How to Fill Your Workday...

I challenge you to find your own creative way to stretch 15 minutes of work into a 7.5 hour work day.

I knew today was going to be slow for me since the people I require to be in the office to give me paperwork to work with are all out of town today.

7 times today I asked my boss if there was something I could be doing. Finally she gave me an Excel spreadsheet to format, and asked me to pull some staples out of some old information brochures. 5 minutes later, I was bored again.

Don't get me wrong, I feel awful for having shirked away the entire working day, but I'm at wit's end as to what to do with myself.

Things I did with my work day:

Discovered the difference between 'pastries' and 'pasties'. I thought Bill Bryson just had a slacker editor in "Notes from a Small Island", but it turns out a 'pasty' is actually a Cornish pastry, which makes it different from a regular 'pastry'.. well, I'm not really sure how. Except the kinds of pastries we're accustomed to generally aren't filled with turnip, potato and steak, and pasties are.

Paid bills.

Worked on my budget for the next few months, including color-coding and highlighting all un-necessary costs on my bank statement (ie., cigarettes, daily tea at Timmie's, cutesie earrings, cases of beer and concert tickets).

Discovered I have spent over $1100 this past month on entertainment and cigarettes.

Tried to justify that over $600 was spent on a week away in Edmonton.

Pilfered beautiful pictures of places I hope to one day see, but will for now be satisfied seeing as a screensaver on my work computer. See Maldives.

Talked to my mom twice. And was disappointed by a lack of puppy news both times.

Made lists of things I need to: do, sell, give away, buy and throw out.

Made lists of people I need to call.

Ate over half my coworker's jellybeans.

Google Earthed all 6 of the prospective places I have to live in the city.

Had Google Earth map out the exact distance and directions from home to work (0.4 km, which the program figures to be about a 45 second walk).

Wondered why I'm consistently late coming back from lunch if I only live 45 seconds away from work.

Shredded old bank and credit card statements (which I brought from home after lunch, when I was late).

Looked at pictures of people's European vacations, and instantly wished I were there again, instead of here.

Played with 'Milton', my red Swingline.

Hydrated my cuticles (The Body Shop Almond Oil Nail & Cuticle Treatment)

Called 2 people on my list of people to call.

Texted some friends/coworkers who may be in town over the next few days to figure out a rendezvous.

Stared at the clock.

At the time of writing, it is currently 4:20 (fantastic, right?) and I have exactly 10 minutes left.

I think I need to pee.