gordonzola (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gordonzola) wrote2007-02-04 11:19 am
gordonzola) wrote2007-02-04 11:19 am
Entry tags:
Enthusiasm
"How do you get to be the cheese buyer here."
He is a late 40s white guy, non-descript except for slightly crazy eyes. He is excited about the cheese. He is talking to my co-worker, Garage Rockstar. "You have to get a job here," she replies. "But of course he'd have to quit first."
We've just gone through a week of the food show where lots of grocery folks from all over the country were in town, looking over the store, taking pictures, digging for info etc. Is he a leftover from the show? Someone with experience who actually is looking for work? Someone who's using cheese a medium for their mania?
"I might just have to take a contract out on him. Would that be ok?"
"Well, that's up to you, I guess," Garage replies. She laughs. I laugh. It's the humor of relief, knowing that we don't need to worry anymore what we say to him. It's not codified, but when someone crosses that kind of line, anything goes.
He saw it in our faces. The customers can sense it really, even many of the crazy ones. Not that they've gone too far, but that our retail worker tone has changed. We're ready to go on the offensive.
"Do you know anything about cheese?" I ask. Garage stops work to watch him. He seems suddenly antsy.
"Well, I'm trying to learn. How do you find these cheeses? You do such a good job." Awesome, Now he's trying to suck up to us.
"Sales reps, trade shows, the annual cheese conference…"
"Oooh, there's an annual conference? Can anyone go?" Crazy Eyes asks.
"It's mostly trade, but you can go as an enthusiast," I reply.
"How do I prove my enthusiasm? "
"You write an enthusiastic check," I answer.
He is a late 40s white guy, non-descript except for slightly crazy eyes. He is excited about the cheese. He is talking to my co-worker, Garage Rockstar. "You have to get a job here," she replies. "But of course he'd have to quit first."
We've just gone through a week of the food show where lots of grocery folks from all over the country were in town, looking over the store, taking pictures, digging for info etc. Is he a leftover from the show? Someone with experience who actually is looking for work? Someone who's using cheese a medium for their mania?
"I might just have to take a contract out on him. Would that be ok?"
"Well, that's up to you, I guess," Garage replies. She laughs. I laugh. It's the humor of relief, knowing that we don't need to worry anymore what we say to him. It's not codified, but when someone crosses that kind of line, anything goes.
He saw it in our faces. The customers can sense it really, even many of the crazy ones. Not that they've gone too far, but that our retail worker tone has changed. We're ready to go on the offensive.
"Do you know anything about cheese?" I ask. Garage stops work to watch him. He seems suddenly antsy.
"Well, I'm trying to learn. How do you find these cheeses? You do such a good job." Awesome, Now he's trying to suck up to us.
"Sales reps, trade shows, the annual cheese conference…"
"Oooh, there's an annual conference? Can anyone go?" Crazy Eyes asks.
"It's mostly trade, but you can go as an enthusiast," I reply.
"How do I prove my enthusiasm? "
"You write an enthusiastic check," I answer.
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"I've always wanted to be a librarian, I like books. Wait, you need a degree? Weird."
"Man, I should be a writer, I've got a million stories."
Partay!
"Do you have goats?"
"No, but I love animals!"
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I need to call you back. I also need to shower. So, maybe after my shower.
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That's brilliant!
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I remember being so irritated by everyone and their mom thinking they'd be "awesome" at doing phone sex. I especially liked the "I used to have it with my boyfriend all the time, I'd be great at it! Can you get me a job?" folks.
(I always wanted to ask whether they routinely made their bfs drink their own urine during these little sessions, but truly, I didn't want to know.)
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Re: Partay!
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OMG I'M GONNA BE A SHOE BUYER, i can totally do it dude! lookit my closet!
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I'm so glad he was at your store and not mine!
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I wanted to do that until I found out that the salary would totally suck and I'd never actually pay off my student loans.
Re: Partay!
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Me and my 95K, 9-year MA/PhD get very cranky over that. Dude, all I had to do was listen to people? Who knew?
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The weird thing is, in computer programming, random kids walk in off the street and they're sometimes a LOT better than seasoned professionals. Studies have proven this. People have a lot of theories, but this is a perennial mystery.
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Re: Partay!
I think my dream now is to fund someone who knows how to raise sheep/make cheese who will tolerate letting me "help". This is me, working to make a pot of dollars for that.
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I note that "learning things I didn't already know that are fairly specialized and specific knowledges" is not an option there.
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I had a roommate who was an elementary school teacher, and as you may know you have to jump through many hoops to get schools to like you. It seemed like half his time was spent catching up with trendy pedagogical theories to please school officials. That was his assessment, by the way.
And I used to think I was going into sound design, and our professors made us learn how to splice audiotape (circa 1995). Even though *everyone* agreed these machines were soon to be museum pieces.
But you have a point, my question did place things in too stark and utilitarian terms, so I apologize.
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Re: Partay!
;)
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Re: Partay!
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Cheeses mongers