The Christmas Party

My husband and I approached the whole Christmas party thing without expecting much. I wore my jeans and a smartish top, and decided last minute to apply a thin layer of makeup. We arrived to a table sprinkled with Christmas crackers and sweeties and other goodies. And to the news that the restaurant we were supposed to go to was full (turned out to be a matric dance), so we were relocated another. Which wasn't bad - had a great view, comfy chairs... Nonetheless, due to this "inconvenience" my colleague's husband managed to get us a good deal (and all)*. Instead of the simple 2 course meal (starters and main) we had settled for, we were going to get all that PLUS dessert and drinks (beer, champers, wine) on the house.

After the initial pleasantries, the beginning minutes were a bit awkward. You know how you're trying to size up everyone's partners... And nobody really knows what to talk about. And you don't want to be the idiot who talks about work. There were a few tense silent moments... But I tell you, as soon as the starters came, and the wine and beer started flowing things got a little... more relaxed.

A lot more.

The food was just magnificent. Even though we couldn't pronounce what we were eating (vindaloo, jangari, paneer, poppadoms etc etc), and mostly had to wave around wildly to have the various dishes passed around to us, the unique and exotic flavours of this Indian cuisine were just so delicious. I completely overindulged.

As for the company and conversation, things just got better and better. Towards the end of the evening we were laughing non-stop. It was so bad at some stage that it felt like I had done 500 sit-ups, and my jaw was aching worse than it had on our wedding day. Granted, as time wore on (and the wine flowed), so the conversation seemed to dip lower and lower below the belt...

I can't remember when last I laughed so much, and when last I had so much fun with a bunch of people that really accept me. Most of the today was spent reminiscing about memorable moments, good food, and the hilariousness of it all.

*Indians always know how to get a deal.

Christmas Party and More

I'm looking pretty cute today.

Got my little red and white Christmas hat with fake white hair extension braids sticking out on either side. Hats suit me I think. My husband thinks I look cute - like a German. The only uninvited guest on my face at the moment is a horrible pimple. As usual it has come at the wrong time: our Company's Christmas Party is tonight. Nothing concealer can't fix though.

Still deciding what to wear. Don't wanna pitch up looking too formal, but on the other hand your colleagues have only ever seen you wearing your work shirt. In a way you do want to make a bit of an impression. Like, this is the real Gnome. Better pluck my eyebrows. And should I wear makeup? I hardly ever do. Only for special occasions. Does this count as such an occasion?

Sat for a long time studying the menu of the place we're going to tonight. We had to give our orders in this morning already. You have to be careful of your choices. You don't want to choose something that could be potentially embarrassing - such as prawns or chicken or something that you would have to approach with knife and fork, and then have to leave a lot of the meat on the bone. Rather get something you can just shovel down and make sure you use all the money the stingy company has allocated to you.

I've always had trouble choosing what to eat. Once I find a good dish I seem to stick to it. Which is so boring! I wish I was more adventurous with my food choices... I've become rather dependent on my husband when it comes to choosing dishes. He seems to know exactly what I want. He makes deciding what to eat so much easier. He's totally taken to the whole cooking thing as well. I hardly ever cook anymore. The only thing I make is salad. I really bagged a winner. *Gnome is so proud of her choice of husband*

So my colleague wanted to know if I've got any good jokes for tonight. God forbid I'd have to tell a joke. I am so bad, and when I try, they ALWAYS fall flat and people just don't laugh. Cringe. Luckily our one colleague is a bit of a loud mouth, so rest assured, we won't have to make too much needless conversation. I'm actually just there for the food after all.

Departures

So my favourite colleague handed in his resignation today. I'm rather sad. Not sure if it's because I'm a little jealous that he's moving up in the world, or because I have so much uncertainty in my life that I don't want the little comfort zone I have at work to be rattled in any way. I know change is inevitable, but I was hoping it would be change that I have control over. Like me moving. Not like a colleague (favourite at that) moving on to a better job. We always have so much fun together.

Maybe that's why I am sad. He was the only one at work I could really laugh with. I think I'm really going to miss him. Work will probably turn into a fairly dull affair. Even duller than it is at the moment.

It seems like a lot of people are leaving.

My good friend Mrs M is also nearing her departure. This has probably made my colleague's resignation so much more tangible for me. I hate saying goodbye. The people staying behind are always worse off than those that are doing the leaving.

My sister is probably leaving soon too. I don't really want to think about that right now. My aunt is leaving to go back to Germany in a few days. My grandfather is leaving for heaven sometime.

Apart from the fact that I will miss all these people dearly, the more I think about it, the more I realise that I dislike change. Change in things that are good already. I guess we're all like that in some ways. Scared of change. I hate that I like my comfort zones and my set ways. I want to be out of the box and different and adventurous. But here I am in my 8 - 5 lamenting change that I can't control...

9780195783292

9780636071827 9781415400241 9780521694537 9781919769462

Translation: I don’t think I can see another 13 digit ISBN number. I have done pages and pages of quotes, with pages and pages of 13 digit ISBN numbers. It’s all I can think about. I don’t even have to look at the keyboard anymore. My fingers just automatically know where to go.

*Gnome wonders if this newly acquired skill might become her claim to fame somewhere in the future… “Gnome holds the Guiness World Record for the longest list of 13 digit ISBN numbers correctly typed, without looking at the keyboard”… *

So we’ve been thinking about what to do for our office Christmas Party. It’s always such an issue. You need to do something that will please everyone. Some people want to get together with our colleagues from Durban for a braai. Others just want to have a quiet dinner. Others don't care, but just want to drink. Others think that we should do something fun and exciting – eating together seems like a rather boring endeavor to them.

And this with only 6 of us in the office. What do big companies do? Somebody probably just makes an executive decision.

I don’t particularly mind what we do for the office Christmas Party, I just hope that I will find someone to have a decent chat with. Not that I don’t get on with my colleagues, but that’s really all they are to me: colleagues. We work together and that’s about it. I’m not sure how to handle “social interactions” with them… I guess I’ll have to worry about that when the time comes.

That’s my trial philosophy for the week (still seeing if it works…). “Worry about it when the time comes”. Turns out there’s quite a lot to be concerned about at the moment. We’ve been planning our January 2008 holiday for months now (it’s our 1 year wedding anniversary, and a friend’s wedding). We’re heading to the Garden Route. We’ve booked accommodation (paid a deposit and all), saved up diligently every month, and are seriously looking forward to our first real holiday together.

But now it seems that January is out for taking time off. It’s the busy season. Plus the shop might close in December, for which our carefully saved up holiday days will be sacrificed. Seems like there’s not much choice in the matter. I’m not sure why I’m so calm… I pleaded with my manager who said she will see what she can do. I have decided that I will take unpaid leave if necessary. Come hell or high water, we are going on holiday. And it’s gonna be the best holiday ever.

So yesterday I was watching some of the survivors of the military disaster speak out. A lady who had lost her arm was being visited by a senior officer. She asked him what had gone wrong. When he didn't have an answer, she said (a bit in despair): "Look, I have lost my arm!" With a cold expression, and a shrug of the shoulders he said: "That’s the nature of our job."
How do you say that to someone who has lost their arm…!?!?

My mother-in-law is visiting at the moment. Contrary to usual monster, uh, mother-in-laws, mine is just wonderful. And she doesn't mind doing the dishes. And she is a marvellous cook. And she loves buying me earrings. And she raised a wonderful son.

Close call

So I had a close call with the colleague in question (the one I always complain about). I was busy trying to formulate a fax and was having trouble with the wording. So the colleague in question said:
"Well, if you have trouble with it, then no-one can help you."
(I took that as a compliment for my writing skills but was a little worried... How does he know how I write...?)
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, you forget. I have read your..." (He hesitates.)
(I panic!! He's read my blog! Oh crap. He knows exactly what I say about him! GULP)
"...Your weekly minutes for our meetings."

WHEW.

(Note to self: STOP writing about irritating colleague in case he one day stumbles onto my blog)

Laziness

I'm sure most have you have had to do groupwork somewhere along the line in your lives. In a group you get 2 types of people: those that actually do the work, and those that don't work and just sponge off the rest.

I was always the unfortunate idiot who would end up doing the work.

I have worked in some groups, however, where there has been excellent teamwork - where everyone had pulled their weight. My colleagues at the moment are a shining example of this. Everyone helps the other out when there is a need. Especially during the busy time now. I don't hesitate to ask my colleagues for help if I need it, and they all always willing to help.

Except one guy.

Oh. my. hat.

This bloke literally sits in front of his computer most of the day reading stories. Rarely he will come to the front to help. When you ask him to help you with something it seems as though he is really irritated with you for tearing him away from his "work". When the phone rings, he hardly ever picks it up - only when it's rung at least 7 times does he bother with it. If we're not that busy, this means that he manages to avoid helping customers in person as well as on the phone ALL DAY.

This really really really really grates my carrot.

Don't fish

Really don't like it when people fish for information. If you have a question, just ask me straight out! I went to the doctor yesterday, and one of my colleagues was really curious why. But instead of asking me why I went, or what's wrong, she kept saying:
"Are you OK?"
"Are you sick?"
"M told me that you went to the doctor and you weren't well! Are you OK now?"

Gee whizz man. Eventually I told her just to get her off my back.