Dirty Film Boys

Almost from the first moment I started The New Job, I thought of the guys that work in the office across the common area from us as the Dirty Film Boys. Right in line with the oddness of ATown, I think they make short films and indie documentaries and maybe make commercials to pay the bills.

Their hours are irregular - sometimes they are there when I arrive in the morning at 8:30, but more often than not, they come in somewhere between 11 and 1. When they aren't there, I notice the place on the white door where they've pushed it open, a big brownish stain from dirty hands. And when they are there, I notice the stale sweaty smell that seems to linger in the common area. I attribute it to them, although, that might not be fair, since the common area isn't air conditioned and we have been experiencing a heat wave. Whatever the case, they take the fall for the pervasive locker room odor.

And then there's the interior of their office. Shelves line the right wall, spewing all sorts of cords and equipment. Weird props - like the mannequin head that looks out from the first desk along the wall, which is painted this ridiculously vibrant apple green. Sometimes I see the guys in there in their giant video-gaming chairs looking at the huge monitors and shouting incoherent commands to each other. And sometimes I meet one of them coming out of the men's as I go into the ladies' - I seem to be on the same pee schedule as the one who could easily be a stand-in for Vincent D'Onofrio. I think about introducing myself, but that's an awkward place to shout hello, so mostly I just smile benignly at him on my way to the WC.

So far, I kind of love the Dirty Film Boys and their mysterious sweaty office with its mannequin, whom I've name Elsa (even though it has no hair and is not clearly female). Perhaps they will become greater players in the drama of my life - or maybe they'll just continue to be the extras across the hall.