A Little After Work Entertainment

Office parties are always an interesting balance between business and reality. On one hand you head in there knowing that there are people you have been trying to track down for days and need to get a few quick answers or schedule a few meetings for the following week while, at the same time, you just want to relax a little bit and enjoy the informal get together. The trick is learning the give and take of the two.

Tonight was one of those nights for me as I attended a client’s holiday party. There were a couple quick things that I need to talk to a few people about but I made sure I worked them in and moved on as fast as possible. They had to get handled but I didn’t want to ruin the night with work. Plus you want to avoid getting the evil eye from their wife who is standing a couple feet away listening to every word.

The rest of the time is an excellent opportunity to let your guard down just a little bit and talk to as many people as you can. While you undoubtedly know many of them, there are bound to be a few people whom you’ve never met and a handful of people who have, until tonight, been a name on an email. Just like any event, meeting, or other type of gathering I’ve been to I go into it with the simple reality that you never know who you are going to meet or what you will wind up talking about.

Tonight the topics ranged from Rotary, Masonry, and other clubs and organizations to politics, firearms, and genealogy. It was quote the interesting night of ever changing dialogue and jumping from one completely different topic to another based on the person with whom I was speaking. But it was fun having a little variety in the night and I was able to learn a lot about many of the people in attendance.

Inevitably, at just about every office party I have ever been to, there always seems to be someone who becomes very loud toward the end of the night. Usually someone who has had a little too much to drink, whose face is about three shades beyond pink, and they still have a drink in their hand. Often their volume is accompanied with an overestimation of their abilities and a lack of appreciation for others around them (as well as people not around to defend themselves).

I like to remember these parties, the good and the bad, which is why I don’t drink at such events. Of course, the other major factor is that often I have to drive home but mainly it is because I don’t want to risk forgetting the details of what took place, again the good and the not so good. It is also ensures that I don’t turn into that guy. And if you’ve never seen that guy at an office party you better get some help. Don’t be that person. Be the one who remembers.

Have You Been Enjoying My Box Of Chocolates?

200 days ago this blog didn’t exist. It was a time when I would rarely set aside the time to write. Sometimes I would be doing other worthwhile projects but many times I would simply be passing the time. There were many lost thoughts and forgotten recordings of my life that I would like to have back but know that is never going to be the case.

There have been days/nights when I have had a lot to say and there have been times, like tonight, when I just start writing and hope that I eventually stumble into something worth recording. That is how it goes when you post daily blogs… at least that is what happens to me. This is a medium that is reflective of life and sometimes it is interesting and exciting and sometimes not much is going on. This is accentuated by the fact that I am generally not a very interesting person and live a pretty simple life.

Of course, there have been times of opinion sharing and other posts have been about life and what experiences I have been fortunate enough to have during the whirlwind of days. In one post I could rant about presidential selfies and BS sign language translators while the next post could be about a nice little day trip into the mountains. I prefer keeping a blog using the Forrest Gump box of chocolates school of writing. Basically, if you don’t like what I have to say today just come back tomorrow and there will be something completely Monty Python.

All too often, and I have been guilt of this in the past, writers like to play the equivalent of the creative or literary knock out game. Some people have a perfect punch in their words and some of us get luck every once in a while but, most of the time, we are all taking big swings hoping that one piece connects with the audience. When it happens it’s a great feeling but it is also tiring. And I mean a George Forman kind of tired.

By writing daily, freely and openly, I have been happy to keep jabbing. Some hit hard, some clearly miss the mark but I keep throwing my first out there in a deliberate and constant way. Most of them make contact and keep me in shape. This is a matter of endurance and just like running a race at some point you are going to have to push through a wall, sometimes many walls. It the nature of the creative marathon and one that is both rewarding and addictive. 200 posts later and I am still running.

Look, It’s A Happy Tree!

Today reminded me of those cold winter days from childhood when school is closed an you have free reign of the house. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I was able to make it to work this morning with little difficulty. It may have been a slow journey with idiots on the road that don’t know how to drive in the snow but those same people can’t drive when the roads are clear so it wasn’t much of a difference.

While I was not able to partake in such lack of activity, the white landscape made me recall such memories. Many of you remember those same mornings watching Bob Barker put some shady moves on his beauties (by the way, happy 90^th Bob) just before ABC news at noon would tell you that Armageddon is upon us and we should all start coming to terms with our life and our G-d. But that was just a fleeting thought from those antsy days. The real entertainment didn’t begin until the afternoon.

When were much younger those afternoon hours were filled with cartoons or Sesame Street or a stroll through Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. A few years later it turned into Gilligan’s Island and Hogan’s Heroes mini marathons with the occasional sojourn with the Addams Family or the Munsters. But, inevitably, there was a time during those school days when there was a show so fascinating that you could watch episode after episode until the sky turned dark.

 

Some of you may not remember but Bob Ross was like snow day crack for those of us of a certain age. For some reason we could watch him paint, yes I said paint, for hours at a time. Happy tree after happy tree we could never understand the appeal but, at the same time, couldn’t take our eyes off of the screen. It all seemed so easy but we didn’t, at least those of us with an absence of artistic ability, know how to do it. We may have tried from time to time but our trees seemed more like a Dali inspired Rorschach test rather than happy.

But, years later, I think I have finally figured out why it was, and to a certain extent still is, so entertaining… it is a legal mellowness. Simply watching this guy for thirty minutes will get you high by association which makes sense because he seems higher than Jim Henson when he created Fraggle Rock during every episode. That is the only explanation for the fact that “happy trees” seeming like a logical description. This might be why the “just say no” campaign was so successful at the time… everyone was watching Bob Ross on PBS and didn’t need it.  

So, if you need to mellow, sit down and relax. Light a scented candle, grab a pile of snacks, and

watch Bob Ross. I can feel my eyes getting blood shot already. Just make sure you don’t have to drive anywhere for at least twelve hours afterward of you might find yourself being one of those idiots on the road that doesn’t know how to drive.   

My Love And Hate Of Heavy Traffic

Well, we’re waiting for the snow to fall again. The most recent projections are for four to six inches which roughly translates to either a dusting or fifty degrees and sunny. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. I am just going to prepare myself for blaring brake lights as soon as a flake hits someone’s windshield while driving to work in the morning.

I never understood the overreaction that overwhelms people while driving on the highway. The slightest amount of precipitation and you would think that the world is coming to an end. Half the people on the road slam on the brakes while most of the other seem to go as fast as they can in what looks like a feeble attempt to outrun the weather.

This was largely the case this morning on my way into the office. Fortunately, the traffic seemed to be light and I was even able to take the highway to work the entire way. Anyone who lives in the Philadelphia area knows that a smooth ride on the Schuylkill Expressway is a rarity. In fact, given the weather one would have thought that hell had frozen over with the road being so clear.  

While the roads were clear, the office was bumper to bumper emails and meetings all day. From the usual account work to lodge emails pouring into my personal account, it was a deluge of correspondence that seemed to never end and all I could do is keep throwing balls in the air in an attempt to juggle. It was one of those days that felt like sitting in traffic… just when you think things are opening up, more cars merge onto the interstate and slow you back down. While progress was made, it wasn’t the kind that you were expecting and by the time you got to the end of the day, there was a lot of things that had to be pushed back to the evening or the next day.

However, while I despise sitting in traffic (especially behind a Nissan with New Jersey plates) I enjoy the same feeling when it comes to work. There are always dozens of things that have to be done, emails that have to be sent out, projects that have to be completed, and writing that has to be created and edited. While there are a few days that can be considered ‘regular’, this is not your usual nine to five job. In what might deem a twisted way I love this work and the long hours that we all put in at the office as a team. Given the long days and the way we treat one another it really is more of a family than anything (quirks and all) and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Bring on the snow and bring on the traffic.

Thank You For The Accurate Forecast

Once again the Weather Channel was spot on predicting the precipitation for the day. What was originally going to be an inch or two is now approximately five inches sitting on top the cars in the parking lot. I think Carnac would have been more accurate. Adding to the fun is the fact that there is a nice thin coating of ice on everything including the unplowed pavement. Given that drivers lately have had a difficult time in clear road conditions, this should make for an interesting commute in the morning.

 

The afternoon was filled with the sounds of a winter preview as the flakes fell by the window and rode on the occasional breeze across the rows of cars and onto the train tracks running behind our building. Occasionally we would hear the crunch of the snow packing beneath someone’s feet as they walked to their car or the creek of solidifying snow under the tires of residents returning. But, for the most part, it was quiet. The kind of quiet that only snow can bring to the world.

With the snow falling steadily all day, my wife and I hunkered down and enjoyed a day to ourselves in the apartment. We took care of some cleaning (the dishes were more stubborn in their occupation of the kitchen than those people who decided to clog up the cities a few years ago) and finally settled down to watch a couple of movies we had been meaning to view for some time now. I guess the day wasn’t a complete loss but it would have been nice to get out and get a few other things done like getting a long overdue haircut. However, these kinds of days are good for us. Whether you like the snow or not, it forces you to slow down for a little bit and take a break from your usual daily or weekend routine.

I firmly believe that this is only the beginning of an impressive winter of heavy snow and frigid temperatures. The past couple of years have given us casual winters where there were only the occasional reminders of the season. In just a couple of weeks the winter will officially take hold of the calendar and the smell of snow will fill our nostrils for months rather than the infrequent wafts that have passed by our noses up to this point. But maybe that is the kind of year that we need… maybe we need a season when we take time to enjoy life by just slowing down every once in a while. I don’t know, maybe that is the plan G-d has for us. Either way, it is going to be a year of interesting morning commutes.

 

I Now Have Sisters Too…

This morning my wife and I were off to Franconia for something that has been on our schedules for some time now. After a very tasty breakfast surrounded by quickly made friends and those whom we have had the chance to get to know prior to the day. While I have been through similar events over the past year this was the first time that my wife has been through such an experience. Today my wife and I were inducted into the Order of the Eastern Star (OES).

Heading into the ceremony I wasn’t sure how my wife was going to react. More accurately, I wasn’t sure what kind of experience she was going to have. While I knew the broad strokes of what was going to happen it is such a personal reaction that it is hard to judge how people will react.

It is interesting, OES has many more Christian overtones than what I have experienced in Masonry thus far. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I was going to react but framed the way that they are, as virtuous examples, I am fine with the way that things are handled. While it will never be a bastion for local Jewry, it is a group of faithful brothers and sisters who believe in G-d and respect the difference in beliefs that each of us carry in our hearts and minds.

Every once in a while, throughout the morning and early afternoon, I would look at my wife just to see how she was doing. A little bit to my surprise, she seemed fine the entire time. No moments of fear or panic, there was even a bit of comfort and relief that seemed to pass over he over the final few minutes of the induction. Similar, not the same but similar, to my time in lodge there was a sense of welcome and comfort that I felt and, as it turns out, my wife felt during the meeting.

This was particularly impressive considering we were the center of attention at the OES Regional Meeting where many brothers and sisters were focused on our every word and action. I am very proud of my wife for pushing herself and going through with the induction. It was something that I am glad we were able to do together and both forget about work for just a small portion of our week.

This was also an occasion that made me appreciate even more the time that I spend with my brothers at the lodge and the connection I have with the fraternity. I hope that my wife is able to develop that same connection but that is up to here and takes time. In the meantime, I am simply going to look forward to our time together at our chapter every month.  

Mail Call!

Wouldn't it be ironic if you could order these on Amazon?

 

As the emails from Amazon flood my inbox, I am beginning to realize just how bad of an idea the whole drone delivery idea is and how much of an annoyance the whole program could be. Having placed a single order on Amazon, I am now going to receive a half dozen boxes over the next week or so with a few arriving on the same day. Just imagine a flock (or would it be a gaggle) of drones flying toward your house, each carrying a single five dollar DVD. Doesn’t seem like it would be a pleasant sight to see although it might be cause for some twelve gauge fun. Even the Vice President thinks so... 

 

 

The other side of the equation is the fact that I enjoy getting mail. I like getting letters. I look forward to seeing what is waiting for me (especially when I am not expecting anything. There is also the fact that when you live in an apartment building as I do, getting the mail can be cause for a social occasion. You never know who else is going to be in the lobby when you go to your mailbox. Additionally, on the rare occasion when the mailman is sorting through everything, it is nice to chat with him.

Thinking back, I can recall our old dog, Laddie, who also looked forward to seeing the mailman on a daily basis. Of course, he wasn’t in it for the mail, he was merely obsessed with chasing the Jeep as it pulled away from the mailbox and headed up the street. Even in the latter part of the dog’s life, unable to move his tail (car + dog = limp tail) he would still chase the truck as his tail spun in circles like a pinwheel. Kind of a sad sight the first few times you see it but funny as heck looking back.

 

I don’t know, things naturally change over time but there are some things that, through their familiarity, bring us some semblance of comfort to our daily lives. The USPS is one of those services. While physical mail seems to be less and less common (especially with postage around the cost of a Kennedy), it is still a necessity and going to something along the lines of drones is a change that will drastically change the perception of mail and the comfort that this, what some consider antiquated, service provides.

Changes such as this recent proposal will have and an overarching effect on the postal service and soon the notion of the mailbox along the street will be a rusty memory. Sadly, this is already becoming a reality as I recall the dilemma a former coworker faced when they had to ask me how to address an envelope. If things have already changed this much how long is it really going to take before everything is turned upside-down?