Tuesday 1 August 2023

Smells, soggy bums and manky toes

Office workers struggle through the depths of winter every year, hoping to be rewarded by summer. But the heat brings its own ordeals:

Identifying co-workers by smell

You don’t know the name of the new guy that sits behind you, but you could pick him out of a line-up based on B.O. alone. Be advised: if you hear him start talking about getting back into cycling to work, you are legally entitled to go on extended medical leave.

Fighting about fans
One person’s too hot, one’s too cold, one hates the noise, one needs the socket for their laptop charger. The ensuing bickering will create an unpleasant atmosphere until the end of September. And if the office has air-conditioning, some twat will always insist it’s set to freezing. It’s one of nature’s laws.

Watching the life cycle of a colleague’s sunburn
If they want to singe the skin off their arms and legs every weekend, it could be argued that it’s entirely their business. However, when you’re the one that has to watch it crust over, flake off, and get all over your desk when they come by for a chat, it feels like you are very closely involved as well.

Hearing about wanky family holidays
You had to put up with your line manager’s smug out-of-office for a fortnight, and your reward is to nod along to their anecdote about one of their many interchangeable offspring being a ‘natural’ at windsurfing for the millionth time. Which is annoying, especially as you can only afford a long weekend in Barnstaple this year.

Hearing your boss’ arse peel off her chair
A two-fold torture experience. Firstly, it’s made you picture just how sweaty her arse is. Even worse, it’s made you realise how soggy your own bum is, and worry about the noise that will be produced when you eventually have to stand up.

Seeing manky toes
Middle-aged men need to learn that only their closest family should be forced to witness them in sandals. Also, why has wearing shorts to the office become acceptable? Their pale bony ankles are almost as horrifying as their disgusting feet.

The Daily Mash

Of course.

16 comments:

  1. And what is wrong with a long weekend in Barnstaple???!!
    Moving on, I remember the air conditioning wars!! All the creeping around and fiddling with hidden knobs.
    I’m glad I left the City before the era of shorts and sandals!!
    Sx

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    Replies
    1. Air conditioning wars are endemic in my current office.

      However the council is flogging off that (rather good, purpose-built) building because it enjoys "selling the family silver" rather than actually do anything about the ridiculous amounts of money it wastes elsewhere, and my next "official" base is an early 30s unfit-for-purpose office with metal Crittal windows that don't open or shut properly, with no air conditioning, shonky fans and radiators.

      And we have smelly people there, too.

      Sigh. Progress, eh? Jx

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  2. I am not looking forward to Australia's move away from gas. (That's the piped kind used for cooking and (in some places) heating. Oh no! Imagine living in some of the hottest places on the planet, with electricity your only power source.Jeebers! We had a storm a few years ago that took out the power for almost a week. And that's before we even get started on the overload when people come home from work and turn on their air con[I think "con" is the give-away here.] the stove, the Tv, all the electrical things that run a household...

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    Replies
    1. It's all rather short-sighted, this rush to switch off the gas. Wind and water alone will not sort out the electricity supply - and solar is all well-and-good, but in the UK it's hardly going to be reliable. Those anti-nuclear types have a lot to answer for. We simply don't have enough power stations! Jx

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    2. Those who can should really slap solar panels on their roof. Honestly, best upgrade my house has had. Expensive outlay, but now we're only paying the standing charge to the electricity supplier, and we have exported a fair bit of energy since November. We have batteries, and it doesn't take much light to charge them. I've only turned the oil heated water on a couple of times this summer. I reckon all new builds should/could have a solar system.
      When the oil boiler breaks down I'm just going to get an electric heating system.
      Sx

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    3. Ooh. It's like an episode of The Good Life, isn't it? Bagsy I be "Margo"... Jx

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    4. But I genuinely do order Christmas - and it does turn up in a van!!
      I'll let you have a go at being Margo, as it's your birthday soon!
      Sx

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    5. Chequebook, Jerry! Jx

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  3. All I want to know is when will it stop raining?

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    Replies
    1. !0th August! JON'S BIRTHDAY!!! The rain has to stop for that.
      Sx

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    2. Ha ha! Indeed. I don't want to end up singing

      Someone left the cake out in the rain
      I don't think that I can take it
      'Cause it took so long to bake it
      And I'll never have that recipe again!


      Jx

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    3. Well, I know what YouTube I'll be playing on the 10th of August if the forecasters have got it wrong!!
      Sx

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  4. I hope it's raining men for Jon's birthday.

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  5. These are the times when I am glad I'm no longer involved in those office shenanigans, sweetpea! I think that has to be the best part of retirement for me! xoxo (FYI: August 10th has been noted in my calendar!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, if only I had a pension that was sufficient to allow me to retire. But, alas! I'm in this game for as long as I am able to stand, unfortunately. Jx

      Delete

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