Nobody to talk too....

gtvlusso
gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
edited July 2012 in Commuting chat
I am all alone.....An isolated sports lover sitting in an area of pure geekdom....

My desk is part of an open office environment, part of my team sit around in a desk cluster, the rest of my team are internationally based. No one around me loves sport, except the guys in Kuala Lumpur and Portugal.....I have to chat to the international guys on Skype about what is happening in the Olympics or any sport for that matter.

Anyone else sat in geek central?

Comments

  • MonkeyMonster
    MonkeyMonster Posts: 4,628
    I am deep within nerd territory but fortunately have a marathon nerd, 4 cycling geeks (maybe 1 nerd) and a few other swimmers and all round sport appreciators.
    Le Cannon [98 Cannondale M400] [FCN: 8]
    The Mad Monkey [2013 Hoy 003] [FCN: 4]
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,237
    Not so much geek central, just no-one really cares apart from me.

    That most people I'm trying to headhunt are on holiday too doesn't seem to persuade them to chill out a bit.
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Lots of Talk in the office about the opening ceremony but not much talk about the actual sport... No one really cares other than me.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • Gizmo_
    Gizmo_ Posts: 558
    Not so much geek central, just no-one really cares apart from me.

    That most people I'm trying to headhunt are on holiday too doesn't seem to persuade them to chill out a bit.
    What do you headhunt people for?

    I'm surrounded by sock-and-sandal-wearing software developers. They don't really do sport here.
    Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 2012
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,237
    Gizmo_ wrote:
    Not so much geek central, just no-one really cares apart from me.

    That most people I'm trying to headhunt are on holiday too doesn't seem to persuade them to chill out a bit.
    What do you headhunt people for?

    I'm surrounded by sock-and-sandal-wearing software developers. They don't really do sport here.

    Front office bankers - in markets.
  • the_fuggler
    the_fuggler Posts: 1,228
    I work from home - the cat does its best to look interested when I explain the finer points of what went wrong in the Road Race on Saturday, but after about 30 seconds he rolls over and starts licking the area where his balls used to be. Not exactly a ringing endorsement...
    FCN 3 / 4
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    We're talking about it a bit in here. Tomorrow will be difficult when the grumpy old semi-retired git that hates the olympics comes in. The rest of us have agreed that we're all going to tell him to do one if he starts moaning too much.
  • optimisticbiker
    optimisticbiker Posts: 1,657
    Working from home today as nursing a bout of road rash from yesterday... all on my own with large screen TV with PIP, small screen TV, laptop and tablet... so plenty to look at, no one to talk to :lol:
    Invacare Spectra Plus electric wheelchair, max speed 4mph :cry:
  • dee4life2005
    dee4life2005 Posts: 773
    I'm part of a 4 man development team (computer programming) and we are all into cycling and all commute to work (though not all daily on bike) with distances of 2 miles each way, 10 each way (daily), 25 and 21 (me). Plenty of cycling related chat, cycling parts, bike upgrades, potential purchases (N+1's), TdF. Other sports are also fair game, so much chat expected regarding the olympics. Already been discussing the shambles that was the BBC coverage of the mens / womans road races.

    The customer support team, project managers etc. just dont get our passion for cycling and give us the "your strange" stare when they find out you cycle 20+ miles to work (each way) when you have a perfectly functioning car that you can use.

    They take great delight when it's cycle commute day, and a monsoon starts just before 5pm.
  • DavidBelcher
    DavidBelcher Posts: 2,684
    gtvlusso wrote:
    I am all alone.....An isolated sports lover sitting in an area of pure geekdom....

    My desk is part of an open office environment, part of my team sit around in a desk cluster, the rest of my team are internationally based. No one around me loves sport, except the guys in Kuala Lumpur and Portugal.....I have to chat to the international guys on Skype about what is happening in the Olympics or any sport for that matter.

    Anyone else sat in geek central?

    I get that a lot at work, due in part to a strong "middle-aged & sedentary" demographic and that generally work colleagues think cycling & cyclists are either (1) a bit strange and/or (2) every bit as evil as the Daily Mail thinks they are. The level of sports-related banter is somewhat better where footy or cricket are involved.

    David
    "It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal
  • Gizmo_
    Gizmo_ Posts: 558
    Front office bankers - in markets.
    Ah, not my thing. I make the numbers come up on their screens though :)
    Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 2012
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    I make gaming PCs but despite being a bunch of geeks there's a few sports players as well as fans, 2 play football, 3 badminton, 1 cricket, 1 ice/roller-hockey. There's still a lot of negativity towards the Olympics, mainly revolving around why St James can be filled to capacity for almost all league and cup matches but not for the Olympics and it's not for lack of ticket sales and the more sedentary the more vocal.

    On a minor thread hijack: I never really watched cycling before this year, but after Wiggins took the TDF I clocked three PBs and after watching most of the both m es I g& f Olympic Road Racot another two on a ride this morning. So does watching a sport that you do make you better at it?
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • twist83
    twist83 Posts: 761
    Same here really. Work in a massive office however my team I am within comprises of older and younger women. The older women do not do sport. They mainly talk about Horses, gardening and other such boring pursuits (For me anyway!) The younger girls comprise off 3 which are overweight and every month start a new Fad diet which has NO exercise at all and then wonder why they do not lose weight......Or pile it back on.

    The hot girl again not interested in Sport however I am more interested in her rack!!

    I do wander down the office and have a chat with an older chap as we both follow Motogp, WSBK and BSB. Had a few chats about TDF but he hasnt watched much.

    My only glimmer of hope is an older french lady who used to watch the tour every year but stopped doing this some years ago.

    So in short no!!!! :( I have a few friends on-site who do so we exchange emails from time to time. But not the same having a natter man to man.
  • Gizmo_
    Gizmo_ Posts: 558
    twist83 wrote:
    Same here really. Work in a massive office however my team I am within comprises of older and younger women. The older women do not do sport. They mainly talk about Horses, gardening and other such boring pursuits (For me anyway!) The younger girls comprise off 3 which are overweight and every month start a new Fad diet which has NO exercise at all and then wonder why they do not lose weight......Or pile it back on.

    The hot girl again not interested in Sport however I am more interested in her rack!!

    I do wander down the office and have a chat with an older chap as we both follow Motogp, WSBK and BSB. Had a few chats about TDF but he hasnt watched much.

    My only glimmer of hope is an older french lady who used to watch the tour every year but stopped doing this some years ago.

    So in short no!!!! :( I have a few friends on-site who do so we exchange emails from time to time. But not the same having a natter man to man.
    I can recommend getting to know the older French lady. :wink:
    Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 2012
  • twist83
    twist83 Posts: 761
    I do know her fairly well. She remembers Merckx winning numerous tours as well.

    Myself and her are the only ones here who actually exercise or have an interest in Physical activity as well. Well one chunky girl decided last year she was going to run a marathon this year and that has not happened. She has now decided next year will be the year and has done 3km twice in a month on a treadmill in the gym.
  • Yukirin
    Yukirin Posts: 231
    I work in a fitness shop with a golfer, footballer and a rugby player (so 3 sports I know very little about). We educate each other. Got a couple of 3rd cat and Tri athlete regulars and a couple of Sunday riders who pop in on occasion for bike tall, but its a lot of body building and strength custom or well kept wives looking to spend thousands on some cv equipment for the spare room.
    Always got sport streaming to the pc, though. I managed to see all but one stage of tdf and both Olympic road races.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    5 of us in our little room on a daily basis and the four blokes (inc me) all have a bit of a chat about the TdF and Olympic cycling. Whether they would had I not been influencing things I have no idea!
    Faster than a tent.......
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,498
    Is there any way to correct the thread title? It makes my eyes hurt.
  • BigLights
    BigLights Posts: 464
    Wow. My office couldn't be more different. In the City, and to a man and woman every single person here (30ish of us) is sport/fitness mad...plenty of Marathons, Triathlons, Ironman, gym at lunchtimes, a fair few of us cycle in every day, others run in, all this is actively encouraged by the Overlords. The chat is all about Golf, Rugby, Football, Olympics, you name it (although having been brought up in America a lot of this goes over my head). I'm by far the least fit here and I'm not exactly sedentary.
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    Gizmo_ wrote:
    Not so much geek central, just no-one really cares apart from me.

    That most people I'm trying to headhunt are on holiday too doesn't seem to persuade them to chill out a bit.
    What do you headhunt people for?

    I'm surrounded by sock-and-sandal-wearing software developers. They don't really do sport here.

    Front office bankers - in markets.

    Headhunter seems to be what all recruiters are calling themselves now...

    Why do you think that is?
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,237
    okgo wrote:
    Gizmo_ wrote:
    Not so much geek central, just no-one really cares apart from me.

    That most people I'm trying to headhunt are on holiday too doesn't seem to persuade them to chill out a bit.
    What do you headhunt people for?

    I'm surrounded by sock-and-sandal-wearing software developers. They don't really do sport here.

    Front office bankers - in markets.

    Headhunter seems to be what all recruiters are calling themselves now...

    Why do you think that is?

    Rhetorical question?
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    okgo wrote:
    Gizmo_ wrote:
    Not so much geek central, just no-one really cares apart from me.

    That most people I'm trying to headhunt are on holiday too doesn't seem to persuade them to chill out a bit.
    What do you headhunt people for?

    I'm surrounded by sock-and-sandal-wearing software developers. They don't really do sport here.

    Front office bankers - in markets.

    Headhunter seems to be what all recruiters are calling themselves now...

    Why do you think that is?

    Rhetorical question?
    Always just struck me as a slightly more self important way of saying recruitment.
    Probably because the people being recruited like to think they're important enough that they're actually being headhunted.
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,237
    Broadly...

    Recruiter = gets your CV, punts it out to everyone, see what sticks.

    Headhunter = retained - works on specific searches put out by clients.

    So the idea is, if you're headhunted, the headhunter has more or less identified you as a potential candidate for the role.

    So a headhunter is a recruiter, but it's a little more refined.
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    It was slightly rhetorical.

    I just find it a bit strange that the people who call themselves headhunters I've spoken to of late proceed to ask me all the questions a normal recruiter would ask as they don't have a clue who I am, what I do, or anything else you'd expect them to know if they were a headhunter - suppose it prays on someones self importance.

    How one can become a headhunter at 23 I'll never know (not directed at you - I actually met one of them earlier in the year)!
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,237
    okgo wrote:
    It was slightly rhetorical.

    I just find it a bit strange that the people who call themselves headhunters I've spoken to of late proceed to ask me all the questions a normal recruiter would ask as they don't have a clue who I am, what I do, or anything else you'd expect them to know if they're going to sex up their title.

    How one can become a headhunter at 23 I'll never know (not directed at you - I actually met one of them earlier in the year)!

    Researcher for a headhunting firm innit ;).