one iteration

Sent Wirelessly

Sent Wirelessly

Sent Wirelessly

A lot of folks were interested in the results, so here are a few products that I found and my thoughts:

Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac (Link)

$79.99, easy to use.  If I wanted a DVD as a final result, I think I would use this product.

Neuros OSD (Link)

$99.  Pretty nifty — Rip ANYTHING to digital format (not DVD).  Store with the device, and playback on any TV.  Also copy the files off of it and view on computer or iPod, etc.  Leaning towards this one for its pure geekiness factor (it’s open source!).  No computer needed.

Service:  Costco Video Transfer (Link)

$20 per VHS, you get it back after 3 weeks on a DVD.  Saves your time.  For $100 you can do 5 VHS tapes.  Lousy if you only have 30 mins each on 20 VHS tapes like my family does.  But a good service nonetheless.

ACT III:  JUNE EVENING

Daniel and June are in June’s cubicle, talking.  June is sitting and Daniel is standing nearby.

DANIEL

Hey June, let’s go.  You coming with us to happy hour?

JACOB

Walking up behind them. Ding-dong the day’s over!  Long live the evening.  Happy hour time!  Let’s go!

DANIEL

Hi Jacob.  Someone’s ready to go.

JACOB

Yeah!  Nothing like happy hour.  You guys are going, right?

DANIEL

I am, but I don’t know if June is.

JUNE

I have a lot of work still.  You guys go on ahead without me and I will come in a while.

DANIEL

Okay.  Let’s go Jacob.

JACOB

Hesitantly.  But… okay.  They both walk away.

JUNE

Finally.  She works alone in the dimmed office for another hour, then joins the others at a nearby bar.  When she walks in both Jacob and Daniel greet her.

JACOB and DANIEL

Juuuune!

JUNE

Hi guys.

DANIEL

So, get your stuff done?

JACOB

Finished?

JUNE

Yeah.  To bartender. Could I have whatever’s on tap.  Yeah, Yeungling is fine.  Gets and pays for her drink while Jacob and Daniel talk quietly to themselves. Where’s everyone else?

DANIEL

Just us.

JACOB

You know that.

JUNE

Yeah, I know.  Irritably. You could play along?

DANIEL

Sorry.

JACOB

Be easy on him.  He doesn’t like playing Daniel.

JUNE

God, I don’t care.  Think I like always being June?  At least you guys get to switch.

DANIEL

Yeah, true.  Looks at Jacob. That reminds me, we’re supposed to switch now.

JACOB

Looks at the time. Already!  Okay.  They switch.

JACOB

Well, it’s certainly nice being Jacob again.  I love being Jacob.

JUNE

Sarcastically.  Oh, really?

DANIEL

Hey, hey.  Let’s just have a good time.  Moves an mannequin sitting at the bar aside. Sit down, let’s just have a drink in peace.  We have work tomorrow.  June sits down.

JACOB

After an awkward silence during which they surveyed the room, the mannequins at each table, and the dust motes floating in the light Jacob speaks. Hey, I know.  Let’s go sleep in the nice hotel again tonight.  I love sleeping there.

DANIEL

That’s so Jacob.  Well, I guess.  June, you okay with that?

JUNE

I prefer the apartments, but sure.  We haven’t slept in a hotel for a while.  Sarcastically. We can get room service!

DANIEL

That’s settled.  Let’s drink to that!  Let’s drink.  Realizes something, turns to Jacob.  Hey!  That means you are sleeping with June tonight!

JACOB

Giggles.  Yes!  Yes!

JUNE

Rolls her eyes. Come on.  Grow up.  You both have had me so many times I can’t count.  If it weren’t for the radiation I would have had 50 kids by now.  So grow the hell up.  One of these days I’m going to shoot you two.  Like a nice black widow.  Just crawl up to you two and squeeze the life out of you.

JACOB

Continues giggling.  Yes!

DANIEL

That’s enough.  Let’s just drink.

END OF ACT III

ACT II:  JUNE AFTERNOON

It is now midafternoon at Nowak Fabrics.  June is hard at work, reading her email.

JUNE

To herself. Ugh, 17 emails since lunch.  She begins clicking each one, opening them, and reading them.  The phone rings.

JACOB

Over the phone. Hi.  Did you get the files I sent just now?  We need those printed tomorrow.

JUNE

Yes.  I got them.

JACOB

Great.  So we’ll print them tomorrow?

JUNE

After a pause. No, not possible.  Two day turnaround time for this type of project.

JACOB

But we need it printed tomorrow for our client.

JUNE

I’ll see what I can do, no promises.

JACOB

Going to happy hour tonight?

JUNE

I hadn’t thought about it yet.  You?

JACOB

Of course!  Never miss it.

JUNE

Yeah you wouldn’t.  We’ll see.

JACOB

See you there if you come!  You’ll come.

JUNE

Maybe.  Bye.  Hangs up the phone and resumes reading her email.  The phone rings again after a few minutes, she picks up the receiver after seeing that it’s Daniel on the caller ID.

DANIEL

How’s your coffee?

JUNE

Tiredly.  I never got any.  Guess what, Jacob just asked me to do this crazy fast turnaround project.  The nerve.

DANIEL

Oh boy, again?

JUNE

Yeah.  And that’s not the worst thing.  He asked me again about happy hour.  He asks me every week.

DANIEL

Ugh, not that again.  He must like you.

JUNE

If he liked me he wouldn’t make me scramble like that.  He certainly could plan things better.

DANIEL

Pauses for a few beats.  Do you like him at all?  He seems clean cut.  Cute.  Wears nice clothes every day.  Seems…

JUNE

Irritably interrupts.   I know all that.  I just don’t like being bothered like that.  Gotta go, I need to get back to work.  Was that all?

DANIEL

Maybe you should give him a chance.  Like I said he’s clean cut.  You’re attractive.  It’s a good match.

JUNE

Come on.  Talk to you later.  Hangs up, turns back to her computer monitor and returns to her work with far less concentration than before.  In fact, it almost seems like she is daydreaming.

END OF ACT II

CUBICLES:  A Play in 3 Acts

CAST OF CHARACTERS

• JUNE, a young woman, Production Specialist at Nowak Fabrics
• DANIEL, a middle-aged man, Senior Creative Specialist at Nowak Fabrics
• JACOB, a young man, Creative Specialist at Nowak Fabrics

ACT I:  JUNE MORNING

JUNE

I need coffee.  Swivels and gets up from her mesh chair and exits her cubicle.  Meanders her way over to the coffee machine in the floor kitchen.  The pot is empty, so June presses the “begin brewing” button.

JUNE

This better work.

Daniel walks up behind her, startling her with a greeting.

DANIEL

Good morning, June!

JUNE

Oh, god.  You scared me.  Good morning.

DANIEL

Holds out a hand. Did I?  I’m sorry.  Making coffee?

JUNE

Yes.

DANIEL

I’ll join you.

June then turns her attention back to her cup, which is under the spigot of the coffee machine.  She waits for it to begin pouring.  Nothing happens.

DANIEL

Did you press the button?

JUNE

Of course.

DANIEL

Did you press it hard enough?  Maybe it didn’t register.

JUNE

Unsure. I thought I did.  Presses the button again.

DANIEL

Looks good.  I’ll be right back, gonna check my email.  Might have a message.

Daniel walks off, leaving June alone.  She makes a little sigh and watches her cup fill with coffee.

JACOB

It’s going to overflow.

June turns quickly.

JUNE

What do you mean?

JACOB

It’s going to overflow!  Points to the cup.

JUNE

What?  Turns to look.  An expression of horror slaps her face when she sees the coffee level creep dangerously close to the top of the cup.  She frantically searches around for something to catch the liquid.

JACOB

Accusingly. You pressed the button two times, didn’t you?

JUNE

Flustered and still searching. Maybe!  Maybe!  Napkins!  Towel?  Paper towel?  Ah!  Finds a napkin with the local bakery’s icon printed on it. That’s not going to help.

They both watch as the cup inexorably overflows and begins dripping all over the receptacle, counter, and finally, the floor.

DANIEL

What happened?

JUNE AND JACOB

It overflowed.

DANIEL

How?

JACOB

She must have pressed the button twice.

JUNE

I did not!  Carefully. Maybe.  I’ll put in a ticket for custodial service to clean up.  We don’t have anything to clean this up with.

DANIEL

But what about my coffee?

June leaves and returns to her cubicle.

END OF ACT I