Midtown Manhattan Manhole Conspiracy

Second manhole explosion in Midtown Manhattan this week!  What's the deal?!  Vampires got to stop having bonfires or maybe You-Know-Who is in town.

52nd St Manhole Fire At My Office

With my headphones on listening to Blink-182 (old school, I know) and fidgeting on pivot tables, I hear a mumbled male voice over the intercom saying something about a fire and Viacom but nothing about evacuating, so I went back to doing work.  Fire? Meh, nothing to be alarmed about.  Turns out there ACTUALLY was a big fire right downstairs of my office at 52nd St and Broadway.  A manhole exploded from an underground fire around 4 pm.

The video below shows the manhole explosion:

Every five minutes after the fire, I could hear a muffled siren heading our way.  Around 7 pm, the voice over the intercom told us they were shutting down the A/C in the building (my network server was also shut down, no warning was given) and wanted us to turn off all lights not being used in order to use less electricity, as ConEd demanded.  I left work right after.  I exited the lobby elevators and the building's Southwest entrance that faced the blast was roped off.  Over 15 fire trucks were parked at the intersection.  Evacuated-Broadway show attendees, television crews and nosy tourists crowded the streets.  The ridiculous number of fire trucks parked in the middle of Times Square was more of a spectacle than the hopefully smothered fire.

Awesome Cube Leads To Happiness At Work

The best and only advice I received about making a new office/desk/cube feel like home or as inspirational as your last location is to decorate it and make it a destination.  A destination you would want to go everyday to work.  And, decorate my cube I did.

My cube/pod was a little 'red' heavy with all the BU and Digitas memorabilia but I think I balanced it out pretty well with the giant, green cardboard palm tree in the center (which I found in our recycling bin.  Score for old party decorations!).  It's a work in progress, but I already feel my work progressing!  I feel very focused in my little Oasis.  Now all I need is a mini fridge.

Advice:  If your work environment feels a little uninspired or stale--pull some pages out of your favorite magazine and start plastering it on your cube.  Bring lamps, books, statues, jerseys, pucks (for paperweights) or paper palm trees, but DECORATE YOUR CUBE YOU MUST.  There are some things at work you don't have control over (like the fact that they moved you to a different cube or office), but decorating your cube anyway you want--Bauhaus, sorority style, hipster or sports fanatic--to keep you inspired and excited for work is a privilege you have to use.