Distracted, annoyed

My office is opposite a computer lab. Today, upon arrived, I saw two stacks of what looked like new computers, still in their boxes, neatly framing my door. There's about forty of them.

My first reaction was a mild adrenalin rush. Would be kind of messy if they should fall on my head, or my feet (I'm wearing flip flops). Second reaction was a mild surge of rage. Replacing all the computers? Again? Is this really necessary? They've done that just two years ago. These are computers for students to use in the labs, not personal computers they store all their junk on. Why can't they use that money to spend on my salary increment? Or reduce the cuts to my housing and children's education allowance? Or just give me a cash bonus for my dedication to the institution?

What are they going to do with all the old computers? I could do with one. Our desktop at home is pretty useless. This brings me back to the last time they "auctioned" off a load of used computers to staff members. It caused quite a riot. What happened was, these machines were priced dirt cheap, like HK$250 or something (with all the standard software already installed). So of course it attracted a lot of interest. The thing was, they were stupid enough to have the auction held in the afternoon of a working day. So dozens of clerical staff and cleaning staff and technicians left their posts to queue up for a ticket to get into the auction room. They just skived off, you see. But then what chance do they have to get their hands on these dirt cheap machines if they didn't do that? Who is going to grant them 2.5 hours personal leave for this event of the year? Possibly the only bonus they will ever get for working in this place? (Unless you are into nicking low quality toilet rolls) Academic staff have the liberty to just take off whenever they like. Like me. I did get hold of one of these Pentium IIIs and gave it to my previous domestic helper (the one who went to prison, and is now in Dubai, or is it Kuwait?).

Anyhow, it's pretty annoying. Thinking about how they are wasting resources and how I'll probably have to queue up for 2 hours again if they are going to sell off these machines to staff again this time. So I'm off to a bad start.

Been sitting here working through the book again. I don't see many changes that need to be done apart from stuffing in some more references. And as I go through this mindless tasks, workers are outside my door, unpacking boxes, chatting, loudly, in a dialect I cannot understand. Very annoying. Why can't they shut the hell up? Don't they know that I'm doing very important work here? I can almost guarantee that if I open my door now, they will all shut up, and would look at me, surprised, that I exist. They might even be mildly annoyed that I interrupted their banter. As if I was in the wrong!

People. So annyoing. They are.