Office life: May 2008 Archives

First and foremost, major props to the Office writers for throwing in a plug for Allentown. I love my hometown representing even if it's only where Jan is going for Lamaze class.

Let's get right down to what we learned this week. Because the episode was an hour long, we've got double the amount of lessons.

Lesson one: Do not leave your cell phone setting on your desk or you may find that all of your calls are being transfered to someone else's phone.

As we're about to close out another week, it's time for the weekly round up of top biz stories this week.

Speed networking is all the rage.

The Business and Tech expo was on Tuesday.

First quarter homes sales weren't so good.

Even fairly well off people are turning to discounters.

Flying just keeps getting more expensive.

And because I hate to leave you with depressing news on a Friday afternoon, check out this video shot by photographer Paul Kuehnel.

Side note: The baby bump is the reason we only see Angela from her shoulders up because there's no storyline written in for her pregnancy.

Jim Halpert was successful this week, for once acting like a real businessman and sealing a sales deal on the golf course.

But before we get to his overwhelming success, let's take a quick look at Michael's inept struggles.

In my exploring of the expo, I saw a lot of really interesting displays companies had set up. I didn't have time to take pictures of all of them, or even stop and talk to every single person there. That would have been quite the challenge.

Here's a quick look at two more of the business that were there.

It's lunch time at the expo so I decided to scope out all the places you could grab free munchies here.

There are tons of catering places represented, and they are all featuring pretty delicious-looking spreads.

Here's what I heard from and saw at some of the stands.

Here's a reason to come to the Business and Technology expo today: Free massages.

Chiropractic Healthcare Center on East Market Street has a booth where they are teaching people about the services they provide and offering free massages.

If that's not a reasons to step out of the office on your lunch break, I don't know what is.

Michael surprised me in last night's episode. I think it's the first time in maybe forever that he handled an uncomfortable situation appropriately. Sure it may have taken some poking and prodding from HR and in the beginning he may have wanted to take a half day on account of a stomachache, but in the end he did the right thing.

But after giving Michael that credit, I think it's time to examine what Michael and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin crew taught us not to do.

The first Friday of May has been deemed No Pants Day for some years now, according to the holiday's Web site.

Here's a few pointers from the FAQ section to make sure you have the appropriate attire for the day.

What in the world is No Pants Day?
No Pants Day is a day where everyone, be they students, respectable businessmen, or cherished community leaders, leave their pants behind. Usually this means wearing thick, appropriately modest boxer shorts, but bloomers, slips, briefs, and boxer-briefs all work as well.

Are you getting ulcers from layoff worries and want to find something with a little more job security, but don't know where to start?

Perhaps it's time to get back to basics, and ask yourself this question: If you were a customer, how bad would things get before you would stop buying the product you are selling or making, or service you are providing?

I have a laptop that blew up on me going on two years ago. I haven't fixed it. My wife and I have a desktop that serves our needs OK. I can spend that money elsewhere, like on food.

I did a story the other day about Glatfelter's push into making coffee and tea filter papers. No one will give up a morning cup of coffee or tea until well after they've started sewing their own clothes and supplementing their grocery shopping with the backyard garden, or so the logic goes.

It's an example of a company looking to make their business as recession-proof as they can.

Are you plotting a move to a "safer" career? If so, let us know where you are now and where you want to go.