Flashback

Nostalgic after our 5-year college reunion, my first post-college roommate forwarded me this email (blitz) exchange dated 8/02/2005.

*******
From: Alex
To: Tracey
Date: 8/2/05

9:01--alex wanted to get to work before 9 to show that she is a good analyst. unfortunately, she was a little late and arrives to work a bit sweaty and flustered. she shares an elevator with the scary MD who doesn't know her name and makes it even more awkward than it should have been. newsflash: alex is awkward and apparently thrives on awkward situations.

9:10--9:30--alex spends many minutes trying to use the copy machine. apparently, there is touchpad where you are supposed to press the word "copy," but this fact elludes alex for quite some time. alexis feels triumphant that she has accomplished something.

9:45--there is still no work for alex to do. she surfs "Deutsche Bank's employee perks," but it looks too much like online shopping so she stops. she then receives 3 emails. unfortunately all of them are from her mom.

10:57--VP asks Alex if she "was the best in her training class." Alex faces a dilemma--does he want her to be an assertive employee and answer "YES!!!" or be an honest person and respond, "hell no"..? Alex contemplates her answer for a bit too long, and the VP frowns, questioning her mental capacities.

11:15--Alex breaks up the day with a trip to the coffee machine.

11:55--Alex goes to lunch with 5 male (older) members of her group. They are loud, boisterous, and swear a lot, so Alex doesn't say much, but eats her sandwich quietly (although she has forgotten napkins). Her fellow co-workers ask her one question, which she doesn't hear, so she answers "yes." Apparently, this wasn't a "yes or no" question, as her lunch companions stare questioningly back at her with looks of pity/disdain(???) on their faces. However, the Cosi Lime Chicken sandwich is quite tasty.

12:52--Alex has yet to do any work.

1:18--Alex wonders what she will order for dinner.

2:05--Alex decides to email every person she ever has known in Dartmouth/high school/elementary school/life. This takes some time. However, she is nervous about sending emails over her work email, so writes them in microsoft word (to appear like she's doing work), and copies and pastes them into her alum account. So far, Alex has received 0 responses. Except from her mom. That does not count.

3:01--Alex thinks she fell asleep for a bit. The past twenty minutes/6 hours/6 weeks seem like a blur.


*************************
From: Tracey
To: Alex
Date: 8/5/05

9:11 - tracey comes in late to work

9:15 - tracey eats the yogurt she brings for breakfast

9:30 - tracey gets a call from her boss who is out of the office today. she manages to scrape together some important questions to sound like she's doing work. she hangs up the phone and adds two things to her "to do" list. now she has three things on her to do list.

9:37 - tracey takes a blitz break

9:42 - tracey puts in her country music cd and annoys her coworkers

10:04 - tracey accomplishes one of the things on her to do list

10:07 - tracey accomplishes another thing on her to do list

10:15 - tracey takes a blitz break

10:22 - tracey learns that she is in fact going to nevis. tracey also learns that it will just be herself and her boss in nevis. tracey wonders if they will be sharing a hotel room and gets nervous.

10:52 - tracey signs for a package. the package is not for her.

10:53 - tracey gets hungry and thinks about the salad that she made for lunch.

10:54 - tracey realizes that lunch is two hours away.

********