The Bakery

Kevin was asking me why I haven't blogged in a while and I explained that well, the nice weather had beckoned me outdoors and we had power issues with the laptop.
It didn't bubble to the top to blog about my job at "The Bakery" until tonight when I randomly met someone who was directly connected to me working at "The Bakery". So here is my recollection:

In 1985 I was hired to run the Burroughs B-1900 mini-computer. The disk drives at that time were removable and and could be removed, they were stacked 18 platters high and their circumference of a 12 inch cake holding about 500 meg. This computer was networked to other bakeries up and down the east coast owned by... let's talked about the cast of characters"

JP owner of "The Bakery", an edition of the Baltimore magazine in 1986 quoted him as the second most powerful man in the state next to the governor, ok the political light bulb should be going off. The politicians of that district would come to see him for meetings including Willie Don, Barbara Milkulski and the cast of city politicians at that time.

Now for the common folk:

Jerry G - a hebrew comptroller hired by JP to monitor the books. He had a bad toupee, dressed like the seventies - wide flower ties, slacks and boots. What a piece of work.

John C- a burly office manager, had the professional office presence of drunken stevedor.
Nick S - payroll manager, JP's brother-in-law nicest guy you ever, ever want to meet
Bananas - I don't know what he did, but he came into the office and sat at a desk with his feet and talked on the phone. His presence scared the shit out of me.
Sherman H - buyer, he had a van and said "you want to ride in this van it will cost you gas, grass or ass"
Charlie W- manager, a nice man his mother-in-law Mrs. C lived in the apartment behind us where Beth and I first lived when we got married. Let's say she had a big nose.

Now my favorite folks:
Joe G - Data Processing manager who was going through a serious mid-life crisis, I'm talking about buying the red sports car mid-life crisis
Lisa - computer programmer hired by Joe G right out of college, see where this is going??
Stu - brilliant young man, wrote software for Mcdonald's, but did serious drugs, had a girlfriend who was whacked (one day he came to work with bandages all over his upper body - she stabbed him) played in the local rock band "Lab Animals" a tight progressive rock band.

So everyday was an immersion in the culture of the Fells Point Bakery and my god what an eye opener. This was my transition job from warehouse worker to office worker and the expectation for me was that there should be a presence of professionalism. Man, was I wrong. I thought warehouse workers were over the top. These folks were unbelievable, they put the "fun" in dsy"fun"ctional.

Do you have jobs that were unusual or the people were unusual let me know. I still suffer PTSD from this one.