The Office Person of the Year

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The Office started 2007 with only 2 employees. After losing Scott to the Austrians, it looked like it would be a long rough year. But the employees did have one thing holding them together. The Libertarian blood running through their veins!

Once the presidential elections started we began our search for the ideal candidate. Time and again we would see strengths, but also a handful of shortcomings. Until one day I was driving down Mopac and a car passed by with “Who is Ron Paul?” written on the rear window. I turned to Abinadi and asked “Who is that guy?” That was the pivotal moment for me when I discovered Ron Paul. Since then my life has been a never-ending stream of conversations and YouTube videos centered on Ron Paul.

A common phrase used around the office is “You are not the boss of me!” By voting for Ron Paul perhaps this is our way of telling the media, that they can’t tell us who we should vote for. And we are telling the government they can’t control our lives and our money. But the real reason we are voting for Ron Paul is We Love America.

To see the influence Ron Paul has had, one only needs to spend a few moments with an office employee. Inevitably within 3 minutes you will find yourself discussing Ron Paul's views on the federal reserve, and you will wonder "how did this happen to me". Whether we are on dates, at work, or just hanging with friends no one is going to be near the office employees without getting an earful of Ron Paul.

It’s true we have spent a lot of time and money looking forward to 2008. So I feel it is appropriate we have chosen Ron Paul as the person of the year. He has given us hope for liberty and freedom. Perhaps Abinadi said it best when he said “Elder Henry B. Eyring said, The degradation of the family has lead to the degradation of society, and the only man that can save us is Ron Paul.” So to quote each of the office employees “Go Ron Paul!” --Gavin


When you think about the multitude of ways one girl can impact the lives of four roommates, the list can be quite staggering. Yet, Tahlia Holzworth has managed to hit most all of the items on this list. She has captivated the attention of The Office employees these short months she has been here in a way that none of us will soon forget.
First off, Tahlia is just plain Beautiful. There’s no way around it, and that is probably what first caught the attention of The Office employees. Not only that, but she is fun to be around. And just listen to her talk! All of The Office employees love them an Australian accent, and not just to listen to it, but to make fun of it. Tahlia seems to think that “been” is pronounced “bean” and “no” is pronounced “nollrr”. And this characteristic has endeared her to us.

After Tahlia cleaned The Office’s kitchen, we all freaked out. It was then that we wanted to win her heart and marry her, so as to keep her in the family. But often our attempts at courtship were thwarted by Tahlia’s less-than-stellar level of commitment. This fact is what inclines us to say that part of Tahlia’s impact on The Office has been for evil, because she has broken all of our hearts, shafting us continually. Notwithstanding, we have all been on dates with Tahlia now, and we can honestly say (except for Gavin) that those dates with Tahlia rank up there with some of the best. While the type of influence – good vs. evil – might be in dispute, none would argue that Tahlia’s influence on not only The Office, but the City of Austin has been great. --Andrew and Tom

The Romans have their Pontiff. The Tibetans have their Dalai Lama. The Office has Bishop Barry Pomeroy. By day, the good Bishop masquerades as an accountant. By night, his superhuman abilities as an ecclesiastical chieftain emerge forth in waves with the speed of Clark Kent disrobing in a phone booth.

All of the employees in the history of The Office have benefitted directly and indirectly from the wisdom, insight, and attention of the Bishop. The Bishop is the kind of man who stands by us in our times of trial and who, time and again, demonstrates a patient love only equalled by the truly super-heroic. No question, then, why he has placed so highly among those we consider most influential of 2007. --Abinadi


Molly Lewis is the person who most influenced me this year. In fact, it is safe and easy to say that Molly has made me what I am when it comes to my outgoing personality. Molly goes out of her way to invite people to be her friend and makes friends quite easily, which is what she did with me when I clearly needed it the most. She seems to have no enemies because she loves everyone. Molly is currently serving in Norway as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is doing so because service is in her nature, which has also affected our lives. She loves to dance, play sports, and fish, all of which make her an extremely fun person to be around and even more fun to date. Her competitive spirit clearly showed through when she tried to take me on more dates than I took her and fought with Abinadi and Jesse over who liked me more. Molly has influenced us all, for good. --Tom

Her smile melts the hearts of men, and her gaze brings them to their knees. While she doesn't visit The Office as much as she used to, she's left an indelible mark. She was the first to ever clean our kitchen. That move alone ensures her place in the annals of The Office. But even more than that, she brightened our days with her laugh and always left us wanting more. Her charm comes from her wit and clever banter; plus, The Office employees have always been suckers for a pretty face. --Abinadi


Michelle Ferry is maybe the sweetest girl around, and in the words of one Michael Perrone, the 'most unintentionally funny person'. I find that her voice is fun to mimic and what she says is just as fun to mimic. I find myself being more 'real' around Michelle Ferry because she almost refuses to laugh at anything I say. Michelle is one of the most desirable people to take on dates in my opinion, which opinion is shared by those of The Office, because she is chatty, fun to be with, smart and maybe the prettiest girl around. Michelle has influenced us for good. --Tom



Jalaine Riggs is one of The Office employees at heart, she just can't live with us because she's a girl, despite what she'll tell you. Jalaine loves The Office and hates everyone else, but doesn't want anyone to know about the loving of The Office part. Fiercely territorial, Jalaine likes her space and her space is The Office. Her influence is widely felt around here and we would be different people without her. Better people, but different people. Okay, all seriousness aside, we love Jalaine and without her we would've ended up at a lot more wedding receptions and cheap restaurants and most likely we would have been without big fish that she most skillfully caught for us. --Tom


Bryant Moscon, or “The Annex” as we like to call him, has been a good friend to The Office – despite the fact that he would sell us all out for a bar of German chocolate. He offers a distinct voice in an otherwise tumultuous sea of opinions and helps guide The Office in difficult times.
--Andrew

Legend has it that before Mr. Jesse Ormsby left for law school in the general Houston area, he shook the streets of Austin, TX with the power of rock 'n' roll. Indeed, the very memory of his trademark hair and debonair smile still send shivers down the collective spine of music savvy, female Austinites city-wide. One cannot hope to defeat Mr. Jesse Ormsby; one can only hope to contain him. These pithy facts should be enough to illustrate just how much influence he has had on The Office employees. And Jesse, if you are reading this, stop reading this and get back to studying the law. After all, we didn't send you to law school to read blogs. In all seriousness, The Office anxiously awaits the triumphant return Mr. Ormsby and looks forward to the day when we can all join hands and sing that old negro spiritual, "free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" --Abinadi

Milton Friedman has the distinction of being the only person on this list that wasn’t alive in 2007. But he was able to speak to us through the grave with his book Free to Choose. I finally gave up preaching the gospel of Milton Friedman, when I realized Ron Paul was preaching the same thing. Like most genius men, he was years ahead of his time. It may take a couple of more decades before everyone realizes the brilliance that is Milton Friedman. --Gavin

There isn't anyone who can install a fear of God into man quite like Paul Mckinnon. He has kept us on our toes, and in fear for our lives.
--Gavin