things that go bump



My coworker H passed the last of her exams recently and has earned the distinction of being a registered architect in Hong Kong.  This means more here than in other countries where having a license is not the sole determinant of one's worth.  She is now able to be treated as an adult in our firm and has risen from support staff to staff who can dump all of her work on support staff. Her all nighters are now a thing of the past; she is now a high priestess who can sacrifice others to the alter of our profession.

Along with her professional accreditation she receives a bump in her salary. It will be a very small bump because we all know that architects live and breathe the craft and we don't require vulgar things such as money. Anyway in this profession the only way to succeed, other than being born stinking rich, is to form your own firm and find others who are indoctrinated through their university curricula to nobly work long hours for little pay so that you can profit. Did you know that the typical 30 year old male architect's salary, when adjusted for inflation, is the same as it was 30 years ago? The sad fact is that we can't afford the homes that we design.

Anyway, back to H. The company announced the good news and she was obliged delighted to treat us to a celebratory meal. The company seniors welcomed her to the professional ranks and the underlings and support staff expressed their genuine happiness at her success. And no one paid any notice to the fact that the meal probably cost more than her salary bump. We don't bother with vulgar things like that.

In other news, did you know that certain establishments have been known to stuff a prosthetic bump into a duck so that is becomes a goose?