Perhaps one day, as I rub the toner buildup off the copy machine glass, a genie will arise from the document feeder before my eyes. He’ll sneeze out a puff of black toner dust, thank me for freeing him from his allergenic prison and offer to grant five work-related wishes. Having long planned for just such a fortuitous event, I will recite my list of requests.
Wish No. 1: an office that doesn’t feel like the arctic tundra. I understand that the perks of having “J.D.” after one’s name include a window office and eight hours of daily exposure to natural light. I know that without a steady flow of cold air, a window office can grow uncomfortably warm. But we’ve put a man on the moon and a cellular telephone into the hands of just about everyone. Can it really be that difficult to design an air conditioning system that sufficiently cools window offices without making the interior space a meat locker? Must legal staffers suffer from lack of sunshine and frostbite? I’ve tried to look at the bright side — no need for expensive seasonal wardrobe changes — but that’s not much consolation when my fingers are so numb it’s hard to type.
