i love corporate america. today i had my workspace ergonomically evaluated. there is an employee for my company whose actual job it is to evaluate the way people sit and work in their cubicles. this lady spent about 10 minutes looking at my desk setup and how i work. it was decided that all is needed to cure my bad posture, back pain and headaches was a keyboard tray! here is a copy of the actual email she followed up to my manager with:

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Original Message

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From:     Flaherty, Mayan
Sent:    Wednesday, December 07, 2005 3:43 PM
To:    Flaherty, Mayan
Subject:    Workstation Ergonomic Evaluation

Dear Tom,

Today, I completed an ergonomic workstation evaluation for Jessica. She has been experiencing back and
shoulder discomfort. I am not surprised! She is sitting facing one way and her keyboard is in one direction
& her monitor is in another direction. She is also reaching for her keyboard, which pulls on her back and
shoulders. I recommend the installation of a keyboard tray. This will allow Jessica to work in a forward
facing more neutral position.

A used keyboard tray is available, so the charge back will be $21. If you approval of the installation, please send
me your cost center code. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks.
Mayan



update on the flat tire disaster:

went to another garage. it was sliced open pretty bad apparently. and yes i need to replace the whole tire. they told me since it is a new car i need a new tire. which i am now suspecting is bullshit. oh and also the tire is available no where in buffalo. so it has to be ordered. i would really like to know how there is no tires available for the most popular car of 2005.

dyan comes back home tonite from dallas. she is going to be here for a while - almost a month - which is sweet. the only thing that sucks is that i lose my platonic husband (her bf.) he will be missed.

what a morning again!! i think i have a black cloud over me this week. i went to bring my car into Midas this morning to get the tire repaired and the wait was at least an hour. (yes even after i made an appt last nite.) as i pulled out on to delware and made a right onto kenmore, i was on my cell to try and find another location to get it patched - and fast. i got pulled over and ticketed for being on my phone. i drove around on my donut to 3 more garages until finally i gave up and submitted to the hour wait at firestone. 2 hours later (and yes i am way late to work) they tell me i have a hole in my side wall and it will be $110 to replace the tire. i left on my donut again.

i am such a girl. it took me til i was in front of the albright today to figure out a had a flat tire. what a start to a monday morning. i called for roadside assistance, considering i have no clue how to change a tire. (this is something i need to learn.) 30 minutes later a young scruffy looking guy pulls up in a beat up blue Plymouth pulls up. don't these guys usually have service vehicles? i cracked my window and asked for ID. he thought i was completely nuts - and looking back, rightly so considering it was 10am on elmwood in broad daylight. "you think i am gonna carjack your car with a flat tire lady?," he says. as he pulled the donut out of my trunk i forget all the crap i have in there. 2 bras and a pair of underwear fly out into the albright parking lot. he blushes ferociously - then tells me i should really clean my car. clean my car! who does he think he is. the 78 empty packs of parliments and camels are there for a reason - as is the 6 pairs of shoes, 11 artvoices, and 27 empty mountain dew bottles are. i'll clean my car when i am good and ready.

hanging out with the dude-bros i live with opens my eyes to a very different lifestyle - and just emphasizes why i could never ever date this kind of man. last nite, amongst the midst of labatt blue cans and a jim carrey movie muted in the background, i witnessed them choreographing a backstreet boys dance. the one actually took his sweat band off for the occasion. see example A of my roommates below:

last nite was extremely painful. it was one of those late nite 5am pink nites i thought i was done with years ago. apparently not. as i said yesterday we started at prespa for john's 30th. it was kind of an awkward scene and as i looked around i noticed half of us were drinking Old English out of a can. at fuckin prespa. 5 minutes later we were outta there and at tudor and we were more in our element. everyone was out and having a really great time. this was followed by harware of course, and then pink. i made out with some pretty emo boy that looked like a girl. then saw him at pano's today. it was mortifying.

craig randomly appeared in town tonite. apparently we are going to some '80s party on potomoc with the 1039 boys. then i am sure we will be in allen. i can't afford to keep doing this - i am going to have to get a 2nd job. how is it i am the only one of my friends that has a real grown up job...and the only one broke all the time. i don't get it. does anyone have a job for me where i can work 10-6 on saturday and sundays ?

every christmas at my work in my department we raise money to sponser a family. being the only girl i usually get shoved into running these types of fundraisers. i am ok with this. i actually kind of enjoy it. this year we are running a chinese raffle. this has sent waves of excitment through every geek in the department. the networking guys were shaking with anticapation to see what would be put in as prizes. the powers that be actually let us clear out the storage rooms and take all the old equipment as giveaways. this mean wireless equipment and production boxes are far as the eye can see. software galore. most of it i have no idea what the hell it is. there has been a huge response. i am so happy - some of these geeks have spent like $200 in tickets! considering that most of them will take the equipment and sell it on ebay for 5 times that it isn't too bad. it is about 5:30 now and we have made almost $1000. that will make for a really really nice christmas for this family.

tonite is john w's 30th birthday. he is old. we are apparently goin to prespa to celebrate. i havnt been there in soo long. i always think of the story of how harrington stole the bathroom mirror last year. i have to behave somewhat though - apparently my nana is dropping by at 9am to give me something. what this something is i am not sure - i think i should be scared.