The last two rounds of layoffs, plus a subsequent round of cubicle
moves, has left my cubicle surrounded on two sides by empty ones, on the
third side by a cubicle-hall and cubicle-wall, and on the fourth side
by an outside window.

Until about five minutes ago, there was a fluorescent light fixture
directly above my head. Now, there is a fluorescent dark fixture
there. Much better. I don’t dislike light; I just dislike fluorescent
light.

Now I just need to get myself a little incandescent lamp for my desk so
that I can get light there without turning on the under-desk
fluorescents and I’m all set. Ikea’s got a cute little $10 one, I
think. Besides, most days I get lots of natural light from the side.

Unfortunately, there’s still a bit of fluorescent light coming over the
cubicle wall from the next group of cubicles but there’s nothing I can
really do about that, unless I were to extend the cubicle wall upwards
with a sheet or a tent of
doom or something. I actually have a whole spare cubicle wall
right here, but I don’t think you can build upwards with them.

Edit: Or a Jolly Roger. There’s a long history of flags here,
although they’ve all come down in the last little while. A Jolly Roger
might work just fine, though, or some similarly dark flag.

I considered using a big whiteboard as a lid, but that would make
it feel cramped, and it is currently a huge cubicle because the end of
one cubicle-hallway has become part of my cubicle, and because the
hallway between the cubicle and the window (from which I removed the
spare cubicle wall) is practically unused.

Also: Getting the plastic sheet back in the light fixture is so much
harder than getting it out.

I’m now late to meet Candice for coffee after work/school,
but she will understand when I tell her that I was redesigning my
cubicle.