Cornered?

So when pressured, when backed into a corner, what are your options?
1. give up
2. flee
3. fight
or
4. take another look at your resources, both personal and in the surrounding environment. We humans are tool-users, reevaluate the tools at your disposal.

In this particular instance, the manager sees an AIM window up on your screen. It appears your initial efforts at keeping it hidden (hide taskbar button when buddylist is minimized, hide windows while away) weren't good enough (also, it's entirley possible, and entirely likely the whole reason he saw an AIM window on your screen and not the black, powered-down, sleep-mode monitor is because he was trying to mess with your computer while you were at lunch, but that's a fight for another day). He tells you to get rid of AIM.

Resources.

Clearly AIM's own camoflauge isn't enough. So you look for more effective ways of keeping the program hidden. Since you've had a computer since freshman year of high school you're pretty familiar with the Window operating system, this leads you to explore your Start Menu and Taskbar options.
First, you didn't know this before, but you can choose which icons appear next to the clock, or how often they appear. Normally the little AIM buddy is chilling down there next to the time, but you switch his command to "always hide" and click, he's gone! Also, you alter a few of the other icons commands from "hide when inactive" to "always show" to keep the taskbar busy-looking with business related icons.
Second, you change the Taskbar setting from "always on top" (Adina I know what just ran through your mind) to "autohide the taskbar" thus keeping that out of sight as well.
Third, and I'm very pleased I thought of this, change the name of the folder that opens from the Start button from "AOL Instant Messenger" to something inoccuous and business sounding like "AlphaComm" or "SecCom (SM)" so that even people taking a quick look at your list of available programs won't see it.

Granted, none of this will keep someone determined to find AIM from finding AIM. If someone were to be hell bent on discovering the program, they would only need to be at the terminal and conduct a search, or look through the Program Files folder. So, manager, you'll have to either be very timely to catch me chatting online, or very at-my-desk-while-I'm-not so you can search my files to catch me with the program. But try doing that when I put my Ctrl+Alt+Del lock on the terminal. Ha.

Well, you'll be seeing me, maybe not as often
And I hope that spy-manager over there won't be seeing any more of you.
The end.

-Tom
recommended download:
Eve 6, There's A Face