Feb. 17th, 2005 11:55 am
Desecrators' challenge!
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muckefuckWell that's got to have been one of the most entertaining departmental meetings yet. Kinda makes up for the unfairness of thinking it was cancelled and finding out instead it was only postponed.
I haven't reported too much on the latest round of reconfiguration, since I don't have any pictures to offer and I don't feel like typing the thousand words necessary to take the place of each one. You all remember the Bear Flag carpet, right? It's been joined by Gidget-era green banquettes and some of the oddest upholstered chairs I've ever seen. They have a chunky recliner style with some of the thickest bottoms I've seen. Once you notice the wheels under them, you can't help but wonder if they conceal little motors for tooling around the room. (One of my coworkers suggested that, alternatively, the space might be taken up by a beer cooler.) They're also equipped with one padded arm each (on the right side, natch--goddamn anti-lefty bias!) and crazy green plaid that manages not to go at all with the aforementioned groovy green circles on the couches. Oh, and I don't think I've yet mentioned the shiny metal cladding on the concrete pillars, have I?
Today we got a glimpse of the next round. First, there were details of the viewing centre thingy that's supposed to be installed in one corner, requiring the removal of a door to our work area and the shifting of another. We were warned that there might some penetration of noise from it, since apparently nothing has been budgeted for soundproofing. We get off easy, though: The screen separating the "room" (now delineated by a Les Nessman-esque semicircle of tape) from the rest of the InfoCom, which hosts a cluster of several dozen computers, is only going to be partial, meaning everyone trying to get their work done there will also be treated to surround sound. Oh, and they're going to use granite on the walls there. I'm not sure how that's going to work into the Bear Flag-60's greens--Bold 70's oranges colour scheme they've got going, but I'm sure they'll surprise me.
This was the point at which we began to suspect our boss was pulling our leg. Then or when she explained that the reason they didn't install coat hooks along the back wall of the InfoCom is that they want to use that surface for projected media. (Complementing the two ungodly expensive plasma screens already there, which--currently and ever since installation--have been displaying...nothing.)
But she didn't stop. Apparently, the latest idea was to "add warmth" with pieces of honey oak suspended from the ceiling. (Christ allmighty, the Discovery Channel has a lot to answer for these days!) I can't imagine how this is going to mesh with everything else, from the neo-Art Deco frosted glass light fixtures they want to install to the existing Brutalist exposed concrete. I'm also loving the fact that the ceiling is scheduled to be redone before the drainage problems of the plaza above it are fixed so that water doesn't come leaking through with every downpour. There was also some talk about installing "portals" and new plaques that I didn't really catch. Oh, and they've decided for sure they're going to tear down the wall defining an old classroom to turn it into a reading nook because, you know, the fact that every one of our enclosed meeting areas is booked almost continuously is no sign that we have too few. They're not sure what can be down about the moisture which collects on and runs down the walls in there, but I'm sure they'll think of something before they line the room with bookshelves for brand-new acquisitions.
The whole thing would be unrelentingly hilarious if I could just forget how much money is being spent on it.
I haven't reported too much on the latest round of reconfiguration, since I don't have any pictures to offer and I don't feel like typing the thousand words necessary to take the place of each one. You all remember the Bear Flag carpet, right? It's been joined by Gidget-era green banquettes and some of the oddest upholstered chairs I've ever seen. They have a chunky recliner style with some of the thickest bottoms I've seen. Once you notice the wheels under them, you can't help but wonder if they conceal little motors for tooling around the room. (One of my coworkers suggested that, alternatively, the space might be taken up by a beer cooler.) They're also equipped with one padded arm each (on the right side, natch--goddamn anti-lefty bias!) and crazy green plaid that manages not to go at all with the aforementioned groovy green circles on the couches. Oh, and I don't think I've yet mentioned the shiny metal cladding on the concrete pillars, have I?
Today we got a glimpse of the next round. First, there were details of the viewing centre thingy that's supposed to be installed in one corner, requiring the removal of a door to our work area and the shifting of another. We were warned that there might some penetration of noise from it, since apparently nothing has been budgeted for soundproofing. We get off easy, though: The screen separating the "room" (now delineated by a Les Nessman-esque semicircle of tape) from the rest of the InfoCom, which hosts a cluster of several dozen computers, is only going to be partial, meaning everyone trying to get their work done there will also be treated to surround sound. Oh, and they're going to use granite on the walls there. I'm not sure how that's going to work into the Bear Flag-60's greens--Bold 70's oranges colour scheme they've got going, but I'm sure they'll surprise me.
This was the point at which we began to suspect our boss was pulling our leg. Then or when she explained that the reason they didn't install coat hooks along the back wall of the InfoCom is that they want to use that surface for projected media. (Complementing the two ungodly expensive plasma screens already there, which--currently and ever since installation--have been displaying...nothing.)
But she didn't stop. Apparently, the latest idea was to "add warmth" with pieces of honey oak suspended from the ceiling. (Christ allmighty, the Discovery Channel has a lot to answer for these days!) I can't imagine how this is going to mesh with everything else, from the neo-Art Deco frosted glass light fixtures they want to install to the existing Brutalist exposed concrete. I'm also loving the fact that the ceiling is scheduled to be redone before the drainage problems of the plaza above it are fixed so that water doesn't come leaking through with every downpour. There was also some talk about installing "portals" and new plaques that I didn't really catch. Oh, and they've decided for sure they're going to tear down the wall defining an old classroom to turn it into a reading nook because, you know, the fact that every one of our enclosed meeting areas is booked almost continuously is no sign that we have too few. They're not sure what can be down about the moisture which collects on and runs down the walls in there, but I'm sure they'll think of something before they line the room with bookshelves for brand-new acquisitions.
The whole thing would be unrelentingly hilarious if I could just forget how much money is being spent on it.
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