PlattFormers tend to cluster in familiar little cliques. Rarely do you see a programmer commiserating with someone in Media, for instance. Come to think of it, rarely do you see a programmer commiserate with anyone but another programmer. Why is that?

Less I digress …

Back when PlattForm opened its doors, there were mandatory Happy Hours each and every Friday after work. Apparently, it was during that honeymoon phase that everyone knew everyone. And then PlattForm doubled, then tripled, in size … and Happy Hour got lost in the shuffle.

Now PlattForm has introduced “Random Fridays!” It’s a chance for PFormers to get together with their fellow brethren on … you guessed it … various random Friday evenings. It’s been a smashing success. We’ve had karaoke nights at the single skeeviest bar in Kansas City. (You know, the one where you feel the need to spray yourself down with Bactine afterwards.) We’ve had Martini flings, we’ve had margarita nights with trivia and we’ve had Wii parties with pizza and pop.

Random Fridays makes the people come together … it makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel … uh, and the programmer.

It’s a chance for the young and old (well, 30’s) come together. It’s a chance to see who’s in desperate need of a 12-step program and who’s a Polly Puritan. It’s a chance to see and be seen. And since I haven’t bought a drink for myself since the Reagan administration, it’s a chance for my co-workers to imbibe me.

Posters touting the virtues of Random Fridays are sprinkled around the building. There’s a lot of chit-chat and banter beforehand about who’s going and who’s not. And, best of all, even though Random Fridays have been approved by PForm management, I have yet to see a manager there. (You try doing a keg stand with your boss hovering over you.)

Because we all work hard around here, Random Fridays are a great opportunity to feel good about a job well done. And it’s also an opportunity to finally learn the full name of that co-worker you’ve been greeting “HEY DUDE!” for the last six months. But more than any of that, it gives everyone the opportunity to get some really random dirt on random people that will usually, randomly last until the next Random Friday.