The Kingdom of Narnia

I don’t know if I’ll be able to blog today. Or at least for a very long time. You see, sitting at my computer means turning away from my space heater, which means that the 60-degree freeze that is our building hits me in full blast.

I have never ever given a second thought to office temperature. I have never had to. You see, up until last year, I have always worked in departments that were geared towards research. Wherever you looked, there were piles of questionnaires, students coding surveys, or conducting content analysis on a variety of media, people at computers analyzing data, struggling to write a killer of an opening paragraph, and trying to finish that perfect research grant. Because people spent most of their days sitting behind desks, with the maximum amount of movement coming from their fingers dancing across their keyboards, the buildings were always kept at cozy temperatures. Each office even had its own radiator, so that the occupant could easily adjust the temperature to their needs. Since conducting research is probably the least rewarding job in the world (although I will put keeping a McDonald’s restaurant clean in second place), we had everything at our disposal to make our stay as pleasant as possible. We had electric kettles in our offices for tea and coffee, cute little lamps over our desks, and those deskchairs that can be adjusted in every way possible, and that will even allow a brief nap if you so feel inclined.

But then last year I started work at a department where media production is a main focus. Besides meaning that all the money is funneled towards paying for new equipment and macs, and there are no funds for pretty deskchairs, cozy lamps, or electric kettles, it also has a profound effect on my daily comfort level. You see, equipment used in television, radio, and film needs to kept at around 60 degrees. If it’s stored at temperatures higher than that, it starts to break down. And when you pay around $3000 per handheld camera, that is something you cannot afford. Because our offices are surrounded by studios, control rooms, and storage rooms, the entire mass communication section of the building is kept at a spartan 62 degrees (16C). In summertime this is a little on the cool side, but it’s acceptable. There are tall windows everywhere which offer enough sunshine that most offices are still reasonable. But come wintertime, it’s, well, pardon the expression, hell on wheels. Last night we had one of the coldest October nights in Georgia at near-freezing, and today the temperature is not expected to get above the low 40s (4C). Combine that with a building temperature that barely squeaks over 62F, and you have one very unhappy DixieChick. It’s so cold my wedding ring is threatening to fall off my finger, and I can’t feel my right little toe anymore. And I would complain (you all know I would), but there’s really no point since I know no one’s doing this on purpose. Sometimes people down the hall, who are not in our department, but who do share our HVAC system, come and complain. In fact, some people get so upset, it has led to some interesting feuds, but there is really nothing we can do. Except be cold and frustrated. And buy a space heater. And drinks lots of really hot coffee. And write a blog about it.

So please excuse me. I really have to turn around and warm my hands before they’re really frozen.