It just occurred to me that no one has said anything about 4pm Friday's following Memorial Day. Yesterday would have been the first Friday and everyone stayed late for my party. It seems everyone has either forgotten or realized it's such a pain in the ass that it's really not worth it.
See the rules are simple - arrive at 8am, take 1/2 hour lunch, leave by 4pm. Reward for working so hard throughout the year. It is supposed to last from post Memorial Day to Labor Day and the tradition is 4-5 years old.
Last year I had to lobby really hard to get boss to continue the tradition and I did so because my employees were pushing for it and I thought it would be great fun to get out early on a Friday and to go the beach.
The downside - I remember last year of boss bitching every Friday that people were taking advantage by taking too long for lunch and not arriving promptly by 8am. Employees were equally aggravated because they were unaccustomed to being prompt for work and it’s virtually impossible to eat out a ½ hour lunch and god forbid they actually pack a lunch! And they were incensed that it was not noticed when they stayed late throughout the week as those hours should have made up for it right??? So they found themselves leaving between 4-5 and really working a full 8 hour day anyway so what was really the point of coming in by 8am?
The worst crime of all were the days when everyone followed the rules and boss would start meetings at 3:45pm! Oh the bitter moral that created. By the end of the summer, everyone was down to 8:45 - 5ish.
Still wondering if it’s worth reminding the bosses? Regardless of the pain and anguish it causes everyone else, I enjoy leaving at 4pm and I’ve got 2 months left before baby arrives. I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask.
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
Work Baby Shower!
Friday was my 2nd baby shower of the year and it was sponsored by my job!
The night before, following prenatal yoga class, I bought a new dress and sandals. Yes I'm supposed to be on a budget and saving all resources for baby but I've only got 2 dresses and both were bought around 20 weeks and not actual maternity so they are getting quite snug. I bought a proper brown simple maternity dress because I look fantastic in brown and hate flowered patterns (99% of the dresses in the store are flowered - yuck).
CEO's wife came at 3 and spent 2 hours setting up in the kitchen with food and drinks. Everyone got tipsy with wine and I had Pellegrino. There was an amazing hummus, I need to get that recipe, and a Raspberry chocolate cake (which I took some home!!!)
Baby got lots of cool presents and it was a lovely evening. My work family is great!
The night before, following prenatal yoga class, I bought a new dress and sandals. Yes I'm supposed to be on a budget and saving all resources for baby but I've only got 2 dresses and both were bought around 20 weeks and not actual maternity so they are getting quite snug. I bought a proper brown simple maternity dress because I look fantastic in brown and hate flowered patterns (99% of the dresses in the store are flowered - yuck).
CEO's wife came at 3 and spent 2 hours setting up in the kitchen with food and drinks. Everyone got tipsy with wine and I had Pellegrino. There was an amazing hummus, I need to get that recipe, and a Raspberry chocolate cake (which I took some home!!!)
Baby got lots of cool presents and it was a lovely evening. My work family is great!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Rockin' Good Memorial Day
Started with Memorial Day Pancakes with blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream!
Went to movie and ate hot dogs, curly fries and mozzarella sticks
and finished the day with Memorial Day dessert!
Went to movie and ate hot dogs, curly fries and mozzarella sticks
and finished the day with Memorial Day dessert!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
UPS drove over our package...
taped it closed and delivered it with comment, "your package got a little mangled".
No apology.
Ewok plush key chain and magnet are fine.
Don't worry, they are supposed to look that ugly.
No apology.
Ewok plush key chain and magnet are fine.
Don't worry, they are supposed to look that ugly.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Last weekend holiday before baby girl arrives
Okay I didn’t get drastically sick. Woke up Friday morning with a sniffle and felt well enough to launch weekend holiday. As usual, Husband and I took our sweet time packing, dropping dog off at dog sitters, doing last minute bills, eating 2 breakfasts and packing lunch (I am 7 months pregnant!) and leaving by 2pm.
We called our friends and plans had changed. Instead of meeting them at a camp site and spending the weekend canoeing, hiking and beach activities, they invited us to spend the evening at their’s cousin’s house which lead to the next 3 days/evenings there. So we showed up at a total strangers house first (they got lost with the directions they gave to me - hah!) and proceeded to make ourselves comfortable.
This is nothing new to me. My entire childhood was spent with summer vacations dropping in on distant relatives that my dad seemed to know but I had never met. It was a annual tradition. I’m still quite comfortable dropping in on strangers as long as the host appears welcoming.
We had a very relaxing weekend. The beach was a mess with lots of wind, waves and rip currents so it was really awesome to have a pool to chill at. The cousins invited their neighbors every night and we found everything in common from wild techno music loved in the 90’s (My life with the thrill cult, Rammstein, Lords of Acid) to old fashioned country. There was the mutual admiration and review of tattoo’s along with a high spirited conversation about well loved animation (Simpons, The Tick, Astro Boy, etc). And all the women took great care of me since I’m pregnant and need to eat like constantly. The pool was a great way to let my body relax, back pain has been getting worse along with a constant gnawing rib pain.
The cousins took our Pittsburgh friends out on their boat Sunday for a day of fishing. I begged out because 6 hours of direct sunlight without comfortable chair is my idea of hell. Later learned the trip would have likely initiated early labor since the wind got really bad and made the boat ride so rough my friend got sea sick and threw up every where.
The same day wild fires broke out in the area. We learned the main highway was cut off at 3pm but elected to stay in the area until friends returned from boat trip at 4. Around 6:30pm, we decided to head home on an alternative route and got stopped almost immediately as that road got blocked. So we returned to the house to discuss an another alternative but it would have become a 4 hour ride home verses 2 with potential of getting stuck in traffic with no access to a bathroom. The fire got worse to the point that our host was called into duty - yes our female host is a kick-ass firefighter, how cool is that (and she rides a Harley, captains her own recreational fishing boat and strangely thinks I’m cool for going to Asia 3 times in one year ). Husband didn’t work the next day and my job is fairly understanding so we spent the night and by the next morning all was calm and I got to work at noon.
Awesome relaxing weekend.
We called our friends and plans had changed. Instead of meeting them at a camp site and spending the weekend canoeing, hiking and beach activities, they invited us to spend the evening at their’s cousin’s house which lead to the next 3 days/evenings there. So we showed up at a total strangers house first (they got lost with the directions they gave to me - hah!) and proceeded to make ourselves comfortable.
This is nothing new to me. My entire childhood was spent with summer vacations dropping in on distant relatives that my dad seemed to know but I had never met. It was a annual tradition. I’m still quite comfortable dropping in on strangers as long as the host appears welcoming.
We had a very relaxing weekend. The beach was a mess with lots of wind, waves and rip currents so it was really awesome to have a pool to chill at. The cousins invited their neighbors every night and we found everything in common from wild techno music loved in the 90’s (My life with the thrill cult, Rammstein, Lords of Acid) to old fashioned country. There was the mutual admiration and review of tattoo’s along with a high spirited conversation about well loved animation (Simpons, The Tick, Astro Boy, etc). And all the women took great care of me since I’m pregnant and need to eat like constantly. The pool was a great way to let my body relax, back pain has been getting worse along with a constant gnawing rib pain.
The cousins took our Pittsburgh friends out on their boat Sunday for a day of fishing. I begged out because 6 hours of direct sunlight without comfortable chair is my idea of hell. Later learned the trip would have likely initiated early labor since the wind got really bad and made the boat ride so rough my friend got sea sick and threw up every where.
The same day wild fires broke out in the area. We learned the main highway was cut off at 3pm but elected to stay in the area until friends returned from boat trip at 4. Around 6:30pm, we decided to head home on an alternative route and got stopped almost immediately as that road got blocked. So we returned to the house to discuss an another alternative but it would have become a 4 hour ride home verses 2 with potential of getting stuck in traffic with no access to a bathroom. The fire got worse to the point that our host was called into duty - yes our female host is a kick-ass firefighter, how cool is that (and she rides a Harley, captains her own recreational fishing boat and strangely thinks I’m cool for going to Asia 3 times in one year ). Husband didn’t work the next day and my job is fairly understanding so we spent the night and by the next morning all was calm and I got to work at noon.
Awesome relaxing weekend.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I’m extremely worried…
I woke up with a scratchy throat and immediately attributed it to the smoky air outside. Apparently there was a big brush fire in North Lauderdale.
At work I felt grumpy and sniffly and bitched at senior designer to keep it down so I could get my work done. Well he was yacking non-stop for a period of time before I hissed words of warning. I try to be a cool boss but seriously sometimes open room environments suck.
By mid-afternoon the girl to my right was sneezing non-stop and went through an entire box of tissues. I assume if someone is feeling bad enough they will take themselves home. Should I have said something? Sent her home? Is this going to affect my health?
I’m not a hypochondriac – but I’m 7 months pregnant and the last time I got sick – I got extremely sick on Valentine’s day followed by super business trip to New York and London (see Feb. 08 posting – I haven’t figured out the linking thing yet).
So I’m worried, my sniffle continued, my throat still scratchy. Is it that pregnancy nose clog that I’ve had for awhile anyway?
I’m panicking primarily because this weekend is a planned mini-holiday with close friends from Pittsburgh who I see once a year. Husband and I used to live down the street from them and we did all sorts of cool things. Now they come down to Florida once a year and drag us to all the places we normally wouldn’t think of going to. Like last year – we went to the Everglades and in trying our hand at canoeing the first time, almost became a delivery lunch to 3 of the biggest alligators every seen.
Followed by a night of torture as it poured rain and our tent was not suitably water proof – unhappy. But there were also brilliant moments where we cooked great food and saw many amazing animals. I saw a Bald Eagle and a death head spider!
Somewhere between the insanity of canoeing next to alligators and chasing buzzards from our campsite, it became the best vacation of the year and I would be so disappointed and upset if my last vacation before baby girl arrives involves me – SICK!
That’s it - I’m not going to work tomorrow. It’s either me or sick girl staying home. I can’t take the stress.
At work I felt grumpy and sniffly and bitched at senior designer to keep it down so I could get my work done. Well he was yacking non-stop for a period of time before I hissed words of warning. I try to be a cool boss but seriously sometimes open room environments suck.
By mid-afternoon the girl to my right was sneezing non-stop and went through an entire box of tissues. I assume if someone is feeling bad enough they will take themselves home. Should I have said something? Sent her home? Is this going to affect my health?
I’m not a hypochondriac – but I’m 7 months pregnant and the last time I got sick – I got extremely sick on Valentine’s day followed by super business trip to New York and London (see Feb. 08 posting – I haven’t figured out the linking thing yet).
So I’m worried, my sniffle continued, my throat still scratchy. Is it that pregnancy nose clog that I’ve had for awhile anyway?
I’m panicking primarily because this weekend is a planned mini-holiday with close friends from Pittsburgh who I see once a year. Husband and I used to live down the street from them and we did all sorts of cool things. Now they come down to Florida once a year and drag us to all the places we normally wouldn’t think of going to. Like last year – we went to the Everglades and in trying our hand at canoeing the first time, almost became a delivery lunch to 3 of the biggest alligators every seen.
Followed by a night of torture as it poured rain and our tent was not suitably water proof – unhappy. But there were also brilliant moments where we cooked great food and saw many amazing animals. I saw a Bald Eagle and a death head spider!
Somewhere between the insanity of canoeing next to alligators and chasing buzzards from our campsite, it became the best vacation of the year and I would be so disappointed and upset if my last vacation before baby girl arrives involves me – SICK!
That’s it - I’m not going to work tomorrow. It’s either me or sick girl staying home. I can’t take the stress.
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