Breadsticks?!

Ryan Lefeld: Breadsticks? There were breadsticks?!

Casey Heitkamp: I didn’t see any breadsticks. Did you know there were breadsticks?

Brian Goubeaux: I knew there were breadsticks. They were right next to me so I didn’t mention them to anyone else.

Michael Seeger: Mention what?

Brian Goubeaux: That there were breadsticks.

Tyler Thobe: There were breadsticks?

This was just a sampling of the hubbub that trickled down the line of designers and engineers here this week as they left the conference room after a supplier provided pizza (and breadsticks!?) during a lunch and learn. It’s like “The Song that Never Ends”—the same basic conversation just went on and on, my friend.

A free lunch (especially pizza) is serious business here. Just as serious is missing even a portion of a free lunch (especially, apparently, if it’s breadsticks). We hate to miss things at Choice One. It’s why Mitch and Allen Heitbrink stand on the corner to watch a new traffic signal cycle through its timings late into the evening (NERDS!). It’s why Jeff Kunk never takes his birthday off, lest he miss his yearly delivery of flowers (but never doughnuts. NEVER!). And it’s why Caray never missed a three-point shot in high school basketball.

The conversation that wasn’t supposed to end did the next morning. A devious individual (described by onlookers as “wearing a safety yellow shirt”) ate the leftover pizza before most of us got to the office. The never-ending conversation trickling down the line quickly turned from “Breadsticks?” to “Justice!” But it will change again—probably by the time we’re looking for free lunch.

Not So Fast, My Friend

“Wait… Not so fast. Not so fast! NOT SO FAST! I can only type so fast!”
- Tony Schroeder

Imagine Tony taking dictation from Brian Barhorst. Yes, let that scene sink in.

For those of you who don't know them, Tony is a slow typist, and Brian is not a slow anything. So watching such a scene unfold in person may have led to a few stifled laughs. 

Slowing down is challenging when there are plans to draw up, layout stakes to drive, and Cincinnati-area traffic to beat. Furthermore, we have prided ourselves on being timely and responsive since Choice One was created 20 years ago in the "Batcave" (otherwise known as Tony's basement). Indeed, some here reminisce on those times, visualizing themselves as prompt, nimble superheroes, quick to respond to the villains of storm water runoff and intersection congestion who mercilessly destroy helpless infrastructure. 

(We hate to burst your bubble, guys, but you probably looked more like Gomer Pyle than Batman. Although come to think of it, some at Choice One were still in diapers 20 years ago and have no idea who Gomer Pyle is.)

Nonetheless, Tony, as long as you're timely and responsive to clients, don't worry about typing slow. Use that typing time to take a deep breath and focus. You and Brian may not communicate at the same speed, but at least you have one thing in common: you're both old enough to know who Gomer Pyle is. Shazam.