European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2decorated vet of office wars loses to mauve my office just got new furniture. Its the latest in modular styles. Made mostly of particle boards that Are covered with some sort of synthetic laminate the surfaces Are tactile enough to be reassuring while the mauve and Gray hues Are gentle on the eyes. Its designers cleverly addressed Utility aesthetics and ergonomics making smart use of both horizontal and vertical space. And its not just a collection of individual and unmatched desks. Each desk is an integral part of an entire office system. The six new work stations took the place of five desks and there a More free space now than before. But for some reason in a not completely comfortable. Perhaps its because the new furniture is too much like so Many other products or even some modern people much in presentation but Little in substance. It s not that i done to like new products advanced technology or people who like such 1 things. However since All products arc in essence extensions of mind and body they should be made with the utmost respect for people. My old desk with All its faults was just such an Extension. 1 claimed it three years ago in an Intra office be our guest r desk shuffle when the predominant style was the ubiquitous Gray Metal Type. I chose it because it was made of Wood. Real honest to goodness Hardwood. It Wasny to synthetic or superficial its authenticity ran deep into its grains. It was solid and so heavy it had two extra Large legs beneath its Center of Gravity. The numerous scratches dings Nicks and even cigarette Burns were telltale signs that it was a decorated Veteran of Many office wars. The new system is a Nice a As everybody keeps describing it but has already caused dissension Hurt feelings and pettiness throughout our department Quot i did no to get a rollaway file drawer a a i wanted partitions a a i did no to want partitions a a now Well have to repaint the Walls. A a it does no to match the Kelly Green floors. A a i deserve a bigger work station a perhaps the Cool sterile nature of the new furniture brings out the base instincts in its users who resort to bickering Over the Corner unit the double Pedestal station or the Matching Cabinet. And As for durability a new shelving unit in the photo Section next door collapsed and demolished a work station and left a few broken hearts in its Wake. My old desk was built to last and although it might have graced an executive suite or two in its Early Days i done to think too Many people fought Over it through the years. Nobody Ever offered me a Trade for it. There a no telling How Many soldiers and army civilians sat at it through the years discovering its idiosyncrasies while creating new ones such As the finicky second drawer that always got stuck no matter How hard you pulled on it or with whatever you lubricated its glides the numerous cardboard wedges that were constructed to Stop the desk from rocking Only to be swept away by the cleaning Crews the dragon like typewriter stand that Lay hidden behind the false drawers and snapped into place striking unwary fingers. But perhaps the most annoying trait was the two extra legs. They often acted in unison As an Axle and for All its weight the big desk would easily spin on a smooth floor. A phenomenon occasionally illustrated by would be desk Sitters who found themselves spun around and launched to the floor. It was an equal Opportunity desk too. The Pencil Sharpener that one Clever custodian left mounted behind the false drawers was obviously for left handers. On the occasions that i needed to Sharpen a Pencil id do my Best to Crank with my left hand Only to go searching the oversized Center drawer for a right handed mechanical Pencil. A couple of things that the designers of the new office system did no to address and probably could twas How individuals feel about themselves and How they express themselves with their work areas or for that matter at other Peoples work areas. After the photo shop incident in a Quick to offer one of our new Ergo chairs to a known desk Sitter. Some people clutter their desks with everything from memos and magazines to toys and Tea bags. Others keep them neat and tidy free of dust and Pencil Marks. In this sense my old desk was More modular than the new system. It was adaptable to almost everyone at any station. In the end it did what it was supposed to do. It left people to concentrate on More substantial matters. I suppose none of this will matter in a few years when the ergonomic office systems begin a modular descent to the trash bins. Perhaps by then the office systems manufacturers will have created a new option for each work station extremely durable acct helically pleasing modular office workers. That would be Nice. Kosuke Vasquez works for v corps in Frankfurt in your column plus a photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany. From the cover .4-7 Why we miss what it miss. Books and language 8-9 Stephen King at his frightful Best. Odds amp ends .10 miss manners on elevators. In i 1 is i Anjelita Huston As Mortizia Addams. Television listings12-14 , Cable and satellite the air a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a 15 daytime s Quot bad woman Quot stars in prime time. Home entertainment 16 l he silence of the Quot is deliciously horrific. Joe Bob Briggs .17 results of the annual Safe sex test. This week s films 18-19 Chuck i Inch Quot Hilly Bathgate Quot fails. C Complete am i s circuit listings. Classified ads .20-23 last laugh .24 have a Jinx fears animal weapons. It i i \ i s Anjelita Huston shown with Barbara Walters is Mortizia in the Addams family. Page ii. Abc too Chiton picture Dustin Hoffman stars As a notorious mobster in Billy Bathgate. Page 19. Sunday is a weekly supplement of the stars and stripes editor Betty Luman Art direction Wes Booher production Kelly Quinn editorial assistance Marian Hamilton Louis Pierce a sunday november 24, 1991
