It’s funny how a job can change you in ways you don’t expect. Sure, you can expect to learn the best place to go for lunch to avoid your colleagues, how to best “bump” into your boss’s boss for a little elevator face-time, or even how to make it through 7am meetings on only one cup of shitty boardroom coffee. What you might not expect is that you’ll pick up habits, hobbies and expressions that stick with you much longer than that unfavourable review you got from that prick of a manager back in 2004.
For me it’s been a few things: tech nerd (while selling appliances), knee-jerk rage reaction to UPS (why does each package need a separate 18-digit tracking code? WTF UPS!) and most recently - sports??
In my current role as Professional Bad Influence, I knew I’d learn lots about beer (WHOOOOOO!!), meet some “interesting” regulars, and have a great crew to work with. What I didn’t realize was that I would become if not a sports nut, at least someone who actively wants to know the score, who played, and what the stats are. I don’t have room for this in my brain! As fun as the game was, (and we had professional level hecklers next to us so it was a blast) I just don’t have more brain cells available.
Each precious brain cell is already dedicated to an exhaustive inventory of every bar, restaurant and brewery within a 50km radius of my house. It knows who works where, which places to avoid because the owners are awful humans, and how to find great coffee and pastries in any neighbourhood across the GTA. There is no room for sports, I can’t risk bumping something important - like the best pub for a late lunch and day drinking. Now that would be a real upset.
