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Tuesday, January 9, 2007

What's in a name?

If you are wondering why I chose "Rabbit In The Headlights" as the name for this blog, let me explain. Before I had children I worked as a sales administrator in downtown Denver. Have you ever seen the TV show "The Office"? That was my boss. Technically, he was my 2nd boss in that office. He was a nice guy who never should have been promoted as a manager and had NO CLUE how to motivate a sales team. He tried, but noticeably absent was his ability to use figures of speech correctly.

When the attention of the executives was on us and expectations were high my boss would say, "Guys, we really need to perform this month. WE'RE REALLY UNDER THE HOURGLASS." After that pep talk I drew the following stick figures on post-it notes and secured them in each cubicle for comic relief:



When attempting to give Customer Service a compliment for helping us out on a particular task, "KOO-DOO's" went out to them for a good job. When he made a mistake, he called it a "FOO-POO". One week he was so happy with our sales numbers that he said, "HANDS OFF TO YOU GUYS FOR A GREAT JOB!!" The rest of the day we pulled our hands inside our shirts and pretended to be without appendages.

And then came the day when he had a big meeting with the executives and all the district and regional managers. After a nice overwhelming dose of reality he came back down to our office and said, "I FEEL LIKE A RABBIT IN THE HEADLIGHTS." I didn't even bother to correct him.

Since then, I have made relentless fun of this former manager of mine. I used to say I thought he was so stupid it probably took him an hour and a half to watch "60 Minutes". As I brainstormed various ideas for the name of this blog, this is the only one that really excited me. And now, as I am my own boss, it seems fitting to pay respect to those who came before me. So "Harry", this one's for you.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me be the first to comment. I LOVE the name! Thanks for making a place for me to go between adoption blogs and have a laugh!!!
Ginger

Anonymous said...

KRIS, KRIS, KRIS, how we LOVE our KRIS. I don't know about you, but my favorite part is the picture!!! It's like she set down in her own little studio and posed for it. What a fun web site... good idea. Can't wait to find more things to bug you about.
~Annonymous

Anonymous said...

I'm remembering a certain boss we had back in Provo. Something to do with pools. He had a few issues, too, didn't he?

Anonymous said...

Okay, I LOVE this blog. I read a few - that friends write and that I've found by accident - but I really loved reading through this. Thanks for sharing it.

RadicalRachel said...

So many of the statements in this blog are already being regularly used by Ryan and I. I love it! I'm always saying that I wish Michael Scott was my boss, mine are far too normal. I need some more disfuntion at work.

Randi said...

This still cracks me up every time I read it!

Anonymous said...

Hey Kristie, its makaila bahr!! hows piney creek goin?

Vern said...

hey makaila! we miss you guys! send me your email address so I can "talk" to you. Hope all is going well in your new ward...?

Jillybean said...

Too funny!
I love the illustration.

At a department meeting, our boss once told us to rely on the secretary more often, because "she's smarter than she looks."

Elisa said...

I am going to go around for the rest of the day saying "foo poo to you!"
That is priceless!

Anonymous said...

It's been a long time since I laughed until I cried. "KOO DOO'S" to you!

Anonymous said...

Most of the other comments you make do make your boss sound like a complete moron.

However, "Rabbit in the headlights" is a perfectly good expression. It's used a lot here in the UK (as we don't have many deer running around), has been the name of a few important tracks, notably by UNKLE and Radiohead, and appears regularly in the UK press:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/sep/10/union-leaders-warn-gordon-brown

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blair-like-rabbit-in-headlights-on-euro-says-patten-650190.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/6005953/Geoffrey-Boycott-Ravi-Bopara-is-Englands-rabbit-in-the-headlights.html

Time to rename your blog Foo Poo.

Chris

just call me jo said...

Well, the last poster, Chris, must have some kind of saw to grind. Ha,ha,ha...
Love your explanation of the name. I'd never read it before.

Lady Goo Goo Gaga said...

LOL!!! I love this!!! So glad you are your own boss now - but what great material that guy could give you !!