[ WP ] Even though it 's happened to many professions before now , I never expected my job to become obsolete .

The guy next to me licks stamps for a living. He told me that he drinks 2 gallons of water a day to keep his tongue moist, and actually likes the pasty taste of the stamp glue. He has a big metal bin on either side of his desk for the packages and envelopes he readies for shipment. He ca n't look me in the eye as I walk past with my box of letters, office trophies, and my favorite coffee mug with the bear saying `` Protect the Forests''. 
 
 The office is unusually quiet as I walk past the white dividers and shielded faces of my coworkers. There is sounds of typing and shuffling, but not a voice as I turn back to gaze for my last over the floor I called home for the last 11 years. A gentle *harumph* behind me alerts me to the guard standing ready for me, and of my manager. *My ex manager, * I surmise, walking through the doorway. It was n't his fault. There's no market for professional paper filers nowadays. He had called me into the office this morning and broke the news. 
 
 Over 50 people had been let go in the giant building today. I just happened to fall into the category. I shuffled my box, glancing at the folder of papers emblazoned **'' Life After Work'' ** in big cursive letters. Life after work, huh? Hard to imagine life without the beautiful water cooler room, with its peeling wallpaper and dirty tile, the refridgerator that cranks ice every 45 minutes. The feel of the carpet underneath my socked feet when I slipped them off around lunch time. And oh, my poor, poor office space, all barren and lifeless without its decorative cat frames and clutter. I looked back one final time as the door closed behind us. *Goodbye... *
