The Lurking IT Men
I would have named them IT people, but it seems all our IT employees are men.
They are lurking around the office place, taking turns meddling with all the computers, bobbing in and out of cubes. They come up behind you, ask you to close all windows, quit all your programs, and move away from your computer. I've been shaken by fright several times when they have walked up behind me and I have seven windows of clothing websites open on my desktop.
You are never given a time frame- it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour to do whatever it is they do, on what you regard as your personal office space. I was constantly afraid they knew of my gmail notifier and were conspiring to remove it, or do something bad to my personal folders.
From what I can tell, they merely update your system, but then why all the secrecy? They never tell you what they are doing. Maybe its all part of their IT mystique- they give too much away and they will not be revered as technical, computer whizzes- continuing to make the rest of us think we can't operate without them.
On my floor, we have given them code names to alert each other as to when they are about to ambush. There is "the ostrich," named for his trademark head movement, "silent talker," who barely gets out the words at an audible level so you end up reading lips, and "low-rider," who adjusts your chair so low that you can't tell if he is in your cube. I have often wondered what their real names are, but that would just give too much of their personality away. I'm all about keeping them at a distant level. I have not fully differentiated if they are friend or foe.
Since receiving Windows XP after a visit from low-rider, I have come to respect the IT men. I am no longer fearful or paranoid, but rather intrigued as to what they will do. However, if I ever return to my cube to find my computer missing some programs or my collection of web photos mysteriously moved to another folder, I will become weary once more.
Raffle Mania
We had another raffle at the office today. Sadly, I did not win. It was for a gas card, and since I don't drive a car, I was not too upset at the loss. There are raffles for having perfect attendance for one month. If you are sick, you lose the chance to win and are left in your cubicle, while all the "good" employees go to the conference room to participate. However, each month the slate is wiped clean and all employees have equal chance at perfect attendance. I think the prize for the attendance raffle should be a day off.
Andersonville, Chicago
I went to lunch today with the usual suspects from work. We went to a middle eastern restaurant in Andersonville, which is right up the street from my office. I had no idea this type of cultural fusion existed within one block, though I had heard of Andersonville before. I was only aware of its Swedish background. It happens to be an odd mix of middle eastern restaurants and Swedish influences- which is basically my ethnic background. I am half Armenian and half Swedish. So between the hummus and tabouleh, there are Swedish bakeries and bars. I highly recommend this part of town for anyone who wants to experience a really weird clash of backgrounds. I felt right at home.
Post Game Recovery
Ah the Sox game...such fun, such fun. I had a raging headache all day at work, from what? I do not know, but it made me extremely less excited to go to a work function, complete with schmoozing and get-to-know-you-better talk. I made it to the game and downed my first beer to ease the conversation (not that I need it...). The account executives came running over in droves and my bosses kept saying "they really want to meet you!" Why the popularity? Because I believe putting a name to a face is exciting, especially when you are a middle-aged man talking to a young woman on the phone for months without seeing what she looks like. Myself, along with the other young female account managers, were the hit of the party. That was quite flattering, until you see what the account executives actually look like. Then it was just humorous.
My favorite story of the night: One account executive, whom I will lovingly call Baby (because he refers to me this way on the phone- form of harassment? Perhaps, but he doesn't know what I call him after we hang up), came with his wife. Turns out they are an older couple who have only been married a year. However, they are high school sweethearts. She left him shortly after high school graduation because he had "frisky hands," and she married someone else. She was happily married for 30-some years before getting divorced and reconnecting with Baby. They seemed very happy, even taking into consideration the fact that he openly hits on many women, while his wife is standing next to him. I guess years of being a bachelor will make someone act like a bachelor his entire life? Obviously Baby has not changed much since high school if his sweetheart came running back into his arms and fell in love with the same man.
Well, now I am able to picture the account executive I am speaking to on the phone. I sort of wish I hadn't met these characters face-to-face. It was much more fun having the mystique alive. Several looked exactly how I expected and others were a crazy dissapointment. One a.e. sounded like a large man with dark hair, who could really make a presence. He turned out to be a frail old man with gray hair, who did not stand out at all. I would not have known he was there if it hadn't been for his name tag. I never did meet the notorious "Richard." Word on the street is he didn't make quota and was not allowed on the first bus of account execs. Since the second bus was for the slackers who didn't make quota, he didn't want to be associated with those people and decided not to go. Not meeting Richard is probably a blessing in disguise, as last year he stuck onto his account manager and appeared next to her after she had tried to walk away. His mystery will live on...
A good thing about the work party was that my new position was announced, but it wasn't necessarily meant to be. My boss introduced me to my current account executives by saying "you won't be speaking with her for that much longer." My a.e.'s looked as shocked as I did until she filled in the blanks. Seems I will be moving on to greener pastures...let's hope that means more money too. And who said cube jobs are boring?
I am now recovering in my cube, taking the day one step at a time and imagining my move to the other side, by which I mean my new position. Sure my cube won't be any bigger, and I will basically have the same responsibilities, but I will have piece of mind I have moved on. It's the little things that matter while living my days in Office Space.
