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Sunday, November 14, 2010

RM, A Quirky Co-worker

I've worked with a number of interesting people during the course of my working life, including some that were downright quirky. RM was one of the more quirky individuals from those days.

My workspace was a cubicle, one wall of which consisted of file cabinets. The other walls were movable panels, approximately five feet in height, with an open space for an entrance.

RM was in management, and I was an accounting clerk. I don't even remember how this got started; but, when RM would come to my cubicle, whether with a question about his expense report or just to chat, he would stop at the cubicle entrance and knock on an imaginary door.

One time, after I had granted him admission, he was sitting in the chair next to my desk, with his leg stretched out at an awkward angle. I asked him why he was sitting like that, and he replied that he was holding the door closed so that we could talk privately.

On another occasion, he knocked on the imaginary door; and I mouthed the words, "We're closed."

In reply, he mouthed the words, "Then you should turn the sign around."

Thanks to Hilary at The Smitten Image for including this post as a Post of the Week.

POTW-celery[1]

23 comments:

  1. He was definitely one of the most entertaining of our co-wokers, wasn't he. What an "original". Be sure to send him a link to this on facebook so that he can enjoy it too. :)

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  2. Sandra-He did keep life interesting in a sometimes-boring place. I hadn't thought of sending him a link, but it's a good idea.

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  3. Oh I think I would have liked this guy! It reminds me of the old Les Nessman character in WKRP. He used to put masking tape on the carpet to map out the boundaries of his office, and make people knock on his faux door. He'd go through the motions of opening it and closing it behind him. Every time. Thanks for the laugh, Linda and RM!

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  4. Hilary-I do remember "WKRP in Cincinnati." What a great show that was. RM and Les Nessman may have had some things in common. :)

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  5. Aha, a good morning laugh. I'm not in a bad mood, but it's always a nice way to start the day. Personally, I think everyone's insane, once you really get to know them ;-)

    Congratulations on your potw.

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  6. Oh what a delight!! Ha! Imaginary door...love the humor!!!
    Congrats on your POTW
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  7. People like RM make the day more pleasurable, it's always nice to have a bit of fun at work.

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  8. People can do the strangest most entertaining things! Great post, congrats on POTW

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  9. I have a huge smile on my face now. Thank you! And congratulations on POTW. :)

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  10. Oh how I would love to work with someone like this. A good sense of humor is makes our day's more fun and enjoyable. Congrats on POTW!

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  11. that's so funny.....i love people with imaginations !!!

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  12. I don't work outside the home anymore, but it should be a must to have at least one quirky worker in each company. It keeps things light on an otherwise boring or stressful day.

    Congrats on your POTW!!

    Di

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  13. A good laugh and perhaps something that made your day brighter.

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  14. What a fun person : ) I like him! And I love that you have some happy memories of your workplace. I have never worked in a cubicle for any extended period of time. I have always wanted to though :)

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  15. Cricket-I'm glad I could give you that morning laugh. Thanks so much for stopping by.

    SueAnn-The imaginary door still makes me smile when I think of it. Glad you enjoyed the story. By the way, RM lives in your state now...in Las Cruces.

    Steve-RM did add to the fun at work, for sure. Thanks for the visit.

    MaggieGem-RM might have been the captain of strange, and he was definitely entertaining.

    kcinnova-Glad I could put that smile on your face today. Thanks for the visit.

    Lori-RM's knocks on my imaginary door never failed to bring a smile, no matter how busy I might have been. It was just so ridiculous!

    Beth-RM had no shortage of imagination. Thanks for your visit and comment.

    Di-I'm retired now and can't say I really miss the job. But there are some people that I miss seeing regularly. There were a lot of quirky people in the office where I worked, but I think RM might have won the award.

    Out on the prairie-You're absolutely right. That soundless knock on the imaginary door usually provided a very real laugh.

    Life with Kaishon-The best part of working in a cubicle is the imaginary door and the strange people who knock on it. :)

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  16. What a happy post! And what a guy! Congratulations on your POTW mention...well deserved, for sure.

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  17. CherylK-Thanks for the kind words and the visit.

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  18. Congrats on your POTW from Hilary! YEAH. This is a great story. I think I would have liked this guy.
    Cheers, jj

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  19. JJ-Thanks for visiting and commenting. I don't know if everyone saw the silly side of RW, but it surely came out when he came to my cubicle.

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  20. I love it when someone picks up the thread of my (admittedly weird) sense of humour - and joins in!

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  21. gaelikaa-I suppose my playing along with the routine of RM knocking on my imaginary door IS what kept him coming back and made it fun for both of us. Thanks for stopping by.

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  22. Now that was fun! Congratulations on the POTW mention over at Hilary's, this was wonderfully amusing.

    People who can make the workplace fun are a gift to the world in general. Sounds like both you and RM were such gifts.

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  23. Shimp-Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a kind comment.

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