It's Different Here

It's different here in my new department. One would scarcely believe it's the same company.

Where before the air was boisterous with loud complaining and thick with discontent; here it is peaceful and quiet, the dull din of office white noise burbling in the background.

Where before trips to the cafeteria meant an elevator jaunt down 6 floors to a sodium-laden greasy spoon; here it's a 2-flight skip down to a brightly-lit salad bar with a huge selection of flavored coffees and herbal teas.

Where before the people I passed in the halls were overweight, underpaid lifers in track pants or outdated jeans; here sleek svelte professionals glide by in silence, their gleaming highlights showcasing their perfectly-blown-out locks.

Where before, a stop by a coworkers' cubicle would reap a disapproving look, at best, or a question as to whether I "needed more work", at worst; here people happily discuss the movies they saw over the weekend, the newest lame reality show, what their kids did during dinner.

Where before, I was called over to coworkers' cubicles to explain complicated things like "independent movies" or "health-spend refund accounts"; here we casually toss out conversation peppered with acronyms like CABG, MI, EKG, CVD. And no one bats an eyelash.

Ahh, what a difference a difference makes.