h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I had to go to the dentist again this morning - long story. I didn't have an appointment, but they told me to come and be prepared to wait. I had to wait a good hour and was only five minutes in the chair.

When I turned up at work at about 9.40, I was told I didn't need to hurry because the system wasn't working. Seems it crashed last night.

So all morning, several hundred people here have been paid for doing filing, drinking coffee, shredding a few sheets of paper, going for a smoke, reading some e-mails (they work, but you can't do anything with the contents, not having access to the system) having a chat, taking phone calls and not being able to help the caller, going to the loo, doing whatever people do on facebook.

I spent ages reading comments on imdb and elsewhere about the film I saw last night.

IT are apparently not any further in sorting the problem. They are holding frantic meetings and probably having to answer constant phone calls from employees asking when they can finally start work.

Fortunately it's rather a dead time of year and there have been very few phone calls so far.

*returns to twiddling fingers*

Enjoy it! Pottering and frittering are things I have very well-developed skills in.

I have cleaned out all my desk drawers and shredded a whole box of waste paper. I have a page full of numbers to call back when the system is up and running again. I wish I'd brought some knitting. Fortunately I had reading matter with me because of the expected wait at the dentist's this morning.

I never shred scrap paper. I cut it into smaller pieces, which I then use to write shopping lists and notes to myself. It's amazing how many7 I use!

At work we have to shred much of it because it contains information that shouldn't be kicking about. So we just shred all of it. Sacks of shredded paper are lighter than solid reams of unshredded paper to carry to the paper skip in the yard.

At home we cut it into shopping list-size bits. My husband always has a few lists on the go.

The novelty of idleness wears off pretty quickly. A few years ago my workplace was infected with a major computer virus and all systems were down for nearly a fortnight while the problem was traced and fixed. The recovery time when the systems came back up was probably just as long but much busier...

MC

> Sacks of shredded paper are lighter than solid reams of unshredded paper to carry to the paper skip in the yard.

You could achieve the same by carrying smaller reams. That is what you are doing, in effect

We've got time to carry the paper out a sheet at a time now. The system is down again. I really have absolutely nothing to do. We are allowed to clock off at three, so I have an hour and a half to kill. And it will probably not be considered suitable to potter and fritter online for the whole of that time.

I have about three months worth of non-computer work I could do if this happened to us. Unfortunately I would then need to stop the world for 2½ months whilst I caught up with all the paperwork afterwards.

Deb

"Sacks of shredded paper are lighter than solid reams of unshredded paper to carry to the paper skip in the yard." [TC]

They should be slightly heavier, as there is more air surrounding the shreds. But since they're taking up more space they would be bulkier and might seem lighter.

You only had to wait an hour, for a medical/dentist appointment, not booked in dvance?!; wow..... I had to wait over an hour for a booked appointment this morning, in one clinic, then over an hour and a half for a second clinic appointment in the afternoon at hospital! - Pottering and waiting are necessary sk skills they should teach at school

Some types of waiting really *are* taught in school. Waiting in line, for instance. Waiting for the final bell, for another.

ooo! I'd forgot that! and as soon as you metion it; I recall standing in line, at middle school, break time, hoping to get to the front of teh queue for the tuc shop! MMMMMM... now I wanna choc bar