Friday afternoons

4:08 pm on a Friday in my office. All around me lights are off, offices are dark as people slowly slip out to the weekend. For those that are still technically "on the clock" some are on extended, late lunch/errand hours, others quietly close their doors and I hear the whoosh of the compressed air can as they kill time by cleaning out their keyboards. Others gather on opposite sides of the offices, with their laughter clearly identifying them as not working (no non-profit work is that entertaining!) ringing around the empty corridors. Some of us blog about random nothingness trying to coast away the last few moments till a buttoned up coat and hat are justifiable.

4:13 on a Friday afternoon and phones are picked up to make calls to loved ones, finalizing last minute weekend plans, comparing shopping lists and the amazing finds they've found. The laughter from the other side of the office still rings through every now and then. It's an oddly balanced group that is one person away from being tipped into guilt and back into work. Bloggers are still blogging with nothing still to say. Soon I will head into my email to check it one more time (hotmail that is, not my work one), take a swing through Facebook to see if anyone has updated their status message to something entertaining, and glance at the online cover of the Tribune to make sure Chicago hasn't burned down while I was daydreaming.

4:23 time to start the pack up and head out motions....have a great weekend!