Our Office Just Hired Its First Mormon

These episodes started on August 15, 2011 at Recovery from Mormonism posted by Texas girl. Comments from others are also posted. You may do the same in the box at the bottom of this page.

Episode August 15, 2011 by Texas girl

So, this guy was recently hired...straight out of Utah. He is in the process of moving to TX...and has never lived outside of the great state of Utah. It's hilarious watching him trying to fit in with our quirky office of evangies, baptists and closet liberals (because you can't admit you are liberal in my office). I work in an extremely old school environment that has animal heads on the walls, dictation, and actually still has bible study on Wednesdays in the conference room - but only men need apply. Don't get me started, I could go on and on about all of that!

Anyhow, this dude is extremely naive and goofy, and it's kind of an experiment watching him in our office. Obviously this guy is fish out of water. He keeps talking about BYU football - like everyone should know about it. No one in Austin, TX knows or cares...it's Longhorn country! He even has a Utah license plate hanging in his cube, along with a BYU football helmet on his desk. He talks like everyone should know everything about Utah...like it's the center of the universe. But, no one has a clue about what he's talking about (except me, and I'll never tell). It's interesting to see how the other guys do/don't interact with him (the evangies and Baptists are not too fond of the Mormons)...and it's kind of funny that the girl who sits next to him is the only potty-mouthed chick in the office. One other thing I've noted....he drinks Mountain Dew every morning (doesn't that have caffiene in it?).

The worst thing is having to listen to his programmed Utah Mormon voice very day. I don't know about you all, but it's the voice that gets me.

It will be interesting to watch this petri dish over the next few months.

If he hears anyone having a funny conversation or laughing, he literally runs through the office to be a part of it. Today, I was poking fun at one of the old bible-thumper Rush Limbaugh dudes (I always am super sarcastic and spar with him about meaningless stuff...and we have a grand time picking on each other)...anyhow, BYU dork literally ran all the way over to us, and started picking on the bible thumper dude too. But, they hardly know each other. It was super awkward. But I was secretly laughing.

My office is the weirdest place I've ever worked and the stuff that happens is just crazy. I've even joked with my friends about starting a blog to talk about it anonymously...maybe titled "The Other Office". Haha. And, now that the Mormon dork is in the picture...it just adds a whole new dimension.

Well, my son lives in Austin and loves it! TBM (True Believing Mormon) to the core.

But he did get me a T-shirt that says "Keep Austin weird" so the new transplant from Utah should fit right in. - 08/15/2011 by gemini

Re: Mormon Voice? Is this even a real thing?

OHMYGAWD YES!!!

I'm from the South and I'm a convert. I'd never been to Utah in my life. My in-laws flew out a couple of times to visit us here but we didn't fly out West for several years. My MIL had the sweetest, sing-songy, baby-whisper voice I'd ever heard. I actually thought it was kind of nice and meant she was a super-sweet person (Ha!-Don't get me started).

Anyway, when I traveled to Utah for ex-mo conference in 2007 . . . I discovered to my surprise that every single woman there talked the exact same way! I had always believed that breathy baby voice was just a quirky personality trait of my husband's mother. I was gobsmacked when I heard dozens of women in the room speaking the exact same way.

So during open mic time, I asked just one simple question in my distinct Southern drawl: "Why on Earth does everyone here talk just like my Mother-in-Law?!" (And I was serious, even though I got a big laugh). - 08/15/2011 - by Shannon

Cool. I live in Austin, and I'm still a BYU football fan. It is my alma mater after all, and I'll be in the stadium rooting for the cougs on September 10th when they play Texas.

I actually get kind of a sick pleasure out of people noticing my BYU degree and fanaticism, and seeing their reaction as they think I'm mormon. Well, I guess I officially am. I haven't resigned or been disciplined or anything. But if they bring it up I'll give them all the dirt on the cult.

The absolute funnest is when I meet another mormon. They find out I went to BYU, start talking to me like a fellow persecutee. I'll talk about my mission and stuff, because why not? It's part of my past. But if the talk gets religious, I lay it on them that I'm not mormon any more. That shocks them pretty good. - 08/15/2011 by Kimball