Fish Bowl

I love to people watch. Before all the heightened security post 9/11, I used to volunteer to take and pick up friends/family to and from the airport. While waiting for them to depart or arrive, I would enjoy watching the other passengers from afar and come up with a storyline based on their body language and interactions with others.

I recently moved into a new office, which took me out of the basement level, and into a very nice corner office with one whole wall of windows. My office is located near the employee entrance so there is always some type of activity right outside my windows and because of all the activity my door is always closed; less distraction. It’s funny how regimented we can all be. It has been about a month since I’ve been in my new location. By now I can pretty much set my clock to certain co-workers actions. I’ve never been a smoker but I am noticing that the pair of co-workers who take smoke breaks together do so every day at the same time. They enjoy a slow stroll around the parking lot while puffing. Then there is the traffic past my windows during the lunch hour. I generally work through lunch. What can I say, I am a busy woman.

This afternoon I was busily plotting out a spreadsheet. My computer faces the windows. So I would guess that if you are on the outside looking in, it might appear that I am staring at you. I am usually staring at my computer non-stop for hours at a time. I have learned to ignore the activity outside my window. I didn’t notice that one of my co-workers had gone outside to make a cell phone call. It wasn’t until I looked up towards the corner window because I noticed some movement in my peripheral vision. What I see is the woman on the cell phone with her forehead against my window making a fish face at me, all the while continuing with her conversation. When she came back inside, she came into my office and half jokingly/half serious asked why I was staring at her while she was on the phone. When she saw the configuration of my desk she realized that I wasn’t staring at her, instead I was concentrating on the computer. We both got it at the same time and just started laughing. I was being punished with a fish face for seemingly invading her privacy. It was priceless.