to do something a not altogether dumb 16 year old can. I've pulled a fast one on the establishment. I rake in the dough and am not required to check my sarcasm at the door.

“What the banker sighs for, the meanest clown may have: leisure and a quiet mind.”- Henry David Thoreau

The floor hums. With sighs, yawns, burps, gossip.

Truant

Guess who Played Hookey Today?
Djiggy B has what is possibly the biggest most generous heart in the whole wide world. It is full to the brim, bursting at its seams, chock full.. of niceness.
In the world of bosses, he is an outlier..
You'd think life would be a bed of roses for his subordinates. But very few people realise how trying the lives of people endowed with pleasant bosses (we are a rare and dying breed) can be. How fraught with anxiety. Hours of guilty introspection. Sleepless nights of worry and woe.
Nice bosses pose a unique challenge for us drone folk. They are easier to like, infinitely harder to bitch about and almost impossible to lie to. And really what is life without the occasional vituperative chinwag concerning the powers that be?
I'm playing truant today, my absence blamed on a particularly acute case of the common cold+high temperature (my diagnosis: viral fever). In my defence, I did wake up feeling like my limbs were about to disintegrate into dust. And I have off late metamorphosed into a factory of phlegm and snot. But none of this is so debilitating as to necessitate bed-rest followed by a lengthy convalescence.
So I lied. And am probably going to go to hell or reside in close vicinity thereof. Because I lied to an absolute angel. Who reeks of goodness and stinks of mothers' love. Yuck.
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Damn them Antibodies
I really despise my immune system sometimes. It is forever in overdrive. I almost never ever fall ill. And this robs me of cheap thrills such as - fainting, burning up, vomiting and the like. Not that ailment is pleasurable in of itself. But the sympathy that accompanies it is fun.
Really this being in the pink of health is highly overrated. There's never anyone rushing up with bowls full of warm soup. And no ice cold towels to douse a flaming forehead. No one stirring up tall glasses of electral. Life is cruelly robbed of a lot of drama.
Once you acquire a reputation for never falling ill things are even worse. Even a genuine onslaught of the odd case of loosies or sniffles (I am healthy, not invincible) is looked upon with scepticism. We are forced to nurse our maladies, trifling or otherwise, under the suspicious gaze of others who are not similarly gifted.
I think I'm going to start a support group.
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Itinerary
Ok enough whining. The day is all mine and there is loads to do with it. I am after all in Mumbai. A place where it is virtually impossible to run out of things to do and/or things to stare at. I am armed with a newspaper, sports shoes, money and ALL the time in the WORLD.
I suddenly remembered the reason for my shameless fib. Here I go :)

bad blog post

so there we were.. sitting quietly.. the cool sea wind blowing on our tired faces.. our lips numb with wine.. tummies full of koliwada prawn.. fatigued wallets..
the wind assaults us.. carrying into our ears a confused symphony.. traffic.. voices.. waves..
a gentle requiem for the day.. as it reaches out for its blanket and tucks itself in..
we make our to do lists.. must travel occasionaly.. must laugh frequently.. must fall in love, at least once.. or once more.. must dress up and go out for dinner.
the works in progress that we are.. there is so much to do..
and the coffee.. as it gently sips us.. swallows us whole.. we are content..
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hee hee.. have always wanted to write a silly post like that. so thats one more thing off MY to do list. I dedicate this post to P, with whom i am deeply in love..
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more later.. vagueness being the theme of this post.. what better way to wrap up?
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:)