McYuck

Monday was a day from hell. Certainly the under-lords were being paid an enormous amount to meddle with me. It started with a meeting. Now, these meetings are SUPPOSED to uplift the staff and offer some sort of structure. Unfortunately this is far from what happened. Have you ever been in a meeting that literally just steals away your time like a bad cancer? If not, I pray that it remains that way. But if you have, you will understand just how draining a negative meeting about a meeting with people who just like to hear themselves talk really is.

Soon (one hour and twenty minutes) later, my teammates and I were back at our desks. The mood was stank and the energy was low. We were truly disappointed and just "blah". About an hour after that, I received word that we (the team) were going to lunch. YES!!! I figured Management wanted to rekindle the spirit of the group. I wondered where we would go. I mean working in the Galleria area offers so many options for the pallet. But soon my smile would turn into a frown. And no "Happy Meal" would fix that.

One hour after the notice about lunch, there I was sick and sad at McDonalds on Post Oak. Why, were we there? Because some of the foreigners wanted to try the effin McRib! WHY!? Who even knows what a McRib is? A greasy, saucy clump of random meat pieces formed to look like a rib. I mean we are in Texas, home of real bbq, why must thou settle for a fake rib? I was only able to get down about 2.5 bites of that horror sandwich. I felt my tummy turning inside out and my spirit fading away faster than the flat top and hammer-pants came and went. Even now as I recall that day, my face starts to lower. Why did I even participate? It seemed like I drank a gallon of carbonated soft-drink just to remove the taste from my mouth. And if you know me, you know that soft-drinks aren't really my thing. There I was frowning as I heard a few co-workers with thick accents say "Ummmm, this Mc-A-Rib isn't so bad afterall." Before long I found myself mentally checking out. I went to a normal place in my mind. A place where you don't get together and eat junk on lunch. A place with white tigers, unicorns and the Easter bunny. Soon the sounds of lip-smacking and pork sauce finger-licking wasn't even a factor. I just didn't care anymore.

I made a promise to myself that day- No more peer pressure! They already think I am strange at work. I may as well let them keep thinking that. I refuse to participate in anything over than what I am actually compensated to do.

Well friends, it's Friday now and you will be pleased to know that I stayed true to my word. Even when I was "kindly persuaded" to participate in an impromptu Thanksgiving Pot-Luck a full week before Thanksgiving, I simply didn't respond. (To hell with that read-receipt. I deleted the email and the notice telling me that it would tell you that I deleted it.) Yes, the food items sounded VERY tempting. I mean who would pass up a frito pie, spaghetti OR meatballs, corn and spinach casserole, fudge, chips and cola??!! *insert that sarcasm again*

So again, I lived another week, still standing, moving forward. Boldly placing one foot in front of the other. I mean what else can a Liz do?