How am I supposed to cultivate a garden in this??

Last Thursday I arrived at work in the a.m. and began my daily routine. Feeling like a particularly productive desk-job-zombie that day, I also browsed the web in between tasks searching for ways to “liven up” office space and promote creativity, an active mind, or some greater level of physical health. I’ve had some of my own ideas in the past, but I’ve learned that in most office environments you have to start slowly with subtle, tame suggestions. My request for a yoga ball office chair (which I still bring up every now and then) was met with raised eyebrows (not appropriate for the office, apparently), my suggestion for weekly office workout/posture/massage sessions was laughed off, and the installation of cots for catnaps in the back room, while seemingly well received what with all the dreamy sighs, have yet to happen. The rest of my suggestions have been posed in the form of jokes. "Anything you guys need, any problems or suggestions?" Tell the suit from headquarters you don't see the sun enough and would like a skylight in your office, which happens to be in the center of a converted warehouse building. He thought it was funny. I laughed, too.

Anyway, none can deny that a little oomph in the office, anything at all to stimulate the mind from routine tedium, is a very good thing. And what’s good for the office is good for you, ultimately.

So, I was voluntarily doing this extra research for my employer, going out of my way and all, to find ways to essentially make us employees a little happier, healthier, and thereby more productive workers.

After reading through a few extra-lame lists on the web (like "buy a bright piece of furniture" and "have employees drop comments and suggestions into a designated box from which everyone will take turns reading aloud once a month..." No thanks, that's just a regular meeting where issues are brought up anonymously), I decided to check my personal e-mail. Here is something that I’ve always enjoyed at my job: the freedom to browse the web (within reason.) Allowing this promotes a happier office environment for several reasons, if you ask me (no one has, though, so I’ll leave it at that.)

In my in-box, a notification that I’ve been tagged in a photo on FB. "Ooh, that’s something I want to see...!" Good or bad, stuff like that is a small but exciting event during my workday. Intending to hop on and hop off, and hoping my computer saved my login info from whenever I last signed on so it would be quicker, I clicked the link... and up pops this:

This site has been blocked by the network administrator. Reason: Administrative Custom List Settings.

Oooh, burn.

Throughout the rest of the day I learn of other sites that have been blocked. I can’t look at the return policy on VictoriasSecret.com (reason: lingerie/swimsuit apparel) or get onto YouTube.com to view an Adobe tutorial. We don’t even have speakers for our computers, how much enjoyment and distraction could be had from that site? (Rhetorical, don't answer that.)

Now, I understand that this may have been an action taken by Mr. I.T. down at our headquarters in Georgia and that it happens to affect everyone in MD as well because we’re on the same network. He did say on his last visit to MD that web surfing, FB in particular, is a problem there. But as far as I know, it isn’t here. Here, people get their work done. Of course at any place of employment there's an understanding of what kind of web surfing is and isn't appropriate, no matter how loose the company's policy may be. This blocking, it seems so... pointed? Punishing? Out to destroy the main form of enjoyment in our office? (Please, you don't have to tell me how sad that is.) There are plenty of other websites that are still allowed access, but now there’s the fear, the paranoia and hesitation; what if they’re watching?

I type this at work, bitterly, in Microsoft Word, as though it’s safe from The Eyes. Well at least I know they wouldn’t take Word away.

(Or would they?)

I'm quite open to advice and suggestions on how to engage the mind/find amusement in the office now that this website blocking has occurred. I'm a fan of one suggestion I read a long time ago, to secretly replace the office's stock of coffee with decaf for a week or two then suddenly reintroduce it. But that might be a bit more cruel than creative...