Date – 07th Oct. 2008 (Evening, India Time)
Place – My Office
- I am about to leave from office for an out station trip… enabled the auto responder on email and signed off.
Date – 07th Oct. 2008 (Early Morning, Eastern Time)
Place – Far away, some where in USA
- T leaves the bed, though still half asleep and red bull banging in head. Bound and forced with the routine, some Spiritual (read Satanic) super power brings him to the PC and first thing is to write an email about the updates on project, some new requests, some new conclusions from brainstorming last night and what not.
- Auto responder comes in action and throws away a canned response immediately.
- T rubs the eyes in disbelief and reads it again… mutters some silent curses and replies “What the hell, how can you go like it.. you can’t go for a bloody vacation at this time”
- Auto responder is still prompt and vigorous and catches the mail in between to throw away another canned response.
- Some more curses, audible this time… some abuses.. tries to find his cell phone and composes a text message, as politely as possible.
- No response. More abuses, loud enough to wake up the chick in bed [sorry T ;)]
- Sends again
- I read the message and scratch my head. Can’t think of any thing which will cool him down. I knew this was going to happen but still… I couldn’t avoid this trip so.. I call names to the inventors of the cell phones, email and the revolution which has made it impossible to live in this world without all these tiny boxes.
- More threats from T, more excuses from my side and this goes on and on for next 4-5 days.
Now, I know most of us are very familiar with above scene but two things come up in my mind.
First is, I feel that I am quite an important person on this earth, not just another insignificant walking talking structure of bones and flesh. Argh… I know its not true but the second one is very true and worth a thought, and that is, if we were happier when we didn’t have these gizmos in our pockets, with access to email, internet and all that crap, or we are happy today with such an easy and quick access to each and every information (wanted or unwanted). There are pros and cons of every thing but ain’t it going over our heads now? We can’t go for a vacation in peace, can’t spend some private moments with family and can’t even concentrate on our work because there is always a high priority email waiting for our immediate attention.
There can be an argument, that I should not have gone for a trip when the project was in such a state (mind it that I am not using the word “vacation” coz it was not) but then what, even if I would have skipped it for 1 week, it would have been some other client, some other urgent matters and some other project…
Remember the times when we could go for a vacation without even knowing and hence not worrying about the offices. When we used to come at home at 6 PM and then the next connection to work was next morning. I really miss those times.. do you ?
Cheers !
P.S. – T, I know you are going to read it and scream at me but I am prepared and all ears :)
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good one, a typical page out of typical working persons life...having to postpone or cancel the so called trip (vacation) as the "stakeholders" call them at the cost of sulking loved ones and depleted bank balance(thanks to the cancellation charges) complete the agony :)
Couldn't agree more.. if only I could throw away my cell phone, I would have been a far happier person...
read "far more happier" instead of "far happier" in previous comment..
Typos you know.. can't help it, otherwise backspace key in my keyboard feels neglected.. :)
I will let you know whether not having a mobile is any fun... as my company plans to have a no mobile phone on the floor policy...I plan to take it one step futher with a no mobile phone in my life policy (if they make me give up my phone during office hours...they have no rights to call me during home hours :)...) lets see how long I survive without my cell...this has gives me an idea for a new blog...maybe I should chronicle my cell-less life :))..
typos are the bane of my life...I have sent some really hilarious mails (they began as perfectly harmless professional mails) but thanks to the omissions of few "key words" caused me quite a lot of embarassment...
hahhahaa...ur story is so similar to senorita's :) :)
some r 'far more happier' n some r gonna be :) with no cell phones
Senorita's chronicles of a cell-less office life! WOW
senorita - all set and waiting for the chronicle. Guess I will hold my decision till then :)
Speaking about typos and absent mind - no body can beat me there. I still remember when I cc'd an internal mail full of crap to the client. Thanks to "reply all" button in Outlook and rest is history :)
vin - I think its same story for all of us. We can't live with them and we can't leave them.. what the heck..
you too brutus??
you cc'd a mail to clients?? hahahahaha what was the response?
guess what.. a few months back, my colleague did the same! he send it to every on in his address book and our management team's dl was not spared! he din knew his mistake till we received our boss' mail! The forward was full of crap and material highly un-uncensored. We thought his job would be history. But our management team did have loads of humor sense. After couple of hours we got a mail from this lady who is our boss' boss' boss and she wrote just two words : good one!
:-)
The mail was supposed to be sent to one of my developers regarding a new request from client and me the great used the "reply all" button. it started some thing like.. can't help it if that s**thead wants it that ways.. so you can imagine the rest of the stuff in there.
What happened next - the client was furious as expected and it took me whole bunch of 5-6 days to convince him that it was just to pamper the developer, he is so frustrated with daily change requests and what not.. but yeah, all is well when end is well.. some times I think that I am quite a good manipulator :)
@ scattered thoughts... Sawan...good ones lemme share one of my less career damaging episodes!!!
This was in my previous organisation... and we had this Internal Chat system, which was used extensively for gossip, grievances, intrigue, crib sessions, romance (I know of many love stories that because with a Instant Message :P) and work related activities...
I was about to leave one evening and my manager comes to me and says that such and such report need to be sent out asap ( he had this habit of always pouncing on you when you are just about to leave and burying you under work)...so I start work on the report and also start a crib session on Instant message with the friend...it took me a couple of seconds to realise that in my mindless anger I has actually sent the instant message to my manager!!!
To say that I was terrified is an understatement...My mind went numb...my manager sat in a cubicle across the aisle... very slowly I turned to see how he was taking it...to my relief I found he was not at his desk and surprise...surprise... I found that he had not locked his workstation...very stealthy I walked across the aisle, went to his PC, acted as if I was looking for some papers and closed the chat window, and not a minute too soon as he came back to his desk at that minute...I mumbled something about looking for a paper fastner or something... I am sure he did not believe me for an instant :))
During this entire episode I am sure I had stopped breathing as it was only once I sank into my chair I realised how cold my hands had become :))
After this incident paranoia has gripped me, I check every chat message hundred times over before I send it ....
I am so not gonna scream or yell ! rater I'm gonna say, I totally agree with you !!!
There is always work - there always is some damn client - there is always a perpetually imp job waiting to be attended to at your desk - there is always things that need to be finished......basicaly there is always work !!!!
Can completely identify !
sigh....
So true. We really have become slaves to technology and our work. So, in actual it was just another business trip for you na?
When are you really planning to go on a vacation now? :)
sen - this has some thing to do with the species of the damn managers. Pouncing on when you are leaving. Some kind of Murphy's law, the more stealthily and earlier you will try to leave, more annoying and boring will be the work thrown in to your side :)
cinderella - same expressions :( sigh...
still - oh yeah, it was a business trip :) after this horrible experience T has invited me to his beach house for an all expense paid vacation, so just waiting for air tickets :)) uhh.. la la la
Lucky you! or r u really? ...lol!