August 24, 2002

how are you

Last week: 61.25

This week: 47

What: hours I worked.

Feels that all I’ve seen these past two weeks are gray cubes, fluorescent lights and computer screens. All I’ve heard is the chatter of people on the phone—whether live or in my head. It’s never ending. I was asked to do this new job. I signed papers saying I wouldn’t talk much about it, but it is in the tech industry. It deals with Windows products and I flail around trying to learn as I go about these ridiculous machines. One month ago I had seen one BIOS and had no desire to see another. I’d never been into Device Manager and I never edited a Registry. Now I do these things on a regular basis. Actually, I just recommend that one person tell another person to do these things. I may or may not be giving them correct advice and it’s driving me crazy.

When I step into my place of work I am greeted by at least five people on the way to my desk. Throughout the course of my day I say, “how are you?” to around 70 people. I respond to “how are you?” around 70 times. Each answer and response is slightly different from the last interaction. Some more sincere than others. It’s not the fault of the questioner or the respondent that they are all pretty generic, it’s the fault of the question. It’s way to open ended. So open it’s a close ended. You don’t really want to know (generally) and you don’t really feel like saying the truth (generally). I think if we are talking strict ethics this question is the leading cause of lying. Yet I find it a somewhat reassuring that so many people are asking each other where they are mentally, how their health is, how the kids are doing, and any number of responses that can lead from, “how are you”.

posted @ 5:50 PM

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