There is a drinking fountain mere paces away from my desk at work. I have a large cup I fill with water from it once a day, twice if I’m being mindful about staying hydrated. I just refilled my cup and as I walked from the fountain back to my desk, my coworker incredulously asked “Did you just get water from the bubbler?” I said yes and she replied “That’s interesting!” with a half-amused, half-perplexed smirk on her face. Now I was puzzled. “Interesting?” I asked. “Yeah, it’s just….. Interesting!” and I asked why and she said “It’s interesting, that’s all I’m going to say about it” as she started to walk away. Then she quickly turned, looked at me and asked “You know, there’s filtered water over there” as she motions to the break room which is halfway across the building. Sure, I’m lazy, but more than that I’m practical. Why am I going to walk an additional 100 yards for filtered water when there’s a perfectly good drinking fountain right by my desk? I was confused (and admittedly, slightly annoyed by her I can’t believe what a moron I am dealing with look on her face) as I responded “Yeah, but I don’t want to walk over there when there’s a drinking fountain right here.” She made a face like I just told her I dine on dog shit because there’s more of it in my backyard than there are Hershey bars. I pressed on (why am I explaining myself to her?) “That’s why drinking fountains exist, for drinking water out of.” At this point another coworker had strolled up and started harassing me about how the filtered water was “20 feet away” (20 feet?! please). The first gal inexplicably laughed out a “And for licking!” “Licking?!” I asked. “Yeah, people lick them.” Pardon my French but who the fuck in a corporate office full of grown ups (perhaps an error in my assumption) is licking water fountains? The best reply I could muster was “I think we should take a poll. I think you two are weirdos.” as they laughed and I walked back to my desk, with my cup of nice, cold drinking fountain water. We don’t live in some third world village where filtering water would be required for health or taste. What is going on here?
Half Past Thirty 