1. We have three teams, and they are roughly split up by the floors we work on. This means that the second floor team is really small, because the second floor is really small.
2. The second floor (also known as the Mezzanine) is really small because it was added after the studio bought the building. It was previously two floors, with the bottom floor rather resembling a warehouse.
3. I was the first female artist to work at the company in several years. For about a year, I was the only female artist working at the company.
4. This meant that the guys slightly resented me when I first showed up, because it meant they couldn’t use both downstairs bathrooms anymore. (They got over it.)
5. Because the building is old, the heating and cooling system leaves something to be desired. I, for example, am always cold. (The fact that I am the tiniest person in the office might have something to do with this.) The people who sit near the windows are always warm. The guy who is somehow magically protected from all the vents is a comfortable temperature. I don’t bother complaining about it anymore. I have a sweater that lives at work solely because it’s always so goddamn cold there.
6. In the kitchens, we have microwaves, toaster ovens and a pannini press. Probably once a week, people will apparently attempt to light things on fire in the toaster oven. I suspect this is why we do not also have a hot plate.
7. Also in the kitchens, we have water coolers. It seems like I am always the one to change the jugs when they run empty. These jugs weigh almost half as much as I do. I think it is bitterly unfair that I end up changing them, but I also don’t want to be the inconsiderate bastard who leaves them there empty. This is a source of internal struggle.
8. There are no forks. I have no idea where they have all gone. Perhaps they are with my art pencils? We used to have forks, I know, because I saw them. I think that one of two things is occurring, here. Either someone is hoarding all the forks and has a giant, jingly drawer full of them in his desk that we will discover only when he quits, or the forks are turning themselves into spoons overnight. I suspect the latter, because we really have more spoons than is sane.
9. If I turn around and crane my neck, I can kinda see a window. This lack of windows means that I can get to work while it is sunny and leave to discover hail, with no freaking idea when the transition was.
10. Being located in Downtown Seattle is really awesome because there are tons of delicious lunch options nearby. It also means I can live in Seattle, which I love, without having a hellish commute across any kind of bridge. I appreciate this about my studio very much.