"... it was clear that Todd thought I was brain damaged for being so happy
with a pack of pencils..."
Regards,
Steve-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Reminds me of the time I was in cube ville.

I had developed a passion for old fountain pens (old tool, if ever there
was).
There was a fair bit of handwriting with the job so it worked out well.
There is less stress on your hand, compared to writing with a ballpoint.
One of the joys was going to the break room and flushing out and cleaning
the pens (I had at least half a dozen, each with a different ink).  Heaven,
because it looks like you are working.

Anyways, the guy in the next cubicle commented on the "fancy pen" I was
using.  I jumped up and laid into the history of fountain pens, the many
varied filling mechanisms, the lovely shades of ink, all the different
manufacturers, here and abroad.

After about a minute I could actually see his eyes glaze over and he says
"Oh my God, is that the time, I'm late for a meeting" and he ran away.
A minute later I seen him sneaking back on tip-toe to his cube.
I should have jumped up again but I was content with an evil smile to
myself.

Cheers!