waiting

it's quite astonishing how much time i spend waiting for stuff on any given day.

it is 4:17pm on a friday and i am sitting at my desk and waiting for boss #2 (code name L) to leave. i am done with whatever it is i set out to do today and there is nothing i can start working on at this point that can't wait until monday (or that i actually feel like doing anyway). as i sit here, i realize that if i were to add up all these pointless little moments of the day i could easily create a whole another parallel - and hopefully more interesting - life for myself. five minutes here, ten minutes there, 30 minutes waiting for the lunch speaker today, 15 minutes waiting for a cab, 10 minutes waiting for the subway - combine these little bits and pieces and you get an extra hour or two per day (which is an extra 365 to 730 hours per year or 15 to 30 days!) to do something useful.

but you can't because you're waiting.

"alright... i'm off - have a good weekend," announces L in the routinely chipper (translation: annoying) voice as her head suddenly peaks into my office, scaring the crap out of me as i desparately try to cover up the fact that i am writing a blog entry instead of doing profound financial analysis, or whatever it is i am supposed to be doing instead.

i wait... step - step - step - step... door opens, door closes... DING - the elevator comes, the elevator door closes... and after the obligatory 5 minutes i quietly sneak out.

at last - the weekend is on.