I'm being trained by Norm. If you've never seen Office Space, I've included a little clip of Milton. Norm is Milton with the addition of a bit of tree hugger.
You see, Norm and his wife (Fred - short for Winnifred) have no children, but they do have 7 cats. They recycle far more than they throw away and always try to re-purpose, rather than recycle, if that is an option.
Norm and his wife carpool, but to help even more with the conservation of fuel, Norm walks 2+ miles (each way) to meet his wife at the highway rather than have her pick him up at the office.
Norm is the self-elected recycling police- he peruses the trash cans at work looking for aluminum cans that people have thrown away rather than put in recycling. He pulls them out and makes sure they find their way to the recycling bin.
Norm starts every conversation with, "And how are you on this simply lovely winter day?" I must have heard that at least 17 times today, not to mention he also signs his emails that way. I'm guessing he'll change the season when it becomes appropriate - I'll be sure to keep you updated.
Now, Norm seems to have a good heart, but quirky would be an understatement. Being that I have a fine appreciation for the more odd people in life, this actually works out quite well.
I was given a cubicle with no supplies - no tape dispenser, stapler, adding machine, telephone or computer. I did get my computer at about 4:00 this afternoon, so that is a step in the right direction. Still don't have a phone or any of the other necessities, but I'm pretty certain that if they want me to do the job they'll come up with them.
It was great to come home and have lunch with my son today (he had a day off from school) and the commute was all of 3 stop signs and 4 turns for a total of 7 minutes!
Do I sound flustered? Disappointed? Petty? I'm none of those! As goofy as I am being, not only do I think I'll really enjoy this job and the people I work with, but I believe it was a good decision to set aside career aspirations for a solid family foundation for my son and I.
24 comments:
It sounds great actually.
Maybe Norm will get old, but I've found that I always appreciated the coworkers who had a great attitude and were pleasant all the time. They're actually very hard to find.
Hope you enjoy the job lots and lots!
Sounds like Norm could supply you with inspirations for posts for weeks!
Congrats again on you new job.
You should try the Swingline and definately don't burn down the building.
Good luck!
=)
Jay, Norm *did* make me smile all day long.
Jeff, maybe even a sequal to Office Space?
Birdman, I'm thinking I had better buy my own stapler because I might be in trouble if I borrow Norm's.
I like characters! Boring, effcient people who show no humor- not so much.. Good Luck on new job!
I'm really glad you had a wonderful first day!
Congrats and Good Luck Dana. Don't let the commute weigh heavy on your mind. Cheers!!
There's a Norm in every office it seems. I remember it took me 2 weeks to get all of the vital office supplies at my last job.
Sounds like you're going to be fine, and we'll be well entertained.
I want to send Milton a piece of cake now though...poor guy.
Wow...your commute is almost as good as mine! I'm 2 miles from work. Sometimes it takes me 5 minutes to get here!
Sounds like a wonderful place. Quirky beats the hell out of boring!
Good grief... No one should be that environmentally friendly... Tell Norm your hobby is blastin aluminum cans with a 12 guage and see how he feels about that... LOL!
Buff, it's quite a change from the conservative law firm I was at prior to this, and I like it much better!
Leighann, let's hope they all continue this way.
Matt-Man, better a heavy commute than a heavy ... ummm .... I'm not sure where I was going with that!
P, Milton was my favorite character in that movie!
RLL, before the law firm it was corporate America and the drones of the workforce. I'm a much better fit with quirky.
Doc, I was considering a response along the lines of "Norm, it's not a fucking lovely winter day - I'm cold, my feet are wet and my car door was frozen shut" but I just can't bring myself to squish his daisies!
Congrats on the cubicle! We don't even get that at work. Just a spot against the wall. Sometimes when I'm feeling insecure I tell people I work in a think tank.
I am the opposite of Norm in the recycling/environmental conscienceness stuff...so I guess we balance out. Don't tell him that. It might be more than he can handle.
Good luck at the new job!
Corky, the cubicle is beautiful - imagine a teal, fake marble work surface!
RockDog, I'm not so sure anyone else in the world is really like Norm.
sounds like its going good! I will have to say that if you are going to do your part you could probably have walked that 7 minutes in 20 or so
tsk tsk
hehe
Dana,
You need to rent the movie 'Idiocracy'. Which is written and directed by Mike Judge who did 'Office Space'. 'Idiocracy' is just as funny.
Norm sounds like one heck of a guy! Walking 2+ miles to meet up at the Hiway is going overboard, but if he's happy with it - all is well.
Nice to hear you think you'll be happy at your new job - it is a rare thing these days.
I also left you an award over at my place!
be the anti norm...nah that wouldnt be good....you know "create" recycling marathons for him...nah...bad idea.
Woo Hoo!! Glad you had an interesting first day and that you got to have lunch at home. (fondly recalling when my wife would come home for nooners, before we had kids and all).
Glad somebody nailed the Stapler bit. That was a great, quirky movie. Enjoy the Milton-Incarnate...
Love this: "I believe it was a good decision to set aside career aspirations for a solid family foundation for my son and I."
Bravo to you Dana!
SS, surprisingly enough, I actually plan on doing just that when the weather gets a bit warmer!
Mnt Cat, 'Idiocracy' you say? I've just added it to my NetFlix queue.
R.E.H., thank you so much for the award - it makes the icey blood in my viens thaw just a bit.
DB, the anti-norm! I like it!!
G-Man, about the only nooner I'm getting is my lunchtime viewing of YouPorn!
Michael, it's been a struggle to do what felt right rather than what I thought should feel right, but I think I may have gotten there.
I can identify. Completely. It should get better I promise :)
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