I've Been Accepted Into Your Culture

“Say there, Lizard and Stretchy Dog. Let me show you something. It looks as though I've been accepted into your culture. Your Chief, Andy, inscribed his name on me.”

Exciting times at work. In about six weeks, my probationary period will end. I will start getting funds set aside in a 401K (being employed is such a big deal, actual retirement will just be a bonus).

I will be issued a delegation of authority that will allow me to execute contracts and change orders of up to $75,000.

It's starting to feel permanent.

But the way I *REALLY* know I belong there is that I am starting to get teased by co-workers.

It began a few weeks ago. Someone stepped away from their desk, and I left them a document to review. When he came back, and saw it there (where it hadn't been when he stood up), he exclaimed, "I've been Landbecked!"

Since then, by name has been verbed repeatedly. I often see some of the other folks in my office peeking around the corner, through my door to see if I am amused by their comments.

"Careful driving home, it's raining; you don't want to get Landbecked!"
"Hey Billy, did you Landbeck that file?"
"What, are you trying to Landbeck me?!"

My boss actually pulled me aside and asked me if I was OK with it. I told her it made me feel like I had been accepted by the tribe.

Then two weeks ago I was out an entire morning for a number of errands. Didn't arrive until after lunch. It was the same morning that Muammar Gaddafi was killed. The next day, this poster appeared next to my name plate by my door.



Apparently, when I'm not at work, I'm a secret agent (if you look in the lower right-hand corner, you see Gaddafi lying dead, his head sticking out of a culvert). With Arnold Schwarzenegger and He-Man as my sidekicks. The author of the picture said he took the ultra-busy designs of Bollywood film posters as his inspiration for the design, and tried to cram as much silliness as possible into the frame. And I wore crocks *once*, so he thought it appropriate to show off my footwear of choice.

Another one appeared the day after. It seems I was also behind the successful operation that nabbed Bin Laden.



"Osama been Landbecked!" They like puns at work.

Ever since, about every 2 or 3 days, a new poster has appeared on the wall by my door.

For the next one, if you don't know the full Arnold oeuvre, it's a movie about Arnold Schwarzenegger thinking he's a mild-mannered factory worker, but really, he's a superbad killer for some multi-planetary mining company that's had his memory wiped.





Everyone giggled at the image of me climbing a water tower...




Back to the image of me being a super assassin.
















And the final poster, my favorite (because it features all the other guys in my office).





The primary author of the posters is featured as the second face from the right (he's in place of Bill Murray).

It's fun to be a part of a community.