Fish

We do a lot of group activities like icebreakers, motivators, welcoming lunches, etc. Last week our group watched a video called "Fish!" about the guys that work at a fish stall at the Pike Place Market in Seattle.

The video is about how they have fun at work. They throw the fish around (hard), shout out funny things, get people to do goofy things with the fish, and presumably sell enough fish to stay in business.

I can't remember what the main points of the video were but it was similar to a yoga/meditation/mystical book I have called "Be Here Now." That book is about being all in the present and living life fully and completely. The lessons I remembered were something like

- Have fun!
- Make your day great by believing it will be great!
- Bring the customer into the fun (that one wasn't in the book)!

They really did look like they were having fun. While I watched the video I wondered how much those guys got paid, if anyone starting work at 6 a.m. and being covered with fish guts all day could really be that happy, and how much fish (big whole fish) they actually sold.

At the end of the video the person that suggested we watch it asked the group how we could apply this to our jobs. There was a thoughtful silence-a long thoughtful silence. Luckily our time in the room was over at that point and we could leave without discussing how testing legal software was like selling fish.

Not that we don't all try to have fun at work. It just seemed like it was a long way from the fish market in Seattle to my cube. I guess I could throw things...

The Watcher

On the day before Thanksgiving, the husband of a coworker gave her a giant, helium smiley-face balloon to cheer her up (personal story omitted). She tied the huge smiley-face balloon onto the chair outside her cubicle, two cubes up the row from me, and it's floated there since then....smiling.

The workday after the balloon arrived I was sitting at my desk, staring at my computer screen (typical pose), when I had a weird feeling. I looked up and slightly to my left and saw, just over the top of my cube wall, two huge black eyes with white dots in them. The balloon was staring at me.

Of course when I caught it staring like that it very slowly turned away but it happens all day long when I'm sitting at my computer. Sure, you think the ventilation system causes it to look one way or another--you think that giant smiley-face balloons have no free will. You haven't seen this one.

I mentioned the intrusive behavior of the balloon to it's owner but she either wasn't listening (it was a talk-over-each-other conversation) or she thought I actually enjoyed being spied on by a gas bag. She hasn't taken it home and it hasn't lost any gas as far as I can tell. It may be there forever....watching me.

It would be a shame if someone happened to it. ; )`

Winter Holidays at Law R Us

Right after Thanksgiving they put up the holiday stuff at work. For those of us that aren't the majority religion, it's very refreshing.

Holiday banners are hung from the ceilings near the main doorways. The banners are probably ten feet long since the following holidays are listed on them along with appropriate symbols:

Chinese New Year
Christmas
Hanukah
Diwali
Ramadan
Hmong New Years

In addition to the banners, there are small tables put in the public areas with items symbolic of these holidays. There's a Hanukah menorah but also a couple other candle things--one is for Diwali and I don't know about the other one--and some dishes with something in them. I stopped at one of those tables once and tried to figure out each item was but nothing is labeled. I should put in a suggestion to the Diversity Council to label that stuff.

Of course there is still a Christmas tree in the big lobby with fake presents and wreaths in strategic places. I don't think you'll ever see that go away even if a large percentage of the people have last names reminiscent of South Asia.

The company has one big company event which consists of thousands of people streaming through the cafeteria for a drink and some appetizers. There's usually a jazz band playing too. It's time away from the usual routine so people generally go, even if they skip the appetizers. I think last year the Moose coffee shop also gave away free holiday drinks but the lines for their free stuff are too long for me.

Our organization is having a bowling afternoon for our winter holiday party (we did a big picnic thing during the summer). We did the same thing at Widgets during our first year as a big Production group and once as the company's yearly party. It should be fun.

Our group is having a massive potluck. It's been organized in terms of "booths" with themes, as in the "Indian booth." The booths are spread out over two group areas on two floors plus one booth isolated way at the end of the building. That, of course, is the Healthy/Natural Booth where I'm taking my spicy noodles. I can't believe people are going to walk down the hallway with plates of food past all the other groups so I'm expecting a lot of leftovers.

There's also a kids party on a Saturday. I guess thousands of kids are brought here which seems scary but the company has been doing it for decades so I'm told it's well managed and also fun.

I don't have much vacation left for December but I will get two long weekends. Imagine, using all my vacation! I never got to do that Widgets.