Why I Don't Miss Working In An Office While I Travel... OR Why I Hate People

So this is my first full week in the office between all of the travels I've been doing.  I leave on Saturday to travel again, but for now I'm in my lovely little office. 

While I've been out and about I've forgotten some irritating things that happen in offices as I was pining away to be back in my little cube neighborhood.

Yesterday I was too busy catching up on voicemails and emails to get any real work done so today I was prepared to buckle down and get some things going before I have to leave again, and you know what I found?  I found that officemates are passive-aggressive, selfish, rude and strange sometimes. 

I'm referring to the following:

1. I went to throw something in the trash under my desk and then heard the crumpled plastic hit the floor.  Why?  Because my trash can was GONE.  Where did it go?  I looked and looked and I have NO IDEA.  So I had to walk to the other end of the building to a supply closet and get a new freakin' trash can.  I asked the people around me and of course I got the, "I have no idea, I didn't touch it," response from everyone.  But the thing is, why would anyone take my trash can?   Everyone has their own! Custodial services doesn't touch the trashes in our offices... we are responsible for emptying our own- they just take care of the common area trash receptacles.  It was mostly just frustrating. 

2.  Pens and highlighters were missing from my desk caddy.  Are you that lazy that you cannot walk the 2 feet to your office and grab your own writing utensils?  Mostly I'm mad because I don't use the pens from our office supply cabinet because I'm a little picky about pens so I bring in my own kind (the RSVP ones from Pentel). 

3.  My tissues are gone.  I have allergies and use A TON of tissues.  Yesterday I wasn't so bad, but today I have the sniffles and reached for a tissue just to find that the whole box was gone. 


Who are these people stealing my pens/highlighters/trash can/tissues?  There is a supply cabinet 10 feet down the hallway with most of these things in them (except trash cans) so why take mine?  Go get your own BRAND NEW one from there! 

I'm going to start labeling and licking my desk stuff so when they steal them I will see my label and can then say, "Hey!  I licked that!  Go ahead and keep it if you want."  Kind of gross, but most likely effective.