YouTube Video Vortex: The Giant Panda Edition

There are countless advantages to working from home: pajamas all day, 30 second commute to living room sofa and nominal office drama. Despite her outright bitchiness, my cat is remarkably adept at avoiding professional conflict, though she does occasionally clash with the printer. TV shows provide entertainment and opportunities for social engagement, though I'm not prepared to concede that I talk to the T.V.

It may not look pretty, but things runs smoothly within my little West Village office/abode. The main difficulty I encounter, besides paper jams I can't fix and money I can't seem to earn, stems from the sheer number of animals who've make their way to YouTube clips. I wasn't scared by the world's angriest cat, nor amused by the sneezing panda, yet I find myself sucked into the animal video vortex for hours, sometimes days.

The technology loop was parodied on Portlandia, on the Puffington Host no less, showing just how nefarious the first article, photo or video can be. Working from home allows me the opportunity to take a gander, but there's no boss or friend to intervene when the cat videos take over. Just the other day, I inquisitively perused YouTube for a video of a baby bobcat. Several minutes (hours) later, I stumbled upon the following gem: a clip of baby giant pandas bottle-feeding at a wildlife reserve. The little balls of black and white fur actually feed themselves. Flat on their backs, with arms in the air clasped to their bottles, they happily feed while nearby caretakers make strange cooing sounds. Music then begins to play, and before I know it, I've watched the video sixteen times. Consecutively.

I find delight not only in their cute faces; I'm rewarded by the knowledge that I'm able to pass the torch to you. Happy viewing: may you discover your very own bottle-feeding pandas while I attempt to get back to work.