Stuff on My Desk: Drawing of Some Old Men

Personally, I hate conference calls.

They're almost always boring and too long, and I can't recall any that have actually accomplished anything meaningful/productive. In short, 99.9 percent of all conference calls are a giant waste of time.

Which is why I, like most people I know, resort to acting like I'm taking notes while I'm really making a list of things I need to do that day, trying to remember all the lyrics to "We Didn't Start the Fire" and doodling in the margins of my notebook.

(Oh, don't judge me. You know you're not listening, either.)

For some, like me, "doodling" means just that. Aimlessly scribbling meaningless shapes and occasionally making checkerboard patterns within said meaningless shapes (for some unknown reason).

For others, like my former co-worker, Bill, it means drawing something that LOOKS like something.

Bill not only managed to whip off the above drawings during a typical 30-minute conference call, he did it with a sub-quality, corporate-provided red ballpoint pen, all while making everyone on the other end of the call believe he was totally paying attention.

And then he gave the drawings to me.

I'd like to say I keep them hanging in my cube to remind me not to take work too seriously, to keep some sense of whimsy as I traverse through corporate life.

But the truth is, I just think they look kind of cool.