What is a cubicle?

People have been asking me lately, "How's work?"  I try to explain to them what I have been up to, but it always seems to go back to my cubicle.  It's hard to explain my job since I learn and do something new everyday.  The insurance world is always changing. 

So what is a cubicle, you might ask?  Well, for me, it's where I spend most of my days, (for some rare reason, I feel like bursting out in Fresh Prince of Bell-Air lyrics).  But in all seriousness, a cubicle is where I spend around 7 to 9 hours a day, working.  It's a home away from home.  It's decorated enough that when people walk by, they know a little something about me.

According to our good old friend, wikipedia,
"A cubicle, cubicle desk or office cubicle is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m) tall.

A cubicle's purpose is to isolate office workers from the sights and noises of an open workspace, the theory being that this allows workers more privacy and helps them to concentrate without distractions. Horizontal work surfaces are usually suspended from the partitions of cubicles, as is shelving, overhead storage, and other amenities.

Cubicles are often seen as being symbolic of the human condition of working in a modern office setting due to their uniformity and blandness.

The term cubicle comes from the Latin cubiculum, for bed chamber. It was used in English as early as the 15th century. It eventually came to be used for small chambers of all sorts, and for small rooms or study spaces with partitions which do not reach to the ceiling

An office filled with cubicles is sometimes called a cube farm. Although humorous, the phrase usually has negative connotations. Cube farms are often found in high-tech companies, but they also appear in the insurance industry and other service-related fields. Many cube farms were built during the dotcom boom."
 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubicle)

So I have always wanted to live in a farm, and now I can say, I do, I live in a cube farm.  Who would have thought that a suburban girl like me, would live in a farm.  We all have our own special gifts and personalities, but all trained to do the same thing, bring GREAT customer service to our clients. 

So for all those fellow cube members. Take pride in your home away from home and decorate your cubicle. Don't let the stereotype win, cubicles are not bland or uniform.  Give your cubicle some character and make it a home.

What is a shuttlecock?

Okay, in all seriousness, all joking aside what is a shuttlecock?  Well, it's that white and orange featherball thing used in the game of badminton. Do you know that the shuttlecock can be traced back to the 5th century BC in China!

I don't have the skill nor patience to play this game, but living in Kansas City, I have been real familiar with the shuttlecock. The famous Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City has a courtyard named the Kansas City Sculpture Park. In 1994 giant shuttlecocks covered that park and remain there today. They are true symbol of Kansas City yet no one really knows the them of those birdie things.

Shuttlecocks created quite a stir. Letters from those who loved its bright, fresh form and welcomed its challenge to the status quo appeared in the Kansas City Star along with articles, letters to the editor and editorial cartoons charging that it was "not art" and calling it a "giant waste."  

Oldenburg and van Bruggen imagined shuttlecocks as pieces of a game played by giants. It consists of four monumental "birdies" arranged on a 22-acre "badminton court" with the Museum as the "net." 

The information above was gathered from the nelson-atkins.org You can read more if you wish, but let's be honest its a good trivia question and now you know the answer.

For more information go to Wiki and History of the Shuttlecock