The Toast Experiment!

How many little things does it take to make a big thing? – The tale of the failed toast experiment.

Seriously, how many little things does it take to make a big thing? Well, it depends on which side of the fence you sit on.
How many aspects of company rules that impinge on personal freedoms can an office lackey endure before he says enough is enough? Especially when the most draconian of these of seem to apply only to him or are translated in a way that are worse for him than others?
Examples:

The Toast Experiment!

The ample production of tea that is provided for the office by myself for consumption by all persons present (and thirsty) is an unwritten duty in the role of Office Lackey, and one which considering the circumstances, being that I am the least busy person and am happy for any excuse to evacuate my desk, it is something I am quite happy to do. In fact I take more pride in making a good cup of rosie than I do in any other aspect of office work.

Last week I passed up on the offer of a McDonalds's breakfast (more on MacD's later) and instead decided to use the facilities provided and make myself a much more dignified breakfast of hot buttered toast. The kitchen being equipped with a (much-neglected) toaster I saw no reason why this should cause any problems. And if all went well with this little experiment I thought I might make this a regular feature of my working life. So I came in that morning prepared with a couple of slices of bread and a small tub of  'I Can't Believe it's Not Butter' and when time came to make the mid-morning tea I popped the bread in the toaster and a couple of minutes later sat down to a nice brunch. I was just thinking to myself, "Mmmm I could get used to this!" When it was pointed out to me that making toast is a no no. At first I though this was a joke, but no, apparently the big boss wouldn't like me taking time out of my busy work schedule to make toast.

Mind you this seems to be an excuse for just about everything in this office... the big boss doesn't like it! I heard the other day that someone was ordered to take a pot plant home "because the big boss doesn't like that sort of thing"!!??!! I am sure the big boss (who is really a very big man!) couldn't give a shit about toast and pot plants, but hey...

So, OK, I don't have time to make myself toast, but making several cups of tea for the whole office I do have time for? Even though I made the toast while making the tea! Hmmm, something ain't right here. It seems to me that if it makes only me (or other people of "office lackey" status) happy and doesn't benefit my superiors then "the big boss won't like it". Sometimes I think if my bosses could find a good reason for it, they would ban me from making myself a cuppa, but still allow me to make one for them!
The trouble is that this is just another in a long line of petty rules and regulations that just make me think "Perhaps it's time to move on." I know the grass is never greener, but at least I get to be "naive" about the rules again.