Mean

Today I was mean.  It was an experiment, but it had a human subject.  What's more, the human subject had no idea they were the subject of my experiment.

Some time ago, ESK and I realized that our other co-worker pretty much functions like either a dude, or a child in our office.  She is an adult.  And a college graduate.  But, when it comes to meal time, she is perfectly comfortable with letting us make food magically appear in front of her.  To her credit, she has been willing to eat pretty much anything we give her.

Earlier this week, I think because both ESK and I are rocking colds,  we realized that not only does she happily freeload meals, she doesn't contribute to the placing of the food on the table. . . or even on her own plate most days.  She literally will sit at the table and wait for us to hand her food.

Any attempt make her fend for herself . . . even to the point of deciding which sort of cheese to put on her sandwich . . . has met with bumbling and confusion until one of us takes over.

So, today, I decided to sit in my office beyond the 12 noon hour to see what she would do.  And, she did NOTHING.  She stayed in her office.  She didn't pop her head into my office to see if I were eating. . . she didn't inquire as to whether I was feeling well . . . NOTHING.  Later in the afternoon, I did hear her rustling the snack foods she keeps stashed in her office.

And, in other and possibly related news, Phenom informed me tonight that Santa will NOT be bringing me a pony.