Avoiding work...sort of...
There was work stuff I needed to be doing tonight, but it was a hodgepodge of unpleasant tasks and I was distracted by thoughts of stress balls because the staff were all asking for them again this afternoon. I can certainly understand why since I used to bring in my own when I was working the phones and it was helpful to have something to smush, smash and occasionally destroy while attempting to sound friendly and helpful on the phone. I've thrown the suggestion out there to management, but no stress balls have been forthcoming so I decided to shop around on the internet and see if maybe I could find some cheap enough to be able to supply the staff on my personal budget. I found all kinds of cool things that smush or squish or stretch or otherwise occupy your hands and fingers, but I wasn't have much luck finding anything that fit my budget. Then I remembered that back when I worked in Human Resources we used a mail-order place to buy all manner of cheap and cheesy novelties to hand out to our staff on holidays or sometimes just for grins. Only the most jaded and bitter employee couldn't have at least a little fun with a rubber monster finger puppet. From fake plastic leis on "luau day" to bat pencil toppers on Halloween, the folks at Oriental Trading Company were always there with something affordable for a cash-strapped HR department. So I decided to look them up and it turns out they have stress balls at a price I can probably afford next payday. Woot!