05.13.08
Geeks to the rescue of my spirit
When I was hired here, part of my conversation with the Boss consisted of getting permission to stand Legolas in my office. He was skeptical but agreed because I think he knew it would make me happier.
I work in a school of geeks, my kind of peeps. Everyone who knows me knows, I am a geek lover/champion/admirer. I have my own level of geekery that I felt was expressed by having a 6’ cutout of Legolas stand behind me while conducting my appointments.
It didn’t take long in most appointments for the topic of Lord of the Rings to work its way in, which invariably led to Pirates of the Caribbean and then through some convoluted circumstances and segues led to discourse about Halo and other games. So it’s fairly well known here on campus that Athena is a gamer, a geek and not as “corporate” as the rest of them and perhaps therefore a little more approachable. Many of my students come in just to talk, or banter or discuss new games.
Last Friday I was asked/told to take Legolas home. Evidently he is unprofessional, distracting and “people talk about him a lot”.
I wasn’t happy about it. AT. ALL. It felt like the Universe giving me yet one more sign – “pay attention!” “get the hell out before you are molded into a blank corporate icon of boring uncreative work ethics” “you are being wasted here.”
It felt like a warning and one I seriously took into consideration as I stood him up at home near the foot of my bed.
Yesterday a student came in. One of my favorites who comes to talk about games and his future as a game designer.
J: Something is different and I can’t put my finger on it….
I let it pass for a few minutes while his companion told me about how he is job hunting and the market is tougher than he thought.
J: Something is missing and I can’t figure out what it is….
I nodded.
Me: Olri is gone.
His mouth dropped open and he sat forward with alarm.
J: Did you to that or did they do that?
I smiled at the vagueness of they and said,
Me: They did.
J: Did you cry? You should have cried. I bet if you’d started crying they would have let you keep him.
Me: I cried, but I did it at home.
J: That was not a very smart thing they just did.
I grinned and thought, GOD! I love my students. My fellow geeks. My underappreciated nation of misfits. I love them.
The topic shifted again to his friend who is job hunting and as they were leaving I said,
Me: Hey, good luck on your job search.
J, turned around at the door and looked pointedly where Orli/ Legolas used to stand.
He smiled sadly, and said…
J: Hey, good luck on yours too.
Did I mention how much I love my students?
Keetster said,
May 13, 2008 at 1:01 pm
That’s pretty fscking awesome.
Epiphany said,
May 13, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Hey. Someone already stole my comment
Lara said,
May 13, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Yay for job hunting. Im in the same boat.
introneurotic said,
May 13, 2008 at 3:52 pm
This is why you should have had a 6 foot cut out of Darth Vader. Everyone loves him and no one would ask you to remove that…:)
amanda said,
May 13, 2008 at 8:42 pm
hey,
that makes me sorta really sad. Why do they have to take away the one thing that is ‘your thing..’ know what i mean?? I think its silly. Sorry girly….
Nelli Vanderburg said,
May 13, 2008 at 10:13 pm
When I worked for Merry Maids (DON’T say anything) we once cleaned a house where there was a life-size Darth Vader STATUE (in a glass case!) in the spare bedroom. One of the girls I was cleaning with was totally freaked out and wouldn’t get near it, even though she (completely amazingly, I thought) didn’t even know who he was.
That sucks, how The Man made you take Orli home. Clearly you need to inundate your office with angry dwarves.
And I love your students, too.
ResilientMonkey said,
May 14, 2008 at 5:21 pm
That just sucks. Glad you have peeps around ya.
I hate corporate america.
Sondra said,
May 15, 2008 at 11:40 am
Fight back!! We ARE corporate America, man, as workers and/or consumers, and WE HAVE THE POWER to change crap.
WHO is Legolas distracting, WHY is it bad that people talk about him, WHAT about how you do your job is less efficient than how other people do that same job, what about the fact that real humans (ie, students) can relate and communicate better to other real humans (ie, you) making it possible to do a better job, HOW does being in touch with your personality and having a bit of freedom to express yourself make you, in fact, do a better quality job?
And since fricking when does not having a sense of humor make you “less professional” - DEFINE professional. Is it the ability to think of creative ways to do a quality, effiecient job, or is it to be an unhappy drone in an office that just eeks out the bare minimum so they can collect a paycheck?
What are the base values of the place you’re working for and how can you explain the situation to them in terms they can’t refuse?
And I just got back from installing a windmill in Wisconson, I am possibly more pysched up than Ever Athena! Damn force of nature, I am lately. I need a geeky buddy who can decipher internet stuff to help me out with a couple project ideas. Will email as soon as I have a chance to define the parameters of the project. And you know, you could always turn those acting skills into “representative” skills and be the public relations person I’m going to need…….: ) No? What if I shovel your driveway every time it snows? It only gets down below -30 for like… half the winter.
Love Ya
Megan said,
May 15, 2008 at 2:31 pm
omg that is so cute!!
also, if the talk about legolas isn’t bad or isn’t because he is distracting wtf? if your students are coming in just to chat, of course they’re going to talk about him, whereas if they were just coming in for appointments I could see it being a sign of distraction like “they came in for an appointment and just talked about this huge legolas cutout” but if it’s clearly “they came in for an appointment and got that shit done then chatted about stuff including legolas” that is just rediculous.
I second him. Good luck!