Wednesday, January 24, 2007

i hate public speaking. i'd rather take a shot to the head than speak in public. so we have these 1.5 hour weekly meetings filled with go-getters and me. i never talk in these meetings. sometimes i chuckle which i hope will count for talking, or i nod with gusto.

the truth is, i feel so overwhelmed by the shere brilliance and absolute tedium of my fellow meeting-goers who actually create work for themselves ("I propose we write a proposal and present it to the directors and then write a business procedure to revamp all of the IST websites...") like who asked you?

there's this one super brilliant speciman who is perhaps twenty-six. she changes her hair color, it seems, every other tuesday. this week, she's a blonde. she runs the meetings, and if anyone suggests we need to create a Wiki, or an Excel file, or some such thing to document what we've discussed, she quickly hooks up her laptop to the projector and creates the file right then and there while everyone watches.

go-getter.

i try to make my face look like i'm concerned about the direction of the business procedure plans. i narrow my eyes and lean forward with my hand in my chin. or i sit back in my chair with my arm draped over the back of the chair like i own this meeting. mostly i drift off and wonder how (in the hell?) did i end up here? what strange path led me to this room filled with these inspired people who want to create work for themselves? oh yes. i got canned from my last job making granola.

11 comments:

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

bwaaahahhahaa


... i'm leaving work at 3pm to get a massage to try and help kick out the damage done with 3 endos on a stoopid cx ride on Sunday.

i won't be back until ...

~ lauren said...

this post makes me feel warm and fuzzy and like i'm not alone.

i nod and say "right" every so often. and then every once in a while ask a question so they think i'm paying attention.

but i tend to drift off and daydream as the answer is being talked about..i imagine rubbing the bald guy's head or pulling the hair on the older lady or squeezing the marketing guy's nose...

Unknown said...

this post is A+

Ippoc Amic said...

at least you don't have to hear the guy killing his cat while pretending to play the violin at a lunchtime meeting...oops, yes you did, last night at the retirement party...

PAB(a.k.a.CID) said...

oooo, i do hate the bad violin playing....but, that is another story...

You two kitty kats are such good candidates for getting the heck out of the big city and moving to the mountains....here, we shoot people who try to convene meetings...

marscat, i bet you'd love being an xc ski instructor--or perhaps a snow cat driver...

shawnkielty said...

Oh my god -- I bet you were thinking about riding a bike away from there.

Like &*^%, why don't you shut up, you crazy blonde this week over acheiver.

How did I get here?

Lilly Bella said...

going from go to no getter is directly porportional to the life you have outside of work.

I left my work early today too, so I could ride in the sunshine...and I like my fieldwork (teaching part) but it still gets in my way of life (meeting part).

Little first graders don't hold any meetings unless its a marble tourney, they are more like play groups...

The adults around them are the meeting goers, they decide how to measure their success as future contributors of society, twice a week. The problem is they keep measuring, drawing the same conclusions and not giving us anytime or money to actually do anything about it. They write "Strategic Plans" that they never implement, but hey no child left behind? We call it no bubble left behind. (scantron bubbling) Our society is getting dumber and dumber so pretty soon all go getters think that you work for living instead of the other way around. Anyway we now have 2 meetings a week instead of twice a month like in the old days.

6 year olds are smarter they know recess rules and learning should be fun.

marscat said...

OV: are you back yet?

lauren: you are not alone.

Trac: most generous

Ippoc: please blog it.

what's a Pab: do xc ski instructors hold meetings?

SK: i think about my training while i doodle and hope they think i'm taking notes.

Lilly: recess rules! yeah!

& ippoc is so tired of my work gripes so no more blogging about work...for a few days.

PAB(a.k.a.CID) said...

xc ski instructors might hold occasional safety meetings--purely optional of course...

EB said...

They should make jobs that are fun. Or just make food & lodging free. Or both.

~ lauren said...

please don't stop blogging about work. i love these posts.