It all started with a simple announcement.Kate, our project manager, pulled me to the side and told me the graphic designers were closing in on a significant milestone. Since the official founding of our “project request forms” three years ago, they had successfully processed 1000 projects.
Wahoo! She asked if we could have a party or something, and my answer was of course, “yes.”
And so the planning began.
I went to Sweet Street and had them calculate how many pounds of Jelly Bellies I would have to buy to have 1000. When that proved too expensive, they weighed and sold me 1000 M&Ms. (Just over 2 ½ lbs, in case you’re wondering. )
Casey baked a double layer cake, and I bought a “1” and three “0” candles to put on top.
Kate searched out appropriate music over which she could do an interpretive reading of the most memorable projects, and I prepared the tackiest certificates I could concoct to honor the three people in the world who would most cringe at my horrible graphic design work.
The party was a smash. We laughed, we cried, we were interrupted two times by people outside of our office who wondered when our “meeting” would be over so that we could take care of projects 1001, 1002, and 1003.
Afterwards, in pure glee from all the sugar, Jason and Matt tossed a miniature football back and forth across the office, while Monique did her best to duck so that she wouldn’t get hit in the head.
That’s when it hit me.
There’s a reason we all like NBC’s “The Office” so much. We ARE The Office.
I’ll spare you my interpretations of who’s who among The Office characters. Partly because that will make this entry long. Partly because you probably wouldn’t care. Mostly because this would surely get back to them.
But I was left with a sincere identity crisis. Am I Michael? Is that how they think of me?
Granted, I haven’t organized any rabies fundraisers lately, and I do not have a George Foreman Grill at the foot of my bed – although that’s not a bad idea considering how rushed I am in the morning.
Yet, those aren’t the things that make Michael, well… Michael. The funniest thing about him is that he is painfully unaware with how out of touch he is. He comes up with “brilliant” ideas while everyone else is rolling their eyes in the background. Is that me?!!!
I once heard that if you don’t know a Michael, you are a Michael.
I thought I had identified who the Michael is at Olivet, but what if I was wrong?!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!
And so I took not one, but two, “The Office” personality tests online during my lunch break today. I needed to have the truth, as painful as it might be.
The results were consistent, and more startling than I would have ever imagined.
“You are Pam Beesly.”
Pam Beesly?!!!
I can live with that.
