More Letters!
Late for the Party
And This Too Shall Pass?
Love the Man in the Uniform
A Morning in the Life
Give This Man a Flamethrower
Being "Sticky" Is Not Enough
Don't Me.Com
Under the Volcanoes
The Cyberslouch
e-Slacking
Stock-Suck

Per usual, I came in to find three smoldering volcanos surrounding my desk, one just about to blow its lid off, the other gushing gray molten lava and staring in disbelief at the devastation, and yet another totally spent and feeling embarrassed (but relieved). Three active volcanos, three different people I work closely with every day. One of the three volcanoes will erupt during the day--that's just a law of nature. And being the office seismologist, it's up to me to figure out which one and prepare my fellow humans for the ensuing devastation.

Everyone has so far relied on me to warn of the impending disaster--EVERY DAY--so they can steer clear. This is an awesome and awful responsibility. The one day I didn't show up for work, an entire department got badly burned. I have yet to witness the entire volcanic range exploding, but I'm afraid that, too, is coming.

The geography here is set up for disaster. No matter which way the wind is blowing, the lava will flow in toward us, instead of out to water. The volcanoes tower above us. They are visible from every space on this little island. We try hiding under the palm groves and praying for relief. But then the rumbling begins. We are again reminded of our fleeting existence here. We try to hide. But there is no place to hide. Actually, we have learned to look forward to the daily eruption. One day, we thought it would not happen. We became chatty, giddy with the possibility of an uneventful day. But around 5:10 p.m. the rumbling began. And we felt almost relieved. Without this daily occurrence, it seems there is very little else to look forward to.