My days as a housewife are over since I now have a part-time job and get to partake in the joys of the Italian office environment. Foremost among these is the coffee break which begins promptly at 10:30 am. It is clear that the coffee break and espresso machine have been much abused (i.e. used all day long) because there are signs on the breakroom door specifying the machine must be off from 7:00 am - 10:30 am and from 10:45 am -5 pm.
The first order of business (after coffee) was to settle in and get to work so I went in search of supplies. It seems that similar to most offices, one person is in charge of the distribution of supplies, however, I've rarely seen such a highly guarded stash of Post-Its, paper clips and pens. Unfortunately when I found the desk belonging to the keeper of the Post-Its the chair was empty and the computer off. I asked around and was told he was on vacation -- with the key to the file cabinet apparently. Surely someone else has a key? I was told I should try again on Monday to get supplies. This was on a Wednesday afternoon.
Unfortunately upon returning to my desk I realized that the printer I had inherited was running out of ink. No surprise, I had to wait until Monday to get toner. Now unable to write, or to print, I had some time to kill. One of my colleagues was kind enough to point me in the direction of the rack of forms so I could find the proper paperwork to fill out in order to expedite my acquisition of pens when the supply-security-guard returned. Naturally, I was struck by the irony of needing a pen to fill out a form so that I could get some pens. Luckily, nearby was one of those pens they have at the bank that is chained down to the desk, obviously to prevent other desperate workers from absconding with it. Having turned in my forms and acquired the proper stamp, I went back to my empty desk to twiddle my thumbs until the next time we could turn on the espresso machine.
I eventually got my Post-Its, 2 pens and a box of paperclips. I didn't bother filling out the paperwork for a ream of paper, I figured I would just remove a bit from the copier now and then. Of course, that was before I knew that the copier too was under lock and key.
In order to avoid the endless paperwork I have become a great conserver of office supplies. I believe it is good not to be wasteful, but I fear I may be becoming compulsive in my hoarding of rubber bands and paper clips. I now seriously consider the gravity of errors before applying liquid paper and I highlight with restraint.
