I finished a couple things off, crawled under a table and got kissed - twice.
Monday: AJ called us together for the morning meeting and said he'd decided over the weekend to implement an "ideas pool" policy to follow on from last week's "companion" policy. He didn't get to sit with us all last week as he'd wanted to because of the stationary problem, but he has some great ideas as to how we all can work more efficiently, which he'd have been able to prove would work if he had in fact sat with us. As he didn't we'll just have to implement them and make them work.
Donna said how about leaving it until after Christmas now, as this week's only a short week and we won't have time to put them into practise. He said what? James said well, we're finishing at lunch time on Friday aren't we? AJ said oh, no, I agreed last week we'd work until four as normal. Head Office are. Didn't I tell you?
It went a little quiet then, so he said well, we'll be a bit busy over the next few days, so I suppose you're right and we'll leave it until after Christmas. Then he went back into his office.
We all waited until he'd gone and Donna said that's wonderful, doesn't it make you sick. She said he still hasn't said he's not coming to the Christmas meal with us on Wednesday, and I ought to have confirmed the numbers by now. James said go on, ask him, so she got up and went into his office after him. She came out smiling and said I asked him and he said well, I'd really like to but I've been invited to the Head Office party from two until four, so I think I'll have to give it a miss this year. We all said oh, that's a shame.
Tuesday: Donna brought some balloons and streamers in with her this morning to decorate the office up a little, and she and LeeAnn put them up all over the partitions and the cabinets. They came over to put some up in my office, but there's nowhere to put them. Donna said oh but you must have some decorations, so I took a piece of red ribbon and arranged it over my fern plant.
Spent the day finishing and filing the paperwork for all the orders shipped last week, and helping Donna, LeeAnn and James carry boxes of completed paperwork down to the Filing room for storage.
The printer service repair engineer didn't show, so I called up and they said he'd been delayed and he'd be in tomorrow.
Wednesday: We all went out to the restaurant Donna had arranged at lunchbreak, and with AJ out at Head Office until at least four Mike said we don't have to rush back. The meal was pretty good and everything went OK, until the end when the waitress came over to set up for coffee and put some foil-wrapped chocolate mints in a dish on the table. That's when Amy put her elbow on the edge of the dish and they all went on the floor under the table. She said oh sorry and tried to reach them, but it was too cramped and too dark. LeeAnn said I'll get them and leant right over until she was almost lying across me but still couldn't get far enough under the table. I said oh hold on I'll do it.
There aren't many advantages to being short and skinny, but it's easy to manoeuvre under a table in the dark in a crowded restaurant. I found a brussel-sprout by putting my hand on it, and part of a bread roll, then found the chocolates. Donna was giggling by then and James said what're you doing under there, squeezing knees? So I worked out where he was sitting and squeezed his. He banged his leg hard on the table getting away, the others all laughed and LeeAnn said hah, serves you right.
We all were real quiet during the afternoon. It was warm in the office, and I didn't seem to get much done - the time went by much faster than I thought as well. AJ called Amy up at about four and said the Head Office party was just finishing now and it'd been a great success, and he'd see us all tomorrow.
The printer service repair engineer still didn't show, so I called them up again. They said he'd been delayed and he'd be in tomorrow - I said you said that yesterday and they said we mean it this time.
Thursday: Carly told Donna all about yesterday's party at Head Office last night. All the Big Bosses had stood at one end of the room with their CEOs in tight formation around them, all holding glasses of orange (as none of them wanted to risk drinking alcohol in case they lost control of their mouth), complementing him on how well he'd done and speculating as to which one was going to win the official annual BotY award - Board Member of the Year.
All the workers had been down the other end of the room with their glasses of orange (as they'd not been allowed any alcohol in case they lost control of their mouth and told their CEO something he didn't want to hear), and voting on which Big Boss was going to win the totally unofficial annual PotY award - Plank of the Year.
The party had ended up when the Biggest Boss had finished his juice and announced who'd won the BotY - the Personnel Director for his new "Multiple-choice Appraisal" scheme. He then wished them all a Happy Christmas and left. All the Big Bosses and CEOs went too, and then the Biggest Boss's PA announced who'd won the PotY - the Personnel Director for his new "Multiple-choice Appraisal" scheme. So the party sounds like it was a real blast.
The printer service repair engineer came in about ten-thirty, and said yes, he knew he should have been in yesterday but he'd been held up on a couple urgent jobs. I said this one's urgent, we've been waiting six weeks now, and he said oh it's the time of year. He fitted the replacement part - it took about a half minute - and said there you go mate. I said is that it? and he said yes. I said but it only took you a couple seconds and he said well, yes - I can break something else if you want me to work on it a bit longer, so I said no, that's fine.
Friday: We didn't have a morning meeting so I spent the time sorting all the uncompleted export and shipment papers. All the others were tidying up too and the office looks real neat. We all finished at about a quarter to one, then just sat around listening to the machines being switched off downstairs and the Shopfloor going home. Then Donna took a phone call from Carly to say they'd just closed at Head Office and she was on her way to pick her up. She said that's it I've had enough, and went off to talk to AJ about it.
She came back with AJ behind her and he said was that right and Head Office had just finished? We all said yes, and did we have to stay if they'd gone? He said but I thought they were staying until four - hold on, I'll call them. He called from Donna's desk but of course nobody answered. After he'd tried for about five minutes with us all watching him, he said well, it seems they've gone home after all. I thought we were staying until four as normal today. The last machine had just been switched off downstairs and it had gone totally quiet. After a while he realized we all were sitting looking at him, so he said do you want to go early then, or stay until four? Donna, James and Amy all said we'll go, and Fiona got up and started putting her coat on. I said we all ought to go, really, even if we all wanted to stay until four, as it'd make Head Office look bad, wouldn't it? AJ said well in that case, I'm sure you'd all like to get away early today.
We all said goodbye and Happy Christmas and Donna started into kissing everyone (including me), but AJ ducked out at that and ran back into his office. We all didn't care, as we all were too busy watching James kissing Donna back.
LeeAnn and I went out the side exit as we were both walking so we met Steve from Stores and the Packers coming out. Steve said we're all off down the pub, do you want to come? I said yes, OK and LeeAnn said I'll come too. Steve said here, try this, and bought me a pint of something he said was Cask - it made my ears go hot and feel reckless so I paid for LeeAnn's second pint, and then the Packers cheered when she kissed me Merry Christmas. I think it was the Cask that made me blush though.
read 00/12/11-15 or read 00/12/25-29 