squirrel bits

Today was not an ordinary Friday at the MCC office. I flicked on the lights in our dimly lit communications room in the basement (occupied by me, two designers, and three other communications staff) and noticed them flickering in a strobe light effect. The computers wouldn't start up and the internet was down. I decided to take it easy, being a Friday and all, and strolled into the kitchen with a magazine and made some tea and oatmeal. I heard someone say that a squirrel was on the power line and something about hearing a big boom. A bit later Isaac (my buddy in SPAM Supplies Printing And Mailing) came through the kitchen and told me the squirrel was still outside on the ground with it's guts hanging off the electric wire. At first I didn't believe him because he is known for playing tricks and making jokes, but when he insisted I go see, I followed, with my camera of course.

Indeed there was a poor little squirrel lying stiff on the ground, split open down his side revealing some bright red entrails. I think the electricians thought I was quite strange taking umpteen photos in all different angles of the dead squirrel. They offered to turn him over for me so I could take some more pics.

It's kind of funny how one little measly squirrel can just stop an entire office from functioning. Suddenly we didn't know what to do with ourselves. No email, no computers, no lights. Now what? It's hard for me to imagine my job without a computer, without the internet constantly at my finger click. Lately I've been seeking more tactile, hands-on, person-to-person experiences than what an office job can give me. I want to get dirty, be spontaneous, fresh, organic (if that's possible?).

Conclusion: Change is often good, even if frustrating or inconvenient at first. I think we need the random spontaneous squirrel bits in life to kick our brains into thinking a bit more outside the norm and to make us feel alive and human. After all, we are not robots, nor were we meant to function like them. And I'm very, very happy about that.