Hop on this emotional roller coaster

It is just another ordinary Tuesday at SE2. You know the kind: staff meeting is starting late, no lunch in sight, most of us are staring at our iPhones attempting to squeeze in a few more precious moments of work. Although the players are the same and the location hasn’t changed, we know almost immediately that something is different.

Susan (a sly smile plastered on her face) starts the meeting with a special announcement about rewarding our hard work. This instantly strikes me as promising – we have been working really hard after all.

Suddenly, Eric Anderson rounds the corner with a giant box from Amazon. Inside the box there are 11 festively wrapped boxes. "11 boxes? How convenient,” I think to myself. "There are 11 staffers here at SE2."

After a brief speech about technology, presentations to clients, etc., our minds are wondering: Is it possible that they contain the iPads we’ve spent the last six months lobbying for?

Soon, a rectangular box is in front of me. After a brief countdown, we simultaneously rip into the goods.

My heart is filled with sarcasm, sadness and a little anger the moment I uncover my gift. These are no iPads. These aren’t even generic electronic tablet notebooks. At this point, I know that even Palm Pilots would be an upgrade from these “magnetic drawing boards.” (The brand name of these devices is Etch-A-Sketch. That’s right, they didn’t even buy us the real magnetic drawing boards.)

The situation only grows worse when Anderson proceeds to demonstrate how to use the “magnetic drawing boards.”

With that, a thick cloud of disappointment fills the room. We quickly move into the usual meeting agenda and spend the next full hour discussing SE2 business.

Throughout this time, I’m on a roller coaster of emotions. I simply don't know what to expect next. First, it was anticipation, and then it was disappointment. Now, all I feel is sadness. I silently drown my sorrows in a cupcake as the meeting draws to an end.

Just when we think it’s over, a series of bags appears on the table.

Susan’s sly smile returns. The cloud of disappointment begins to lift. Hope is restored.

Thank you SE2 for the awesome iPads! (Safe to say we are officially the coolest firm in town.)