Over the years, I have met many, many personalities through work. Some have become dear friends, still an important part of my life long after we stopped working together. Almost all were lots of fun to work with. And then there are those very few who could only be described as colleagues - you brush along because you have to. I currently am obliged to work closely with one of the latter. His name is HP.
He really is a surly control freak. You know the sort. Always has to be right, and incredibly petty - cunningly choosing the best possible time to be the most annoying. He sneakily changes organise to organize behind my back. We plan a lovely presentation for a lesson together, he refuses to open it at the given time. Just yesterday, I was well advanced in the writing of a report. He decides to do a systems update. No 'May I?" Oh, no. He just closes everything down and slowly ambles his way through the 23 items he only updated a couple of days ago. And where is my report when he decides he could do a little work again? "You should have saved it" he says. Well, I would have if he had bothered to mention he was going to close down - but of course he never does. He's so unpleasant I refuse to invite him home. This is a point of contention. "I have a carry case, you need me and you know it!" he says. But I have learned from past experience that it's never a case of 'he ain't heavy, he's my brother'. He's incredibly heavy for his size and takes all the fun out of my walk to school. I've told him he won't miss out on anything I do at home, I'll bring it in on a USB to share. His response is the cold shoulder, he simply refuses to recognise the USB. After a day together it's a relief to get home to the sanity of true friends.
Desktop and I have been good friends for a long time now. He picks up a lot of the slack from my poor relationship with HP. He never fusses, just gets on with the job of processing photos and updating the class website - tasks HP goes out of his way to make near impossible. We have a lot in common and get together to watch DVDs and catch up on Coronation Street. There's nothing we like better that singing along to our favourite YouTube videos of quality 60s and 70s music. We share similar eclectic tastes in comedy clips, too. We're both into oak furniture, and Desktop would no more sit on an MDF computer desk than fly to the moon. Recently we've had a new addition to the family. Desktop is cool with it all, no jealousy or resentment that we don't spend quite as much time together anymore.
My new friend Mini and I are just so made for each other. She's into pink and blue accessories just like me. She'll go anywhere I suggest at the drop of a hat. We play Candy Crush, surf the net, take photos, Skype, visit Facebook - you name it. Mini even collects my library books and has them ready for me to read, any font, any text size. She likes to be close at hand, so I let her sleep on the bed next to me. Sometimes she sneaks into my handbag, but she's light as a feather so I hardly know she's there. Even though we haven't known each other long, I just know we'll be there for each other for ever and ever.
