My Pal Nutso

Over the course of 21 years at any job, you're going to have a few alliances. This character is one of mine. 

We started the same year- 1991, me in April and him in November, and have survived two managers and a seemingly astronomical number of workers over all these years. Lots of stories- or(especially in his case)the same stories over and over. (Well, my ex-wife used to complain that after 3 years, she'd heard all of mine, so maybe I'm guilty here too..).

    This is an ebullient individual, quite over-the-top, caught here in a rare moment of repose. Most of the time,  this is quite infectious: whatever he's spewing, you get caught up in it. There are a few instances, though, usually first thing in the morning, when I have to say, "just give me an hour"--to which he's generally cool, but still times you! Definitely someone you'd say was on.

For a good while now, he's been "safely" sequestered off in this semi'private office(somewhat akin to The Swamp on the MASH TV series, only without the Still--at least to my knowledge) but  used to work among us on the floor. At that point, one of the more senior workers, who referred to him as Nutso, put a For Sale sign up at her desk.

So this morning, I'm having my coffee and reveling in the three-day weekend, having a Sunday without dread-of-Monday, and there's a knock at the door. 

It's 8:45 in the morning. Who the hell would be knocking on my door on Sunday morning at 8:45? 

Nutso. He needed to borrow my badge to get into the building. Wanted to work on some assignments. No problem. (Assignments are a body of tasks , some common to all of us, some more specialized, in one of our computer systems.)I have a feeling he did some of this yesterday as well. 

Once in a blue moon, we'll have a Saturday where we're requested to come in, but normally it's strictly Monday through Friday, from whenever to whenever and no longer. I remember, when we were more fully staffed, getting some mild flak from a few folks about being there after 4:30. It was in jest, but still staying after school wasn't a common practice. 

In my friend's case, it's not some big supererogatory display to impress the boss, but more just filling a void. During the week, he's there at 7:50 or so when I arrive, and still there at 4:30 when I go home. Lotsa hours in there, but more just to keep him occupied. Besides, that approach of putting in beaucoup hours to show your dedication can backfire on you. Either they permanently assign you all those extra hours or the boss figures, negatively, that you're unable to complete your work in five days and lets you go for "incompetence".

 I gotta say, he does make things fun around the office. As far as specific instances, the shenanigans are too numerous(and juvenile--or at least hadda-be-there )to go into, but they've been a big part of things. Like I said, all week he's there when I get there and still there when I go. Back in the beginning, I started 7 months before he did, but I bet he'll still be there when I go. I predict he'll be found back in that office, slumped over. The year: 2022. 

Nutso takes better care of himself than most of us, so this longevity is not unlikely. But I hope he expires someplace else- unless he's got a babe back there.