It's my party, I can whine if I want to

[yendi]

So, as I mentioned in the post located here (where the merits of various pies are still being discussed), I made a pie last night. It was a pumpkin pie, and it was made because we have our ATG (our department) office party today (the party last Friday was for ITD, our division). So, why be upset about having yet another party, especially one to which José has promised to bring his amazing tres leches cake (with alcohol)? Because it's in our Cubeland. Which means that for two hours, work can't get done. Period. And this is during a time when I've got a shitload of work to do. With the library party, I left after twenty minutes. The English party continued for two hours after I left. With the ITD party, it was after hours, and we still left early. But this one, you just can't escape.

And worse, it's got a compulsary white elephant gift circle, where everyone draws a number, the lowest number picks a gift, and then the higher numbers can pick other gifts or trade with someone below them (most of the gifts tend to suck ass). It was cute the first time we did it. This is our fourth year doing it. I hope I get a scythe. It could happen.

Bah fucking humbug.

But the pumpkin pie tastes yummy. And the other desserts (as well as Kim's jambalaya) will make me happy and full, I don't doubt.

Comments

[cissa.livejournal.com]

I never understood the compulsory gift thing. I mean, wouldn't it be better for everyone if those who didn't want to do it didn't have to?

The one at J's work is apparently fun. The default gift is a bottle of wine, but some people get very creative-- last year the hot gift, traded frequently, was a bag full of Rocky & Bullwinkle small stuffed toys, which had been on clearance 2/$1. Great concept! J brought a gyroscopic flying saucer and a stuffed alien, which wasn't as popular as we'd hoped. This year he just brought wine, though.

But it's optional.

[yendi]

Rocky and Bullwinkle! Want! Need!

Our gift-giving is psuedo-optional. You could duck out, but you wouldn't be "a part of the team." OTOH, I just took the tacky gift I got last year (a crappy mindbender puzzle), and re-wrapped it. No cost. :-)

[cissa.livejournal.com]

I don't know where you'd find the R&B toys now. I think they'd made them for the movie or something, and they were on clearance at a local drugstore. I got a couple but didn't think to get the whole set...

Good idea, to put the puzzle back in play again!

I am SO glad I don't have a corporate job. I would not deal well with all the "team-building" shit. J tolerates it with saintly patience IMHO. BTW, there was a great story in F&SF a while back, about a company that did team-building exercises that put people in exploding volcanoes, on sinking ships without enough lifeboats, etc. Sick and funny.

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

We tried the white elephant/Chinese Auction thing a few years back. But it was stipulated that the gift had to be as tacky as and in the worst taste possible. That was actually fun. Of course, that was before our current commissioner who seems to frown on fun of any kind.

Now, it's pretty much you get gifts for your friends and each unit (Medicaid, Public Assistance, Food Stamps) and each division within each unit gets little gifts for the other members of their unit/division. Which is okay, though it can be expensive. Fortunately, I'm no longer in the Employment Unit, which is the largest of the bunch, where gifting was Not An Option, if you wished to Remain A Team Player.

[bouncepogo.livejournal.com]

We used to do that with my ex-in-laws, there were too many people to buy gifts for. For some reason they called it Chinese Christmas, though.