Hi everyone! Thought I'd continue the discussion on a new thread since the other one is pretty long.

So, I hadn't checked the board since I put up my post...and you all have made me laugh out loud! It's great fun to read through your responses!

A few responses/observations:

1) I am a football fan, but not so much a UT (as in Longhorns) fan...so I didn't know they were playing each other on 9/10. That explains a few conversations I've heard recently. Said Mountain Dew BYU Utah dork was bragging a few weeks ago that he bought football tix for $500 a piece. I didn't pay too much attn at the time, but he was sure going on an on to anyone who would listen. Now that I know they are playing each other, I am SURE it was the BYU/UT game he was talking about. Hahaha! So, this town is RABID about the Longhorns. I used to be a sales rep, and I had to pretend to be a fan...or it would affect my potential sales. It's true. If you are not for the 'horns, you are against them. Crazy thing is, BYU has a really decent chance to kick their but this year. And, I'm sure this guy will brag about it if that happens. Will be hilarious to see this play out!!

2) If he hears anyone having a funny conversation or laughing, he literally runs through the office to be a part of it. Today, I was poking fun at one of the old bible-thumper Rush Limbaugh dudes (I always am super sarcastic and spar with him about meaningless stuff...and we have a grand time picking on each other)...anyhow, BYU dork literally ran all the way over to us, and started picking on the bible thumper dude too. But, they hardly know each other. It was super awkward. But I was secretly laughing.

3) About bible study...they do it at lunchtime. On company property in the conference room. Forget it if you have a business lunch meeting planned that day...the conference room is booked! The first time I learned of this, I was walking through the reception area and I saw a big stack of bibles and a bunch of men filing into the conference room. I actually let out an expletive. I'm sure they prayed for me that day. So, my company is a F500 company by the way, that has Jewish ties. But, my site was previously a mom and pop business before they got bought out...and they still act that way. They even invite male clients and business contacts to these meetings. Ha! Bet we'll never see the Mormon dork go to any of them.

4) To fellow Austinite, Kimball - yes I agree, it's nice to know there's an exmo closeby. :-) Good to meet you via the board!

5) My office is the weirdest place I've ever worked and the stuff that happens is just crazy. I've even joked with my friends about starting a blog to talk about it anonymously...maybe titled "The Other Office". Haha. And, now that the Mormon dork is in the picture...it just adds a whole new dimension.

hes running to where ever anyone is laughing? aw sounds lonely

+1
Freakin' New Guy.
No matter how good you are at your job and how nice and helpful you ware to others, fitting into any place witht eh old-timers is rough.

Yes, I agree, being the new guy in the office can be tough. But, I don't feel too sorry for him. I am nice - I say hello, how are you, etc. And, he in sales, and that's what sales is all about - finding ways to get along with people and finding common ground.

Also, he was recommended by a coworker...but that coworker is out on sales calls a lot - so the new dork is kind of lost without his buddy to pal around with. I've been wondering if perhaps the referring coworker is a closet Mormon (since this recommended guy was hired out of UT, and he's well out of college). Perhaps we actually have two Mormons in the office??

Awesome. So paint a picture for us.

How old is the guy? Is he married? How many kids? Have you seen pix on his desk? Does he have any hobbies or anything that he contributes to water-cooler discussions or is he just always glomming on to other people's conversations and doesn't actually add all that much?

So,the guy is married - is in his early 30's and has four kids. Typical Mormon. He's always talking about "the wife"...and acts chauvinistic. So, he'll fit right in with the old bible-thumpers in that respect.

All the legal wrangling is over holding religious events on government property or at government sponsored events.

Private businesses and private individuals have extremely wide latitude on what sorts of religious activities they wish to sponsor or participate in. A business could possibly run afoul of anti-discrimination laws if it treats members of different religions differently, but employees holding Bible study on company premises, in itself, is fine.


That said, your workplace does sound like a TX version of The Office. Take notes and write a screenplay!

Yeah, I figured that it wasn't illegal - but it could be highly discriminatory. I don't think HR knows about it...and I'm not going to stir the pot. It really doesn't bother me that much, I just try to ignore it.

Other things have offended me more - like the time that one of the old guys was talking about burning the Koran (as he said...burn, baby, burn)...

Dear Texas girl,

The Salamander Society thrives on catching snippets of Mormon culture all around the world and since Austin and Provo are both vying for the "center of the universe" why not document the fun?

http://www.salamandersociety.com/firstmormon/

Please keep those episodes coming. Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live - move over!

Thanks for the update. You could write your own soap opera!

This is why I don't work in an office.