chasing the sun

Someone at work told me that I looked like I was far away today. It could be the burgeoning head cold now hammering the inside of my forehead. It could also be the 5000mg of Vitamin C I took this morning. Though, I do admit to feeling a bit spacey. So, it’s probably better if I don’t talk too much about anything deep. Instead, I want to share my new coworkers with you because I think they are the most interesting group of people I’ve met in a while.

There are nine attorneys, the Rapid Response Team, a paralegal, another legal secretary, an intern and myself in this little department.

The big boss is a very confident and take-charge kind of guy. He is cordial, but not overly personal, which I think means he has good boundaries. He is quick to be appreciative and is not afraid to find ridiculous things ridiculous rather than waving the company flag at every opportunity. It is refreshing.

In the office next to his is the office charmer. He is energetic and inquisitive and has a good sense of humor. He gives me lots of work to do, mostly copying. He kills lots of trees. His office is plastered with photos of his family, and he often gives the impression of someone who tries too hard. Still, he did give me a cigar.

Staff Attorney #2 is the guy who does his work faithfully and follows the beat of his own drummer. He is very funny, but his humor is understated and dry, which I like very much. He is a genuinely kind, but realistic person. I like his office the most because it is the most cluttered and reminds me of the office of my favorite grad school professor.

Then there’s the actor/lawyer. Seriously, this guy was actually in a KFC commercial and he acts in community theater. You can tell he is an actor because his delivery is polished and his timing is virtually flawless. He’s very funny and playful, but I have the feeling he’s not someone I’d ever want to cross in a courtroom. He wears round glasses like Harry Potter, but I’m betting he had his first.

The stress case inhabits the next office down. He’s got two cases on their way to formal litigation and I hardly see or hear anything from him unless he needs help with a document or copies made. But he is very nice and sarcastic like the rest of them.

[That’s something about lawyers – they’re all such smart asses…I love it!]

The woman I want one of my friends to marry is one of two female attorneys in our department. She is a health nut and takes about 50 kinds of vitamins a day. She also drinks something called Green Meal for breakfast…it looks exactly like it sounds. She’s a Christian and beautiful and smart. I like her because she’s close to my age and we have a bit in common.

The other female attorney is a very deliberate person, I would say. She puts a great deal of time and thought into the things that she says and she asks lots of questions. She was one of the people who interviewed me for this job and we have since had fairly open and honest communication about how things are going. She is frank, without being a gossip and I need to learn to be more like that.

The youngest attorney is an extremely hard worker, which I think you have to be if you’re the youngest. He’s very nice and he eats a lot. He works out religiously, which requires a good amount of discipline. He has an adorable little family and absolutely no interest in politics, which is rare around here.

The newlywed intern comes in about two or three days a week. Since I started working here, he’s been relegated to working from one of the team rooms on the other end of the hall from us. He is also very pleasant and cute too. He and his wife are one of those Ken and Barbie couples, I think and he seems remarkably well adjusted for a 24-year old American male. Props to him for ironing his own damn shirts!

Our so-named Rapid Response Team (RRT) is a lot of fun. The three of them share a quadrangle of cubicles, affectionately dubbed “Quadistan.” Is this as hilarious to you as it is to me? They’ve gone so far as to elect officials in Quadistan and they have a national song, motto, and flag (which is an architectural drawing of their quad on a blue background). I can barely keep a straight face.

Their fearless leader is a true South side Chicagoan who I’m pretty sure thinks I am young and ridiculous. But he is still very pleasant and somewhat chatty with me. I really like him. Across the quad from him is the RRT attorney, who is really the catalyst behind much of what transpires in Quadistan. He has total ADHD and it makes me feel normal to talk to him. Behind them is the only female member of the RRT, who is awesome and originally from Boston. Her boyfriend works at Home Depot, which is also awesome (discounted Christmas Trees!!) and they live in the South Loop. Across from her in the quad is the paralegal, who is my reference for all things legal and confusing. She’s older and single, but has traveled the world and used to be an editor at Playboy magazine. I learn something crazy about her every day, which is so cool to say about someone you only work with.

Last, but not least is the legal secretary with whom I share a set of cubicles. It is a close working space, I admit, and I don’t always like having to listen to Days of Our Lives streaming on the internet, but she puts up with my playing and replaying of Coldplay and Mat Kearney, so I digress. She has been here twenty years, last month and for her anniversary, received a freakin’ awesome Coach bag. She has a Dachshund, which she calls “a sausage dog”, named Heidi who apparently would eat her own tail if you cut it off and put some gravy on it. I’ve got to see this dog!

Well, in a nutshell, these are the folks I work with every day. I like them so much more than I thought I would, to be honest. All my ill-conceived stereotypes of corporate America are shot to hell because of these fine people. I’m glad of that.

I really hope you stayed for this whole blog.