I went to a retirement party for the Maintenance Manager at work. We have worked together for 15 years, and we have had our moments!! He would get grumpy and complain about the bus operators, and stomp around. I would ask him to get something for the buses, and he would tell me we don't need it. We went head to head alot. My boss told me to make an effort to get along with him, but it was really hard at times!!
He had a frog Beanie Baby on his computer. In early Spring 1998 I was in his office when a salesman came in and said "OMG, that is the first Beanie Baby ever made!! Will you sell it to me?" George said no, it was a gift. He was offered $300.00 for it. He said no.
Well.........my mind started working away!! George was grumpy, morale in the place was pretty poor. There was an initiative in the state to get rid of funds for transit, and we were all kinda wondering if we'd keep our jobs. I have always had a mischievious mind, and to get rid of stress I play stupid jokes on people. I went into the garage after closing and stole his frog.
About three days later I put a note in his mailbox saying his frog was frognapped, and more instructions will follow. I tied up and gagged the frog and placed him in front of a tire of a bus, and typed a note saying "help me daddy!! Help"
A few days later I took another picture of the frog sitting in a tupperware container floating in my toilet. The caption said "Please daddy help me, I can't swim!!"
Well George got into the fun and made a wanted poster with the notes on them and the photos. He posted them each few days in the office for everyone to see. Nobody had any idea who was behind this caper!! Everyone was looking forward to coming to work to see if there was a new note or poster!! The demand was for George to put out a notice that all Bus Operators are right, and Maintenance is wrong!! That Bus Operators rule!!
George was thinking it might be me or our boss. I wasn't ready to give the caper up. I had to go to Houston for a Training seminar, and told another Manager to take over the fun while I was away. If the pictures stopped while I was away he would know it was me!! Well I came back, and indeed the caper was still going strong!! There were pictures and notes everywhere!! It was hilarious!! This went on for a few months. We had a Company meeting, and George got up in front of the entire company and read a poem that more or less said he was forced to say this in order to get his beloved frog back, but all Operators are right, and Maintenance is wrong!
The Sunday following we were doing a trash pickup off the Highway. (We have a 2 mile stretch that we clean up every 3 months). I went out early in the morning with clues of where he could find his frog. I typed poemed clues on bright pink paper and placed about ten of them along the highway under rocks. We got back to the barn and he followed the clues and finally found his frog!! I made a casket about 4"x8" and lined it with red satin, placed the frog in it, and put a big straw through the top and buried it with the straw sticking out of the ground. Well someone else pulled everything off his desk and put it in the grave too!! We got pictures and all was happy!!
My boss made a scrapbook out of the notes and posters and pictures. We passed it around tonight at the retirement! Whew, little did we know it would become a legend at work!! It was soooooo much fun!!!
Remember...Growing old is inevitable, growing UP is optional.
>^..^< Phyllis >^..^<
