Am I Mary Tyler Moore?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I work as an independent marketing consultant and copywriter, self-employed.

Most of the time I work from home.

This summer, though, I got a single big enough contract that I have been devoting almost all of my time to it.

So now I work in my client’s office.

I have a cubicle. I have put photos up in this cubicle. I have a candy dish full of mini Butterfingers and Nestle Crunch bars on my desk, because people like candy. I even put up a fortune from a fortune cookie from one of the lunches we all ordered as an office group one day.

I have my own voicemail box, which never has any scary or stressful messages waiting for me. I have a really old, slow, beat-up computer and a chair that wobbles.

I get up in the morning each day and dress up, just enough to be clean and neat and presentable, but not impressive, and drive to work and do my work, and make copies on the office copier and say stuff like “T.G.I.F” on Friday afternoon and “What did you do this weekend?” on Monday morning.

I get to order stuff from weird girly catalogues that somebody is always bringing in, like Avon or Lillian Vernon. I get to take smoke breaks and talk to people about their husbands/wives/children/lives, and complain about how slow the elevators are.

I like this.

Don’t get me wrong; I worked in offices before I went out on my own. Unfortunately I was usually the Director/Department Head/First In the Line Of Fire, and that was way too much stress and responsibilty, and it was not fun.

But I like this. I just come in, do my thing, hang out with my very nice coworkers, and go home at the end of the day. (My client —essentially my boss— is a great guy. The money’s pretty good, too.)

It is honestly a pleasure to do this. It is ordinary and simple and decent.

Sometimes when I go to the Seven-Eleven in the morning to get my coffee, I look for pennies on the sidewalk and feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Does anybody else feel like this about their work? Does anybody else find such absurd joy in being a Garden Variety Office Worker? I am genuinely curious.

As always, thank you in advance for responding.

2

It seems to me you could well be legally considered an employee. Just calling yourself "independent contractor"is not enough. You describe many of the characteristics of an employer-employee relationship. Be careful and make sure you are on solid ground or both you and your employer could be in trouble.

3

Am I Mary Tyler Moore

Depends how you feel about this…

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day,
And suddenly make it all seem worth-while?
Well it’s you girl and you should know it,
With each glance and every little movement,
You’ve shown it.

Love is all around no need to waste it.
You can have the time,
Why don’t you take it?
You’re gonna make it afterall
You’re gonna make it afterall

4

You know sailor, I didn’t really think about that. I mean, I do have two other contracts as well right now, but they certainly aren’t as big as this one. I also still do estimated quarterly taxes, fill out the 1099 form, etc.

But thank you for bringing that to my attention; I’ll check out the legalities further.

And don’t ask… Yes, exactly! Sometimes on the way to the Seven-Eleven, I stop, twirl around, toss my cute hat into the air, and catch it! Oh, yeah!

And isn’t that wacky Ted Baxter just so exasperating yet amusing?

5

Awww gee. All that text in the message.

Just call me up and say “Oh Rob!”

6

Not me.

My work environment is almost exactly like you described. But in my case, there’s a pissed off demon child inside me who wants to rebel against all that normalcy. My work is intellectually challenging enough so that is keeps my distracted most of the time, but sometimes it gets to me and I want to scream, “Damnit, women! Must you go on and on about your coupon clipping and your Candelite parties! And don’t send me anymore e-mails asking me to join your Weight Watchers chapter!” Plus, everyone is so polite! I hate that.

7

“Woo-ee-oo I look just like Buddy Holly
Oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore
I don’t care what they say about us anyway
I don’t care 'bout that”

So my answer is yes, though I bear no resemblence to Buddy Holly. I Hope.

8

HEY!

I said that first, bit my post has mysteriously vanished!
:frowning:

9

Just don’t let your hubby trip over the hassock and you’ll be okay!

10

Yeah, see, that’s the thing… that’s why I asked. For some reason, this stuff brings me, uh, comfort and joy, as they say on the old Christmas carol. I still can’t figure it out, but I wanted to know if any Dopers had actually analyzed this situation relative to themselves and their reaction to it.

(Hee! and the phrase you used: “Candlelight Dinners” so cracked me up… like you’re stuck in an office full of Hyacinths from “Keeping Up Appearances”.)

Anyhow. I guess I just like stability; and in most cases, the price of stability includes a dash of conservatism.
Also, when I was a kid, I was fascinated with the “Independent Working Girl” image made popular by Marlo Thomas and Mary Tyler Moore.

It’s like I’m enjoying my freedom until I get married. I’m sort of kidding with that statement, but I am frankly more traditional regarding the roles of men and women than most people my age; so I have to admit there’s some truth to my feeling of “enjoy doing as you please before taking care of house and husband becomes your priority”… and I’m okay with it.

So that brings me (heh, heh) to what Chrome Spot said about Hubby tripping over the hassock; it’d be fun to see that, because Hubby-to-Be is a former circus performer and zany hijinks would surely follow!

Actually, I’m looking forward to a life of gently zany hijinks… nothing too spectacular or impressive, but entertaining in a Post-Atomic 1950’s Suburban kind of way.

11

Creaky:

It’s cool you feel comfortable being slightly conservative. There is such a rush of obligation to be more modern/liberal whatever. I used to love to spill over the hassock in my Grandmother’s house because of Rob Petri. Maybe you could link to a quicktime movie after hubby-to-be takes the fall.

Best of luck and all that.

12

The “oooh Rob” bit is optional but we’d have to see you dancing while dressed as the Hotpoint pixie. Don’t worry, it’s not like that’s some kind of bizarre sexual fetish of mine.

No, really it isn’t.

13

Padeye… funny you should mention TV commercials. I actually did a few in my younger modeling/acting days.

The acting, mind you, was confined to commercials and some voiceover work. A couple of my spots ran for several years after I had done them. People did recognize me from them occasionally. The two national ones that ran for a long time were for late-night telephone singles chat services.

…Nope, I didn’t play a sexy chick (too small a bustline); but one of my scenes did involve me talking to an imaginary “date” on the phone while wearing nothing but two big green bath towels. (One on my head and one on my bod.) Of course, I was dressed under the towels.

I actually always thought it would be way cool to dress up in one of those boxy costumes that have you play an anthropomorphized version of some wacky inanimate object(maybe a Hotpoint appliance itself??), but I never got any jobs like that.

The closest I came to wearing “the chicken suit”, as we called it, was doing a promotion at a mall for a new video game. I think it was called “Gronk” or something. The logo, or mascot, I guess, was a nasty-looking little caveman. The gig involved one of us models wearing a caveman body suit, which included a full over-the-head mask that looked like it had already been worn by somebody really sweaty. The suit was hot and smelly and furry, too.

I was originally slated to wear the suit, but I was too tall to fit into it. Instead, I got to stand by the arcade game set-up and look fetching and get people to buy the game. Much easier than chasing people around and growling at them.

Hmmm… on second thought, maybe not having to wear weird full body costumes when I was working was actually a good thing…

14

The important thing is that you like what you’re doing, not the actual thing itself.

There’s noting inherently wrong in the type of office environment you describe. What would be wrong is putting up with it if it really drives you postal.

Now, take my job. I spend a good portion of my day driving from client to client. It’s repetitive from day to day, week to week and month to month. Occasional challenges pop up, but they can be dealt with. It would drive a lot of people crazy, but I actually enjoy it.

I’ve had office jobs, but found them too stressful, and I like the ability to be flexible with my schedule within a set framework. It’s a type of independence with limits that I find very comfortable.

Also, I find it helps to always keep in mind that I am not defined by my job. It’s just what I do for a living, not who I am.

15

Yes. You are Mary Tyler Moore. But, only until the late 1970’s.

I get to be the Mary Tyler Moore of “Ordinary People”.

Frigid. Angry. Repressed. Clinically depressed. Loathesome. Hideously cruel. And, last but certainly not least, dressed like a reject from the casting call for the original “Charlie’s Angels” television show.

It’s a little fantasy of mine. :eek:

Okay, now that I’ve gotten THAT off of my chest. I’ve been a freelancer my ENTIRE Life. However, for a variety of reasons, I just took a second job. While it allows me to enjoy another aspect of my life- EMT work- and it does let me meet lots of new people every day, there is now a COMPANY. And, a COMPANY MANUAL. And, TIME CLOCK SWIPING. And REGULATIONS. I’m frightened already.

If you find this kind of environment soothing, I envy you. Most people in the world do indeed go to work with the same group of folks every day, sometimes for decades. I respect that, and admire the solid relationships that form as a result of same.

I’ll endure the rigors and stressors of an organized company ( really well run from what I can tell, but still an organization ) because it allows me to fulfill a goal/dream. But, I’ve got the heebie jeebies about it anyway.

16

Wait a minute, your fiance is an ex-circus performer? Don’t tell me he’s a clown. If so, please PLEASE never let him near a peanut costume. Oy.