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Misadventures of a Manitoban lizard




“State of the art” is usually the first sign of miserable malfunction.

In my old office building, staff were forbidden to touch the temperature control for the state of the art ventilation system. Attempting to adjust had no bearing on the temperature of the room you were in, although it might cause discomfort in another part of the building.

I’m always the coldest person in the room anyway, so I assumed it was my lot in life to be perpetually cold, unable to do anything about it other than load on sweaters and drink hot liquids.

So, in my new office building – a much older edifice than the former – I simply assumed that the frigid temperature of my space was meant to be and couldn’t be changed.

Drawing to the end of a cold day, an office mate popped her head in to say hi.

How’s it going? she asked.

Oh great, I replied. I’m happy to be here and everyone has been so hospitable. (I’m sharing office space with a related organization as my own has only 1.5 FTE staff in the city and no building.) But I am suffering a bit from the cold.

Did you try this, she asked, pointing to the thermostat sitting right there in the open on a blank wall.

Oh…..

I cranked it up from 15 to 20 and was very soon rewarded by a nice wave of warmth emanating from the base board.

Thank goodness for heat to keep this hapless cold blooded Manitoban from perishing.

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