Elevator

I was walking back to the office from lunch at the Macaroni Grill. Three of my coworkers were walking with me but since I have been taking the stairs every time I go back to the sixth floor I saw no reason to get on the elevator with them. Instead I thought this would be an opportunity to test my willpower. My coworkers boarded the elevator and I bolted to the stairs.

There are 103 steps to the sixth floor - I took under 60 steps (taking them two at a time where I could and sling-shotting my body across the landings to not lose momentum). I arrived out the door on the sixth floor to see the elevator door opening with my coworkers inside. I didn't taunt them for taking the elevator... I saw no need to rub it in... actually... I couldn't taunt them.

I met my coworkers gasping for air unable to say more than one word at a time. I did not appreciate them laughing at my accomplishment. I was proudly staggering to the office at the end of the hall - leaning on it only briefly. I sat down in my chair so hard that I almost missed it - I don't even know how I would recover from that! I got back in my office just in time to postpone a conference call under the premise of "I can't talk right now" (I could barely even type).

So - that was yesterday. Today, my boss did the same thing and I finally saw how funny it was to have someone stagger into the office unable to breath, talk or do anything productive. He came in our office (we share an office) and sat in his chair and proceeded to postpone his conference call.

At a company I previously worked for (with my current boss) we had a tradition for Friday afternoons called "The feats of strength" (I always lost especially since one of my coworkers could end the competition by sitting cross-legged and pushing himself into a handstand).

And you thought being a software developer was easy. This gives a whole new meaning to "extreme programming".