What's yer "game face?"

[LitTrog]

One of our HR ladies at work attended our department meeting the other day, armed with a camera, a silly idea, and far too much idle time. Her mission: to capture each of us in a "candid" moment of serious concentration to publish in our company's internal newsletter. Our president is currently overseas and she wanted him to see just how diligent we are, even in his absence. In addition to the group shot, she wanted canned individual images to fully illustrate that point. Okay, fine. We took turns sitting for her--bang, bang, bang--she's knocking out pictures of everyone until she gets to me. Eight attempts at making me look like a model drone, and this is the one she finally deemed "not terrible."



Seems I either looked too bored, too amused, or too willing to jam a finger in my oversized nostril.

Any of you who are familiar with my postings on this forum know that I have a...tendency to be slightly odd. Some may find me funny, some may be completely put off by the stuff I write (I forgive the first group and sympathize with the second). However, that's who I am--whether I'm online or offline. I'll provide an email address to anyone who wishes to express their sympathy to my lovely wife.

Even though I have fun at my job, it is fairly serious bidness. Obviously, it's necessary to feed my family, pay my mortgage, etc.--but beyond that, 90% of the work we do falls under the aegis of the DoD...my employer needs me to take things seriously. I narrowly survived a couple incidents early on in my career which highlighted the need to drastically modify my MO. It occurred to me while driving to work yesterday morning that I spend the entire 45 minute commute systematically dampening the parts of my personality which might be jarring to my coworkers--putting on my "game face."

What's your game face? Could be, like me, a professional one (retail--smiling at rude knuckleheads; rodeo clown; historical reenactors/recreators; athletes) or personal, like going to visit a loved one in prison, or spending time with horrid in-laws. To bring it round to kilting, do you adopt a different attitude when you're all tartaned up? I know when I first started wearing mine to places unaccustomed to a kilt, I felt myself trying to exude an air of bristling hostility just to forestall some jackball from making an asinine comment. 'Course, considering my small stature and long eyelashes, I was probably no more intimidating than a petulant toddler.

What's your story? What's your face? Words are good; pictures are better!

[xman]

As an actor this is just one example of the MANY 'game faces' I might employ ...



as a musician perhaps, this ...



as a kiltmaker, this ...



but mostly these days I put on this.

[Father Bill]

Wow! Is that game as in deer, moose, elk, rabbit, duck....?

[LitTrog]

Wow! Is that game as in deer, moose, elk, rabbit, duck....?

I gnu you'd bring that up, since there seems to be no rhino reason to my threads. But, if you musk ox me that question...


NoNoNoNo Noooo! Flashbacks! Not doing this again!

[Livingston]

I'll provide an email address to anyone who wishes to express their sympathy to my lovely wife.

Just bring her by my tent at Elizabeth on the 21st and I'll feed her some single malt and let her cry on my shoulder.

[LitTrog]

I may be two-faced, but my mushy face loves this one!

[LitTrog]

Just bring her by my tent at Elizabeth on the 21st and I'll feed her some single malt and let her cry on my shoulder.

Pour some of that Lismore down her gullet and she'll be weeping tears of gratitude. May not make Elizabeth, but we will definitely see you up in Estes!

[Livingston]

There's always Highlands Ranch on the 4th of Aug.

[Dangerdean]

My regular look, when I'm not consciously putting on any expression, has been described as "bouncer face." I may be thinking of petting kittens, but I'll look like I'm thinking of strangling them. I guess my "game face," at work or in groups I don't know well, is an attempt at attentive neutrality.

I also hate smiling for photos, but it's easier now. I just look at my daughter and boom. Smile.

[Mickey]

Read the OP and thought that I had written it. Almost exactly the same except if I had posted it, there would be a far better looking guy in the pic.

Really though, I've spent so long keeping a neutral expression (so people have no idea what you are thinking) that it's my natural look. The only thing that changes, especially at work, is a smile. And when I'm actually seen smiling people know that I'm either highly amused by something, or something wicked this way comes. Anything else, just doesn't happen. I look the same whether generally happy, sad, angry, etc.