January 07, 2003
Memo
To: All building managers, women who like silk, and fat people
Subject: Temperature
Let it be winter, people. When the temperature grows colder, normal people wear warmer clothing. Clothing is one of the few side benefits of man's fall from Grace. Women, it is unacceptable to wear a silk shirt to work in January, even if it is a lovely burnt sienna, and then complain because you are cold. Building managers, it is even more unacceptable to cave to their demands that you turn up the heat.
We live in an industrialized society, which is generally good. We have the capability to create artificial environments for ourselves, which is often good. There is no need to flaunt our power in the face of nature, however. The fact that we are capable of making our office a balmy 84 degrees in the dead of winter is no reason to do so. Put on a sweater if you are cold.
Likewise for summer. It gets hot. Deal with it. Before you start complaining about the heat, try losing that extra forty pounds you are carrying. The rest of us shouldn't have to feel like meat hanging in a locker, all because you can't keep your hands off the Fritos during "Murder, She Wrote."
Posted by Woodlief on January 07, 2003 at 07:52 AM
Supremely wonderful post.
Here's the part that really bugs me. I'm a very hot-natured person (my friends in college called me the human space heater), and it has nothing to do with extra weight.
At my place of employment, there is a dress code - men (that being me) must wear khackis, sock, dress shoes, and a nice shirt (tucked in), tie opional.
Women must refrain from coming to work nude.
So, here I am in the legal minimum (short-sleeves, yay!), sweating through my clothes, and some skin-and-bones little woman (who's too skinny to be very attractive anyway, in my opinion) comes by wearing what is essentially a dressed up tank top, a teeny-weeny "skort" (they're just shorts, people, get over it), and untra-skimpy sandals, and she complains she's cold.
MANY PROFANE CURSES, YOU PERFECT EXAMPLE OF MANY WORDS THAT I SELF-CENSOR!! GET SOME MULTIPLE-EXPLETIVES-DELETED CLOTHES ON!!! MUCH MORE PROFANE AND ANATOMICALLY EXPLICIT CURSING!!!
Posted by: Deoxy at January 7, 2003 11:55 AM
I worked in an office once where the staff kept the thermostat at 80 during the winter and 65 during the summer. There were three days in April and two in October when they allowed nature the prerogative of choosing the season.
Posted by: mark at January 7, 2003 3:08 PM
Regular exercise would help. It develops muscle tone which provides for warmth, and it helps regulate the body temperature. This goes for everyone.
Posted by: hbchrist at January 7, 2003 4:25 PM
Actually, real silk is a pretty good insulator; one can find silk long-johns in many catalogs (WinterSilks is one brand that comes to mind), and they're downright cozy. But as with all other insulators, proper layering is key.
That is also assuming one hasn't starved oneself to attain the near-anorexic look of haute couture. In that case, you've throttled back your metabolism to the point that you're lucky to get above room temperature.
Others have noted the importance of regular exercise, so I won't add much beyond "Amen" to that.
Posted by: Roy Jacobsen at January 7, 2003 5:23 PM
Argh! You hot-blooded people infuriate me. In summer when we are dressed for 80-degree temps you pant and drip unless the AC is cranked down to 64. In winter you bitch about the oppressive heat from my 6" baby-breath space heater if I attempt to bring the office far enough above freezing that I can type without electric icefishing gloves on.
*Blarging-farging-mumble-grumble...*
Posted by: Tubes at January 16, 2003 4:20 PM
