Go with assembler.

I never hit F1. I've found windows help to be absolutely useless.

The boss is probably getting other non programmers trying to listen to music, jobs where they just can't listen and work. Like maybe sales, or customer service (I mean while your talking to customers). And then they say "well the programmers get too". So, the default easy fix is to say, "nobody can listen to music". Personally I've found that with regards programming, listening makes all the difference in the world to my productivity. Not just any music though. It has to be something that's not to distracting. I like progressive house, trance, downtempo, etc... stuff that's not too lyric heavy. I'm sure that would be similar to other types of music too (classical, jazz whatever you like). I find the lyrics in other types of music (more main stream rock, pop, country, etc..) more distracting. Even, then it's way less distracting than the office chitter chatter. If I'm not listening to music, my attention seems to reach out and latch on to whatever conversations others in the office having, and that causing me to lose my programming zen.

Well, I too have been fed up with corporate mentality for along time. I did web programming as an independent for about 8 years. Then decided to get on board with the my primary client (become an employee). I enjoyed interacting with people more (more social environment) and the regular schedule. But, productivity wise, I felt I was wasting my time. Every other manager, and 3rd party project manager had there own agenda. No one wanted to take responsibility for anything and were not willing to do anything outside of there current tasks. Some of them were even incompetent when it came to their primary job. Anyway, ... I've always had a creative side, dabbling in this and that. So, after about 3 years working there, my wife and I decided to make some changes. I am now working as an independent again (making about half what I was). We're living more simply and paying debt off to allow for less income. I'm still programming. But, my wife and I are working together on doing pottery, with the intent to make it a business. I love programming, and hope to continue to use those skills to sell our stuff online. Learning pottery as a new skill is fun, and I really like that it allows me to be creative too. I wound't recommend switching cold-turkey, cause you may find out your new profession is not for you after much time and energy training. Test out the waters for awhile in your spare time (lol). Make friends with others who are already proficient in that field, they may be able to give in-site to help you decide if the life style is for you.

There's not enough room for my girl robot. Maybe, I can get two and link them together. Better yet, maybe I can get several and make a train of walking houses (garage, guest house, ...). So it will look like a giant centipede from google satellite images. That way millions of years from now, our ancestors (or perhaps aliens) will dig up my houses, and think that giant robotic centipedes once roamed the Earth.