Another Day at the Office
Some days I fear that I'm destined for an interminable cubicle existence. I cringe when I consider 30 years of powerpoint slides, project plans, blue button up shirts and khakis, working endless days with only casual Friday to look forward to. Other days though, I realize why I chose to work in the financial services industry after all. At the end of the day, it's really all about the people, isn't it?
Case in point: as part of my project at work, I've begun to spend a day each week at our call center in Brighton. As part of my first visit this week, I was scheduled to listen in on calls made by a woman named "Michelle". Why the quotes, you ask? Well, on the train ride down, I was informed by a colleague that "Michelle" actually used to be "Michael" (it was pitched to me as "just so you're not taken by surprise"). You can imagine my general excitement upon hearing that I was going to be working with a bona fide transexual! Unfortunately, when we got to the office I was informed that Michelle was actually off for the day. Guess where? Yep. You got it - a beauty pageant! Although disappointed, I bounced back in time to get on Michelle/Michael's calendar for next week and proceeded to the cafeteria for my lunch meeting. Also now known as the hardest 45 minutes of my life.
Having never met my lunch "date" (I'm just putting that one in quotations to be annoying), I was, well, surprised to find that she was substantially cross-eyed. Like cartoon-character-after-getting-hit-in-the-face cross-eyed. So there I was, avoiding eye contact at all costs, thinking about my meeting next week with Michelle/Michael, and generally wondering what the hell I was doing with my life. And let me be the first to tell you, when you're trying your damnedest not to look someone in the eye, eye contact becomes frustratingly easy. It was hell.
My trip down to our call center got me thinking about one of my favorite episodes of The Office from season 1 called Diversity Training. A clip for your viewing pleasure:
Update: On my way to work today I stopped at my local Starbucks, like I do most days. (Relax. I usually order a regular house coffee, not some type of $6 "dos chai latte por favor" shit.) Anyway, today the woman that served me was cross-eyed, call center style. Am I being punished? And am I the only one that feels like they need to look back and forth at each eye individually when confronting those of the cross-eyed faith? Hmm. I feel a church sign in the making.
Case in point: as part of my project at work, I've begun to spend a day each week at our call center in Brighton. As part of my first visit this week, I was scheduled to listen in on calls made by a woman named "Michelle". Why the quotes, you ask? Well, on the train ride down, I was informed by a colleague that "Michelle" actually used to be "Michael" (it was pitched to me as "just so you're not taken by surprise"). You can imagine my general excitement upon hearing that I was going to be working with a bona fide transexual! Unfortunately, when we got to the office I was informed that Michelle was actually off for the day. Guess where? Yep. You got it - a beauty pageant! Although disappointed, I bounced back in time to get on Michelle/Michael's calendar for next week and proceeded to the cafeteria for my lunch meeting. Also now known as the hardest 45 minutes of my life.
Having never met my lunch "date" (I'm just putting that one in quotations to be annoying), I was, well, surprised to find that she was substantially cross-eyed. Like cartoon-character-after-getting-hit-in-the-face cross-eyed. So there I was, avoiding eye contact at all costs, thinking about my meeting next week with Michelle/Michael, and generally wondering what the hell I was doing with my life. And let me be the first to tell you, when you're trying your damnedest not to look someone in the eye, eye contact becomes frustratingly easy. It was hell.
My trip down to our call center got me thinking about one of my favorite episodes of The Office from season 1 called Diversity Training. A clip for your viewing pleasure:
Update: On my way to work today I stopped at my local Starbucks, like I do most days. (Relax. I usually order a regular house coffee, not some type of $6 "dos chai latte por favor" shit.) Anyway, today the woman that served me was cross-eyed, call center style. Am I being punished? And am I the only one that feels like they need to look back and forth at each eye individually when confronting those of the cross-eyed faith? Hmm. I feel a church sign in the making.
posted by cjb at 6:28 PM
2 Comments:
True story: The bulletin board in my office kitchen has a sheet that says "Important Dates in September", you know, for people to read while re-heating last night's Thai. And under September 11 it says "Beatles record "Love Me Do" at Abbey Road Studios". Then someone took a marker, circled it and wrote "!!?" next to it. Truer punctuation was never written.
That's hilarious. Never forget, man.
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