Work Family

One of the hardest things for me to leave behind in KS was my job. I had a boss that I liked, staff that I could live with, and a great work family. I call my friends at work my work family because if you think about it you spend just as much time with these people as you do your own family. You love them you hate them, you can depend on them (for an ear to chew, for a good laugh, or just a break from the norm). At WSU my work hubs was the hardest to leave. Now don't get me wrong I adored my work hub but we were just friends...besties. We would go to lunch regularly and bitch about the people we worked with, the students, our families, and life in general. It was so different than talking about work with Bret b/c work hub got it and wanted to dish/talk about everything just as much as I did. My work mom was my boss and sometimes an older counselor who thought she was everyone's mom. I cried when I called my work mom to tell her I was leaving and she cried right with me just like a good mom does. She taught me how to show compassion and still manage that employee/boss relationship with professionalism. My work brother was our IT guy that dreamed about his glory days. Made lewd jokes and comments that was even funnier b/c he trusted me enough to know that I would never take offense. Leaving these people behind was really tough and I was worried that I would never find something to fill that void.



But then...a few weeks ago I met some new friends. After only a few lunches I am sure that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. More than anything else I tend to laugh more than ever when hanging out with this group. Mind you that part of the ironic funniness of this friendship is that are all very VERY different people. Here is a little rundown of my new buds.



IOS Library guy- IOS guy is funny, very intelligent, and is a 30 something that still fits into the college guy setting. He is married to his college sweet heart (who teaches at Univ of Penn) and has no pets or children. Going along with the fact that he has a MLS he also lives up to his nerdy assumptions as he was a WOW player, loves HEROS, and knows a lot of what some would call useless information. A great lunch partner any day b/c he has a lot to say and comes up the most interesting topics. He is also Buddhist, from the upper East coast, and a vegetarian.



Funny, successful mom that looks killer for any age let alone hers- Funny mom has a teenager and another one that is almost a teenager. When she first told me that she was no longer a member of the 30's club I was shocked. She looks great and has a very simple sense of fashion. She has lived all over the country, owned her own business, and is now the director of the fund. Funny mom adds to our group a different perspective and she gives me hope that you can be a great mom, have a good marriage, and a successful career. It also nice to have another girl around.

Artsy guy w/cool glasses- Artsy guy is in charge of the art studio, theatre, and other community activity things that our college does (Director for the center of the arts). He is also married and his wife is prego w/twins. She is also a professor somewhere in NY where they used to live. After she finishes her semester she is moving here and is due shortly thereafter. Wow, that is pretty hectic. In the meantime artsy guy is here on his own living in a tiny apt w/no furniture. He adds a lot of humor, culture, and dynamic to our group.

I think it is funny that all three of these individuals are as desperate as I am for friends and a social outlet at work. I find myself wondering what they are doing for lunch but don't want to seem so desperate and then I get 3 emails with the same question. It helps make the day go faster to meet them for an hour and forget about what is going on back at the office. It has also made me more aware of other areas in the college and appreciate the school as a whole more. IF nothing else I get a good laugh out just about everyday from the jokes they email or something they said at lunch. It is nice to find something I thought I had lost. Don't worry WSU hubs you can never be replaced though. Even though you said that your pocket book and waist don't miss our lunches I know that you do!