Plasma Screens
Last week, a couple of burly men hung two plasma screens in our office. Curiously, though, they did not attach them to the wall. Instead, the plasma screens are suspended from the ceiling by a series of cables and they sit about a foot away from the wall, protruding into our office's main hallways.
This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that these screens hang down at about eye level, when standing. At 5'6", I am barely tall enough to slam my forehead into them, should I be so unfortunate. However, most of my colleagues are male and probably stand closer to six feet, so they're more likely to break their noses, should their stride be brisk and their level of awareness minimal.
My co-workers have been joking about how someone is going to poke their eye out, as they round the corner from the bathroom. On Friday, one guy acted out such an accident, exclaiming, "Ahh, my beautiful nose!" as he pressed his face into the side of the screen.
Today, after I returned from lunch, I noticed the CEO, facilities manager, and a couple of other men standing around in the middle of the cube farm, and I wondered what they were up to. So I stared and kept walking, but then turned around.
"See, Kate's about to…" began the CEO. And on hearing my name, I looked back at them. "No, no, turn around," he said. And I did and kept walking right past one of the plasma screens.
I think at this point, he let out some exclamation of disappointment. It turns out that they were discussing the poor placement of the plasma screens and waiting for someone to slam their head into one. Sadly for them, I did not, but it always makes me feel good to have the CEO refer to me by name, even if he's secretly wishing I'll get a concussion.
This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that these screens hang down at about eye level, when standing. At 5'6", I am barely tall enough to slam my forehead into them, should I be so unfortunate. However, most of my colleagues are male and probably stand closer to six feet, so they're more likely to break their noses, should their stride be brisk and their level of awareness minimal.
My co-workers have been joking about how someone is going to poke their eye out, as they round the corner from the bathroom. On Friday, one guy acted out such an accident, exclaiming, "Ahh, my beautiful nose!" as he pressed his face into the side of the screen.
Today, after I returned from lunch, I noticed the CEO, facilities manager, and a couple of other men standing around in the middle of the cube farm, and I wondered what they were up to. So I stared and kept walking, but then turned around.
"See, Kate's about to…" began the CEO. And on hearing my name, I looked back at them. "No, no, turn around," he said. And I did and kept walking right past one of the plasma screens.
I think at this point, he let out some exclamation of disappointment. It turns out that they were discussing the poor placement of the plasma screens and waiting for someone to slam their head into one. Sadly for them, I did not, but it always makes me feel good to have the CEO refer to me by name, even if he's secretly wishing I'll get a concussion.