Feeling: fascinated
Listening to: nothing
Reading/Watching: The Two Towers

I wonder about why it's rarely observed that call centers are so entirely populated with unusual people.

It's one of those stuffy-yet-widely-known rules that when you go to a job interview, you dress conservatively, disguise any tattoos or piercings, and generally make yourself out to be as boring as possible so that your prospective boss will want you to join his legions of dullards and still maintain his reputation of telling the most interesting water-cooler stories.

In my office, you see all those other people. The ones they didn't want working at MusicTown. Piercings, tattoos, hair spiked or shaved or striped with three colors (none of which are found in nature), and very, very interesting clothing (as long as it's not a t-shirt or jeans, you can wear it Monday through Thursday. The other three days, all bets are off).

It's fun, knowing I work in the Land of Odd Ducks. I've joked before of how I seem to collect them, the exceptions, the people that have fascinating stories but often don't get to tell them because others are too timid to ask. And now I'm surrounded by people that get to be exactly who they want to be, in and out of the workplace, because all they need to work there is a voice and a set of typing fingers (although you don't necessarily need ten, as proven by the guy with one empty sleeve who kicks everyone else's ass on speed).

Yesterday I sat behind a guy who sounded like he should do voice-overs for commercials while he was talking on the phone, crooning, "Thank you, have a great day" and then clicking off his headset and marveling, "Fricking moron" while I giggled. The people get more fun and interesting the longer I spend there.

It makes me mildly sad, because there's nothing I want more than a chance to sit down with some of them and pick their brains, and I'm leaving in a week.

Although I won't deny that I left tonight, knowing this was my last Friday to work there, and sang a happy little song.

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