My Government Office is Moving

I first set foot in the squat industrial shed where I'm currently officed back in 1995. Initially fabricated as a training facility for IBM, this afterthought of a building in the North Austin commerical wasteland surrounding the intersection of Braker and Kramer Lanes was never intended to be a permanent space. We were told we'd be moving within a year or so.

Ten years later, we've finally gotten word we'll be moving to a renovated patient facility on the Austin State Hospital campus this summer. Naturally, we've all been going on about how that makes perfect sense because "our office is so darn crazy!" I'm told there are still showers in the restrooms, so maybe I'll start bathing there to cut some time from my commute.

While everyone complains about the dilapidated state of our current office, especially the woefully inadequate restrooms, at least most everyone has their own office. The new place will be cube city, but as long as the checks keep clearing, I don't really mind too much. Now that I live alone, I probably need the extra human contact.

That said, I'm going to miss the old dump on Kramer Lane. I've worked there through two marriages, three bands and at least seven bureau chiefs. While I still hate waking up early, I've grown to appreciate the relative stability of civil service. It's been a nice elixir for my messy personal life and it rarely gets in the way of my creative pursuits. I kind of like being exiled in a faceless satellite office, scrivening the day away far from downtown scrutiny. Anything that might upset this imperfect-but-servicable apple cart is bound to evoke feelings of sentimentality.