Bizarre corporate rituals

[LanDroid]

Pranks, code phrases, themes, and so on are used by corporate workers to cut boredom, express creativity, compete, or rebel. Our IT dept. is a source for a lot of this activity, partly because they employ co-ops who inject collegiate weirdness. One competition they have going on right now involves Sea Monkeys. You'll recall the ads in the back of comic books about these "amazing sea creatures". Well these nerds have bought about 4 of these kits and have a competition on whose tank can create the most babies. I walked by one cube and the kid had a pair of headphones around the tank. He was playing ocean noises to inspire the Sea Monkeys (actually brine shrimp) to "get into the mood". [img]graemlins/kiss.gif[/img]

So what weirdness is happening in your corner of Utopia? [img]graemlins/island.gif[/img]

[Raven Soul]

We play a wide variety of pranks on each other. It is awesome because I have 13 people that work under me, and we all prank each other so our work environment is awesome.

Some pranks include:

Using 4 rolls of packing tape to tape our shipping clerks chair to his desk.

Taking the copiers access three hole punch remains and pouring them into someones locker and sealing it up only for them to get a suprise when they open it.

Super glue everything on someones desk.

Bubble wrapped someones entire office

Removing the balls in the mouse

So much more....

[Lew]

I remember at Great American they pranked us one time by posting a message that indicated their stock price had gone up. We got all excited, and then they were like "just kidding!" Those crazy nuts...

[reason]

Today is "Haiku Thursday"

This is my entry for today, written to my coworker:


what it means to be rob s****

You really do suck
Sir, would you like fries with that?
Career on the move


Last week was Super Combo Value Pak Haiku Thursday...a frenzy of Haiku activity:

supersize it

supersize combo
value-pak haiku Thursday
it don't get better

i really like you - but not really

killkillkillkillkill
killkillkillkillkillkillkill
killkillkillkillkill

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 11, 2006 10:02 AM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]</font>

[reason]

We have bizarre competitions.

At Christmas, I was pretty much forced to be in a Montgomery Inn eating competition with my soon to be boss, the reigning 15 year eating champion. The tie breaker was a gross, cheap cheesecake from Meijer. I won.

A few months ago, I had an arm wrestling competition with my ex-boss. We tied (though he said I cheated.)

Then there was the three on three basketball game (I kicked ass)...and the flag football game...

Then there are the coffee pots...we are each assigned a week to clean coffee pots. If you forget to clean the coffee pots, you owe two coffee pots to the person who cleans them for you.

Coffee pots are bet on sporting events, election outcomes, and assorted other idiotic things. I never really got into the coffee pot culture, but people at work really do take it seriously.

And if you persistently forget...the big boss gets pissed.

It is my week to do coffee pots.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 11, 2006 10:36 AM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]</font>

[Beachcomber]

I work in a corner office isolated from all of my coworkers, some days I go the entire day and don't have to even speak to anyone in my office. I go days on end without seeing or speaking to my supervisor. I have a radio at my desk and a nice view behind me. Pretty nice set-up, but no pranks.

[cincygreg]

I dont really interact with my coworkers that much, outside of the fact thast we work together. Therefore, I dont really get into any of the "pranks" or anything like that. I keep to myself as much as possible at work. I fully believe that work facilitates life. I work to live, I dont live to work.

[Beachcomber]

I know what you mean Greg. I have fallen into the trap in the past of becoming close friends with coworkers. This never ends well. (well it did once but that was the exception) Just like the advice of not dating someone from work, "don't fish from the company dock". When it doesn't work out, one of you better switch jobs! And if it does work out, who wants to see their S/O 24/7? There should be divisions I think.

[cincygreg]

Yep!

I think that your life is what you do outside of work and that work facilitates it. The job is important because it is the source oif income that allows you to handle your responabilities and hopefully have some left over to save and or use to enjoy your free time.

I just do my thing and do my job.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 11, 2006 10:48 AM: Message edited by: cincygreg ]</font>

[jumper69]

Dulc, I like your prank. Very devious.

As recruits, we don't have any real "pranks" to play but we do have some fun.

1. Sneak up on person who was scared to death of getting tased and do a 1 second taser test (check the operation, it arcs and is loud) behind their head. Be prepared to clean up piss from the floor.

2. During controlled force practice, deliver a chop to the common peroneal area when partner isn't looking.

3. Tell someone they have a huge stain on the back of their shirt seconds prior to morning inspection.

Just my $.02 [img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]