Day One: Nelson joins a sorority

Podiatry Bid Day, 2011

Today, Nelson joined a happy, glossy, super-enthusiastic group of new and veteran Podiatry employees in what can only be described as sorority bid-day on a slightly smaller scale.  Instead of a herd of white girls running across a field into the arms of new sorority sisters, 5 white girls crossed a parking lot and entered the doors of Podiatry to be greeted with cupcakes, name-tags, and a new-member, I mean EMPLOYEE, handbook.  There was sparkling grape cider in champagne glasses to toast the beginning of "a new journey in the lives of each of us" baby Podiatry team members.  Our pledge mom, I mean orientation leader, taught us about Podiatry's founder and the history of the organization, complete with pictoral illustrations of some of the original stores and followed by mini quizzes (to make sure we were listening).  Already I could feel a sense of loyalty creeping into my bones: their instructional, inspirational, educational, some might say propoganda-ish, material slipping its hands around our necks and tightening, tightening, tightening...

Orientation being packed with listening, smiling, eating cupcakes, and learning about our new lives, I had little time to develop Nelson as a character, nor did I have much time to get much of an impression of my coworkers.  But certain stereotypes about the typical Podiatry worker shone through in my new buddies:

1. As a friend of mine predicted about my possible new co-workers, there was indeed one amongst the new members--she will be known as Dr. Gutstein--wearing a pair of glasses that looked like they belonged a muumuu-wearing seventy year-old.   
2. The girl who I'll call Moonblood revealed that she was a food blogger, as if there aren't enough of those in this world. 
3. Our pledgemaster, Mama Skaggs, as she will now be called, rampantly punctuated all conversations with explosions of "Oh-my-god-that's-so-sweet!!!!"

Day one was a blur, so much so that Nelson was unable to begin coming into his own.  But my next shift is Wednesday when I'll be working with Mama Skaggs (but unfortunately none of my fellow new members) and will begin burrowing my mole tunnels all up in Podiatry.