Category Archives: Fun at Work

Nov 13 2012
Leave a comment
Fun at Work, Holiday Fun

Day 50: Secret Santa Part 2

At our departmental meeting today everyone signed up. I printed all the slips of paper and made this cute bag to put the names in (thanks clip art from Word ’92). Most people were able to draw theirs and start planning.

Along with this fun holiday activity, we will also be doing a toy drive for the Ronald McDonald house. Our focus is on the pre-teen, teen age range since that is the group most often neglected when it comes to toy donations. A coworker is putting this together and I think it is a great way for us to give back while also doing something fun together. The holiday spirit is alive on the pier!

Nov 11 2012
Leave a comment
Fun at Work, Games, Holiday Fun

Day 48: Secret Santa Part 1

My sister and friend left today to continue their road trip to Indiana, dropping me off at work on their way. Lately at work, I’ve been scheming about how to insert more fun in to our days. (If you read this blog regularly, you probably think no effort necessary, but I maintain that we can always have more. Oh and why not make it holiday themed?) One idea I’ve been floating is secret santa. Most people seem excited by this prospect, so tonight I laid out the little slip of paper that will have the name of a participant on it and will also give the spending limit and a few “guidelines.”

Because our whole department does not all work at the same time and it would be difficult to get the twenty of us together for our own holiday party (especially because we have a show running in December), I am proposing that we spread it out, giving two small and one larger gift over the course of a few weeks and only revealing identities in the last gift. We can leave these secret gifts on desks, in lockers or have them delivered by someone from another department. Planning this is my fun today because I do really enjoy coordinating these kinds of group activities and events, considering the many secret santa format options, choosing one that will work for our schedule and implementing (after running it by a few people first). I hope everyone is on board!

Nov 08 2012
1 Comment
Fitness, Fun at Work, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 45: Stairway to Work

Some challenges to my mobility I avoid and others I meet head on. One I have been avoiding for months is the staircase leading up to the theatre where I work. It is a double wide, double long set of stairs that goes from the main level of the pier up to the theatre. Most people use this every day to get to work or to get lunch.

I have had huge problems with stairs since my knees have been inflamed and, since I have to take them in my apartment building, I avoid them everywhere else. When I do have to take stairs I usually take them one at a time putting all the pressure on my right leg and none on the left, so the left one is really weak from lack of use.

For the most part, I try to park on the same level as the theater itself so I can just waltz by these stairs and maybe shoot them a nasty look. If I have to go down to the main pier level, I take the elevators and usually think about the mechanics of having elevators on a structure built over the water. Hmm.

Today, however, I parked on the main level (because I wanted some Jamba Juice) and started toward the elevators, but something stopped me. Recently, my knees have been much better so I decided to make an attempt. It might not have looked pretty but, using the railing for support, I took those steps the regular way, one foot in front of the other. I feel so good now, like I accomplished something. And also relieved that I won’t have to take that sketchy elevator anymore. I wish I had a picture to show of me celebrating like Rocky at the top of the steps.

Nov 03 2012
2 Comments
Fun at Work, Games, Online Fun

Day 40: Sporcle

So I was at work for 11 hours today. Around hour 8, some co-workers and I got on a Sporcle kick. Sporcle is an amazing website that is full of timed quizzes on various topics. It is great for people who love trivia, geography and passing time at work not working.

Three or four of us gathered around one computer. One person typed while the others shouted out answers. We did several quizzes ranging from find the Gaelic version of this English name in the list below to can you name these famous Captains from their pictures (ex. Captain Crunch, Captain Kirk, Captain Morgan)? From name all the Adam Sandler movies given the year of release and his character to to which countries are penguins native? Also, let’s not forget can you tell which celebrities these are even though their faces are upside down?

It’s truly quality entertainment and a great way to spend an 11 hour work day!

Oct 24 2012
2 Comments
Fun at Work, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Day 30: Ready for my close up.

To be totally honest, I had no idea what my fun activity was going to be today as of 7:30pm when I finished work. As I walked to the back staff room to clock out, a co-worker approached me. She told me that, for each show, she does a funny video that she plays during the last week of performances when everyone is hanging around the theater after the show and asked me if I would like to be in this one. Apparently, she has been filming people lip synching to Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger. Each person does an assigned line and acts however they want. She will piece it all together over the song and voila, funny video.

Normally I would be very nervous to do something like this. The idea of being on camera in something people will see would make me very self conscious not only about my acting skills (or lack thereof) but also how I look. Now I love clothes, fashion and looking cute. Those things make me feel good and confident, however there are parts of my body that I don’t think look right–knuckles, knees, feet–that I think are ugly and super noticeable. In fact, one could probably argue that my efforts to dress cute could be a way to camouflage those parts of my body I do not like, but if that is true, it is certainly is not conscious. I don’t spend that much time thinking about this. And those parts of my body probably aren’t as noticeable as I think they are. But the thoughts bubble up when presented with a task like be in this video where you lip synch and look a fool because it is funny and we are all doing it to celebrate the show.

Despite all this I agreed to do it. To which she replied, “Great! We could just do it right now.” Ok…

My assigned line: “Doesn’t mean I’m over cuz you’re gone.”
My action: I’m singing in to the pay phone in our lobby (yes, we really have one) and by the time I get to “gone,” I’ve slammed the phone back on the receiver. Very dramatic.

She had her phone playing the song, so I would get the timing right, and we went for it. Two takes. Nailed it. And I only needed the second take because the pay phone started ringing in my ear during the first and I got scared it was calling someone and hung up without lip synching. Since we filmed my line immediately, I did not have any time to get worried or self conscious. I just did it. I let go, and it was really fun. I’d like to think writing this blog and generally opening up more has helped my confidence as well.

Newer posts →