A Week in the Life of a GSB Message Writer

[Aaron Adler <cadlerun@>]

PIZZA. There is pizza at GSB tonight. See 5:50pm below.
Pizza from Upper Crust. Did you read that? PIZZA. and Soda.


A week in the life of a GSB message writer*:

Wednesday:
   2:42pm Hmm, I should write a GSB message for Friday.
   3:07pm Hmm, I wonder if we have frothy beverages.
   3:10pm Nope, not enough.
   3:30pm Leave for frothy beverage supply store.
   3:58pm Be sure to buy specially requested frothy beverages.
   4:30pm Return from frothy beverage supply store.
   4:31pm Find some place to park since the parking lot has been replaced
          with a large hole in the ground.
   4:40pm Try to be discrete about cart full of frothy beverages.

Friday:
   8:15am Arrival at CSAIL.
   8:20am Ah, it's a Friday.
   8:21am Friday means a GSB message needs to be written.
   8:22am $*(#$*(@)
   noon   GSB message still needs to be written.
  12:15pm Wander around to make sure someone else will actually show up
          at GSB this week.
   1:00pm Start writing GSB message.
   1:05pm Maybe there's a funny news story.
   1:10pm Maybe something about George Bush?
   1:11pm Not funny anymore. Just sad.
   1:12pm No funny politics to write a message about. (Get well Teddy!)
   1:20pm Try finding something funny to write about the lab.
   1:22pm Maybe something about why all the toilet water is orange?
   2:07pm 6th draft of message started.
   2:10pm Maybe Harold wants to write the message.
   2:12pm Harold wants to write the message.
   2:13pm Harold decides he should really write his thesis instead.
   2:40pm Finally get message written.
   2:45pm Distraction: group server dies. Check for life signs in cold
          machine room. Faint signs of life, but it is on life support.
   3:35pm Make sure to spell check one more time before hitting send.
   3:40pm Message arrives in CSAILers inboxes.
   3:41pm >50% of recipients delete message without reading.
   3:42pm 60% of CSAILers read message, but ask what the #@$&* is GSB?**
   3:43pm 5% of CSAILers say "Yay! GSB!"***
   3:50pm One GSB message recipient makes a mental note to hide from his
          advisor around 5:30pm so he can escape to GSB on-time.
   3:55pm Replies to GSB message start to arrive. This is more common
          when writing about security, privacy, free software, or
          Microsoft.
   3:57pm More replies. Don't they think before sending a message to all
          1483 people# on csail-related?
   3:59pm No one appreciates my messages! Don't they know how long I
          spent on this! I had so many other things to be doing!
   4:00pm Come to terms with fact that no one liked the message this
          week. Spend more time on the messages they say.
   4:05pm Update the message archive:
          http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/archives.html
   4:35pm Mark suggests making an Atom feed of the messages. Add that to
          the Yak-shaving## list.
   5:25pm GSB is in 5 minutes I should head to the 9th floor.
   5:33pm Oh shoot, I should have left 5 minutes ago.
   5:50pm "Really? Your message said there would be pizza? I didn't read
          that far; I only read the first half of it." (Note: It was also
          in the subject line.)
   6:10pm Poker players show up to raid frothy beverages supply, but
          scurry off to consume them downstairs. Why again can't they
          just play poker on the 9th floor?
   6:30pm None of the people who requested specific frothy beverages
          actually show up.


* Note: Not all events occurred in the same week. Names have not been 
changed to protect the innocent or guilty. Numerous liberties have been 
taken.
** If you didn't delete this message and you're asking this question, 
please see: http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/ and 
http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/archives/gsb-msg00080.html
*** Yeah, I know these numbers don't add up. It's Hillary Clinton style 
math.
# Thanks Noah.
## See 
http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-archive/gsb2000-02-11.html


             +-                                                  -+
               girl scout benefit -+-  5:30 pm  -+- 32-G9 lounge
             +-                                                  -+

                For those coming from elsewhere: Building 32 is
                 <http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=32>
            Once you are in 32, just take the G-elevator to the 9th
        floor and we will be in the lounge that you will be looking at
                      <http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb>


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