Daily Routines

Every morning precisely at 10 a.m., music starts playing over the loudspeakers in the halls at work, and handfuls of people get up and filter outside into the hall. There they line up and follow the man barking (and counting) out the steps of the exercise routine.

Somehow, I missed the whole affair in the first few days, but late in the first week I got caught out in the hall on the way back from the restroom at 10 a.m. and had to squeeze by and avoid people as they made sweeping arm movements and deep knee bends. Since that time I have avoided the hallways around 10 since following a routine was never really my forte (I'm more into the organized chaos that is team sports) and I didn't want to tempt fate.

Today, however, I was *personally* invited to partake in the daily exercises, so there was no hiding at my desk. Nope, had to go out there in all my ungainly glory.

Oh boy. There is nothing like a coordinated routine to make me feel very large and uncoordinated. But, just to add salt to my wounds, my (small and dainty) friends have been doing this *same* routine since grammar school!

I managed to struggle through though, and it was fun. I will get better with practice, as I'm sure I'll be expected to participate from now on.

The morning exercises are only one of several times during the day that the loudspeakers serenade us. At 1:30 p.m. a very rousing, military-sounding ditty marks the end of the two hour lunch period (generally waking up many people who slouch into their chairs or put their heads on their desks for a post lunch siesta). My personal favorite though, is the muzak version of "We are the world" played promptly at 5 p.m. Every day.