There is a department at the office known as Graphics.
As its name suggests, Graphics is where people from other departments go to order graphics. The job can be as simple as downloading a picture off the Web, checking that it's good for use and making it accessible on the system. Or it can be as complicated as requiring illustrations and animation complete with bells, whistles and a nice shiny cherry on top.
Yesterday I walked into Graphics and asked if I could order a series of 4 pictures to be ready in 15 minutes.
It was a relatively simple order -- the pictures had to be downloaded off the Web and made accessible on the system. The only 'extra' in my order was for these to be pieced together so they could be accessible as a single file.
15 minutes? No, we can't make it, they said.
Meanwhile, 5 minutes slipped past before someone deigned to start on the order.
The guy looks at the order form. There was a particular section I didn't fill up involving the picture format. Which one do you want? he asked.
I couldn't answer, since none of the options stated was what I wanted. I was perfectly happy with the format the pictures came in. But no, I had to choose one. So I picked 'landscape'.
That turned out to be the wrong answer.
He stood up, went over to his female colleague and announced, She doesn't know what she wants.
This apparently is her cue.
How can you not know what you want? Didn't the people over there teach you? Do you want me to give you a course?
I want these pictures to be put together into one file.
Why do you want to do that? Are you going to edit the pictures?
No, I just want them to appear one after another.
Why don't you have them as single files then, that's easier. (Apparently it'll take an even longer time to put the pictures together into a single file.)
Right. I didn't know that. So I amended my order.
But she went on. And on. And on. I didn't respond to anything she said, firstly because I was strapped for time (as she very well knows), and secondly, the way she just sat there complaining (while someone else does the actual work) and repeating 'I don't think she understands' annoyed me.
Presently, I left the room.
Thirty minutes later, a senior co-worker came along and squeezed himself beside me.
I knew what it was going to be about.
I have just come from Graphics, he begun ...
I spent the next 5 minutes nodding. I didn't want to accidentally on purpose say anything rude. Mostly, I have no interest in engaging in petty office politics. I'm just there to work and get paid. (But it doesn't mean I can't rant.)
