Thursday, June 08, 2006

Shredded Cheese: Stickier Than You Thought

Someone new and important started working at my office the other day. The only reason I know this is that our group took this person out to lunch. It wasn't a group decision. The Boss came over and told us we were all going to lunch with this person.

Um. ok.

I'm accustomed to watching our new hires tentatively go to lunch on their own for months before they hook up socially with another co-worker. We generally don't do the "hey, welcome and get to know us better" thing.

How much do I love lunches with co-workers (who don't know me) and bosses? I'd rather jump in the ocean with jeans on, and then wear wet, sand filled pants all day. Granted, it's been a good 15 years since I've experienced said wet sandy pants discomfort, but I'm telling you it would be better than these lunches.

So let me break down how not well this lunch session went:

1. There were so many people in our group, we got split up into two tables. I got stuck at the table with the boss and two other attorneys I work for. The new person we were supposed to be welcoming DIDN'T EVEN GET TO MEET THEIR NEW BOSS. Instead, that person got to sit with all the other people in our group, the very people in our group that DO know me, and I wouldn't be uncomfortable lunching with.

2. My boss involuntarily impersonated Scott Ian of Anthrax. With cheese.
Let me explain what I mean. If you don't know who Scott Ian is, try clicking this link -
http://images.google.com/images?q=scott+ian&hl=en

Do you see that beardie type thing hanging off of Mr. Ian's chin? Ok, now imagine my Boss - a distinguished business type person, dressed in a suit, more hair on his head and a Scott Ian beard of SHREDDED CHEESE. He had taken a bite out of his food, and the cheese, at least 3 shreds of it, had attached themselves to his chin and the free ends were waving around as he spoke of important business type things.

I was sitting next to him, and watched as the cheese flapped around in the direction of the other two attorneys at the table. Both of those attorneys were sitting across from him, so I kept shooting the one directly across from him the "OMG YOU SEE THAT - I know you see that - it's your duty to tell him he's RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" look.

This particular attorney gave me the "No way in hell am I doing that. I'm not telling him, YOU tell him." look back.

Realizing I was about to lose a silent eyefight with an attorney, and in serious danger of laughing out loud at my Boss With Cheese On, I waited for the next available pause in conversation and elbowed the Boss while making the international "go like this" napkin signal.

The Boss shed his cheese and I whispered "kill me" into my diet coke. Approximately an hour later I was back at my desk wishing I had played hookie that day and been forced to wear jeans into the ocean.

8 comments:

Theresa said...

You're killing me! Very very funny post.

Big Question:
How did a clever woman like you end up at the Grown-Ups table?

i used to be me said...

How funny!
I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to contain myself, especially after a silent eyefight.

AndyT13 said...

Classic! "Go Like This!" Hahaha!

BostonPobble said...

You. Were. In. Hell. For so many reasons...

Aisha T. said...

Scott Ian of Anthrax. Classic! Geee...business with what is supposed to be pleasure (I take pleasure in eating) they shouldn't be mixed. A near seconc is the first date as a dinner date (all that supposed talking as you are trying to chew food and make a good first impression).

Ms. Amanda Tate said...

Oh, honey, how funny are you? That is priceless.

Polyman2 said...

At least it was just cheese and not a long booger.
When I worked in an office,
we took a job applicant with us
to lunch at the bosses insistance.
We got bombed and the poor snook
didn't even get hired. HA!

Ryan said...

Oh! The VH1 dude! Why didn't you say so? :p