Life in a Cubicle

It sucks. I hate it. There is a complete lack of privacy, and the only way to get privacy is to go to the bathroom and enjoy the solitary stall for a few minutes. The problem with the bathroom is the lack of comfortable furniture.

I'd like to cover some of the aspects of living in a cubicle.

1. The Boss Monitor - I have a "boss monitor" which is a little mirror that is stuck to the corner of my monitor. It is designed to let me see when the boss is behind me so that I can stop doing something that might not be so productive. This should really have been a wake-up call for businesses who think that dwelling in cubicles is a good thing. Employees are employing the same practices as prisoners. Hmmm...
2. The Stare - So, what is the stare? The stare is what other people do when they walk by your cubicle. I can see the stare in my boss monitor. You become a zoo exhibit when you are living in a cubicle, and people feel that they have the right to look over your shoulder and watch what you are doing. The stare makes me crazy.
3. Cell phones - When fellow cubicle dwellers don't switch their cell phones to vibrate, I have to wonder about their IQ. I really don't want to listen to the dorky ring that your kid picked out.
4. Phone calls - Keep them short. There is a guy who works from the office on occasion...mostly, he works from his home country. His family still lives there. So, he gets on the phone and talks for hours. Eventually, I have to get up and walk away.
5. Speaker phone - When fellow cubicle dwellers use the speaker phone to make calls, I have to admire how blissful their life must be being completely unaware of ... well... anything. They are most likely the people who drive in the fast lane on a five lane highway going the speed limit.
6. Singing - yes, there is a person near me who sings. Again...blissfully unaware.
7. Bad headphones - If you buy headphones to listen to music in your cubicle, make sure they are good ones that don't leak music to the public.
8. The Hallway Conversation - How could I nearly forget this one? It just happened. Two a-holes in the hallway. Completely oblivious to my miserable existence...talking about their kids, houses, drives to work. One of them even put his bag down to get more comfortable.

Dexter

I love Dexter on Showtime. It is without a doubt my favorite new show this season. As much as I like Heroes, it pales in comparison. I was also a Six Feet Under fan, and I have to say that the Michael C. Hall is easily one of the best actors around. His character in SFU was very distinct...nothing like Dexter. To go from that character to Dexter without the audience (me) thinking back to his previous character makes him an anomaly. As much as I like John C. McGinley from Scrubs, I still think of his sniveling twerp character from Platoon. The material is completely original, and I'm able to suspend belief for anything that is a little out there. Most shows jump the shark for me within two seasons.

There are also great characters surrounding Dexter.

1. Deb - She's a little crazy. I have to feel bad for her that Dexter always knows what's going on before her. He can't help it though. I also feel bad for her that she's in love with a serial killer.
2. La Guerta - I love the flirtation she thinks she has going with Dexter. I also like the office politics angle and the little bitch-fest she has going with Deb.
3. Masuka - LOVE HIM. He's such a freak!
4. Doakes - He's the only one who thinks there is something seriously wrong with Dexter. It cracks me up how antagonistic he is, and Dexter couldn't care less. He's just surprised that there is only one person in a building full of cops who suspects him.
5. Rita - I have to say that her serial killer boyfriend (Dexter) is a much better catch than her ex. That's part of what makes the show great.
6. Angel - I really like his nice guy character. I liked how he spotted the prostitute with the prosthetic hand. Good boy...
7. Harry Morgan - Well, he certainly took a realistic approach to raising a serial killer. I love the flashbacks with the young and younger Dexters.

To be continued later...