Cheetos - Page 2 - The Rest of the Story

[susandennis]

Our office manager (The Other Susan) said that on Friday afternoon Kenny was looking for a box to mail some computer stuff back in. The new box of Cheetos was just the right size.

But, the funny part is that I have not touched the bags. Well, I did uncover my mouse and keyboard oh and I opened on of the bags for lunch but otherwise they are all still here all over my desk. It's a Sea O' Cheetos. It's been quite the conversation piece.

At Microsoft, there is a Fill The Office tradition. Back when I was there, people didn't take much vacation time. Oh an afternoon here or a day there but, it was rare to have someone gone for a week. Anyone gone for more than a week was so odd that it called for action. In my section we all had offices - tiny little things but we didn't have to share and we had doors to close. The contractors got the cubes.

So, depending on the reason for the extended absence, the vactioner got an office full. One guy went to Hawaii on his honeymoon. His office was full of sand and sex toys. One guy went to somewhere for two weeks for his birthday. He opened his office door when he came back and it was full of birthday balloons - I mean that was it... no furniture, no files, just balloons stuffed in so tightly that when he opened the door they exploded out into the hallways.

They usually had a picture in the MicroNews (the weekly employee magazine) of the stuffed office of the week.

I like my desk of Cheetos much better.

Comments

[katbyte.livejournal.com]

One time when I worked for Montgomery Ward, our assistant manager was gone and they filled his office with 100 baby chickens. I guess you know what a mess that was. The chickens went to someones farm and ended up at a company BBQ I think.

Balloons are much much better. Cheetos are even better.

[susandennis]

Oh geesh! I am pretty sure that the only reason we didn't see a stunt like that at Microsoft was that they didn't think of it. What a mess!

Cheetahs would be better than Cheetos

[jwg.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a few cheetahs could have corrected the chicken problem

[fj.livejournal.com]

You know, it was that strange culture at Microsoft, described in "Microserfs" of which I read a few excerpts, that filled me with a mix of fascination and revulsion. That mixture of working yourself to death, that grew into expecting for others to work themselves to death too, surrounded by pranks to get the humanity back.

And the results were so... mixed.

[susandennis]

Best I can recall, Microserfs was pretty spot on. I think a lot of that has changed now but at least then it was pretty much like that. I am pretty much like that so it was ok. It was weird being sooo much older than everyone else but on the other hand, one thing that stood way out was that the only thing that mattered was your talents. If you could cut it, you could do it with a goat in the yard and be black, white and green and older than dirt and you'd be OK in their book. If you couldn't cut it, then you were scum. It was a very interesting place to work.