IVP - Strangely Dim - Cacophony from the Cubicles

Cacophony from the Cubicles

I would like to speak for the cubicles. Well, not the actual cubicles themselves, but those of us working in them. Today, of course, is what I am affectionately calling (since he essentially did first) "Dave's Rip-Off Music Experiment". I've chosen my song (it's playing now; I'll reveal what it is in my reflection post), but, being a cubicle-dweller, I'm approaching the day with a bit of trepidation. For those of you who've never had the privilege (and there are advantages, believe me; you hear very useful things sometimes as you are innocently working away) of working "free" of doors and windows and your own ceiling, I'll explain a few of the added considerations in choosing a song for the experiment.

1. I wanted to choose a song that wouldn't drive my neighbors crazy. I like them. I want them to still like me at the end of the day.

2. I wanted a song with enough musical variation that it wouldn't drive me crazy, but one that doesn't have so much variation that I have to turn it up (during, say, the piano parts) and down (during, say, the trumpets or electric guitars) every few minutes. I could, of course, simply leave it at the same volume, but--see number one.

3. Headphones are good for neighbor relations in cubicles, and would solve the problems of numbers one and two, but, unfortunately, there are a number of parts of my job that I can't concentrate on listening to a song with words with headphones on. And, even more than wanting my neighbors to like me at the end of the day, I want my supervisor to still like me. And I don't want to find out what happens to people when they get kicked out of their cubicles. (Do they get relegated to bathroom stalls? An outdoor table next to the geese, even in the rain? A cleaning-supply closet? It's never happened here, but you hear stories from other workplaces . . .)

So, have I picked the perfect song? We'll see. I'll either end the day not having heard it most of the day because I had it turned down too low, or with deep insight over the song's meaning, but fewer friends at work. I suspect other cubiclers are in the same quandary I'm in, however, so for better or for worse, let the cacophony begin.