About the dramas of the day

No, I am not a drama queen, nor even a princess, but sometimes what gets us through the day at work is a little drama.

And where do we find the drama? 

In the parking lot. Lots, actually. Lots of drama in parkings lots. (I think I channeled Dr. Suess there for a sec.)

We have parking lots on both sides of our building. So everyone is assigned to one side or the the other.

The big lot on the east side is general parking.

The several smaller lots on the west side are assigned parking. And therein lies the drama.

For office people, the west-side lots are most desired. So much so there is a WAITING LIST to get a west-side spot.

I've been a west-sider since my first day, when I was given the spot of the person I was replacing (he retired). 

Imagine my surprise when a co-worker with a little more seniority than me discovered that I had a west-side spot and called me out on it. "How'd you get that spot!?" she demanded. "HR gave it to me," I replied. Seems she'd been waiting a couple of years for a west-side spot. And she harbored a little resentment towards me until she eventually moved on to a new job. 

She never did get a west-side spot.

There's a little game that gets played on west-side peoples' days off, too. It's called, "Who Takes Your Spot." In this game, people with lesser spots (east-siders, far-west vs. near-west) vie for the prime spots of people on vacation, sick, traveling, otherwise out-of-the-office. It's a brutal, winner-take-all contest. And your prize is that you get to walk 50 less feet or so into the office! 

You know you've really made it when you get assigned to the managers' lot. Closest to the building, these 30 or so spots are coveted, doled out sparingly to directors and managers by HR, and specially watched for the "Who Takes Your Spot" game. Competition for these prime spots makes the Daytona 500 look like a preschool tricycle race. Friendships have been shattered vying for front lot spots. 

Those front lot spots are also the ones most likely to be stolen by company visitors who have no clue where visitors are supposed to park (side of the building) and just pull up right by the door.

Visitors have been double-parked into spots by disgruntled employees. Threats, including "tow trucks" and "calling HR" have been thrown about.

Who knew a parking lot could be so fraught with drama?