The office is a tiny quiet forest of brown boxes with giant sideways E’s emblazened across their sides. We are all getting brand new computers to replace our PentiumIIs that can hardly run our admissions software. The counselors are all in a prospect management meeting for the entire day, and we have no visitors, so it’s just the five ladies from the Visit Desk and me.

Next to my desk is a Dell-Computer-Box tree that towers high above my head and i am waiting anxiously because i am sure someone is about to yell “TIMBER” and send it crashing down upon my desk. There is a small Dell-shrub across from me next to Fran’s desk. The sound of breeze through the leaves on branches is replaced with the dead silence that almost infers the tiny whirring of microprocessors that will proceed it. I feel as though tiny foraging animals should be roaming around to replace our single office-rodent, who has been rendered obsolete by these unedible towering monoliths.

My mouse is due to roll down the side of my desk to escape into the brush any moment now, i’m sure.