the things i miss about my old office job

1. People. While it’s true eight whole hours sometimes went by without me saying so much as a word to someone else, I still drove to work alongside hundreds of other commuters. I saw and heard people shuffle past my cubicle dozens of times a day. I shared air and space with others. It was kinda nice. Now, a bulk of my day is spent in front of my computer in my empty house. Email is my number one way of reaching people and being reached. I go to the grocery store because I crave human contact.

2. The Girls. You know you are getting close to a group of girls when you all fall on the same menstrual cycle. You know you have something special when you just have to look each other to laugh.

3. Payday Fridays. And direct deposit.

4. Target. There was a Target store 5 minutes away from the office, and I loved knowing I could go there before work, on the way home from work or during my lunch break. Of course, maybe the fact that I don’t live nearby is a good thing.

5. All The Good Food Places. The area where I worked is known for a few things: valley girls, the porn industry, dry heat and strip malls. Luckily, those strip malls are home to some of the most amazing little gems of restaurants. Mexican, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese, Cuban, Korean BBQ, French — you name it, we ate it. There even was an IN-N-OUT nearby.

6. Icebox Air Conditioning. I don’t miss it yet, but I know when the temperatures start rocketing into the 90s I’m going to wish I was so cold I needed a sweater.

7. Guillermo. Guillermo, one of the maintenance fellows, always made me smile.

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