Lord - we pay for our own lunches - but we DO get to have the afternoon off.
There is an afternoon off as well.
But that's something different again.
Interesting perspective, hingehead. I like to spend time with some of my colleagues away from work. I share interests with several of them. I like their company - and my s.o. has happily spent time with several of them, getting together for food and drinks after work when he's in town. We all like to natter about politics and linguistics and sports and stuff. But dancing, <sigh> it's the great divide for us.
I've had a few careers and a number of jobs - so I'd have different answers at different firms. I liked the Christmas parties where I worked after school and on weekends in high school and college, a hospital in Santa Monica. They were simple organizational type parties, with some sort of pin in a ribboned box for the women and I don't remember what for the men. That was back when I was pleased to be part of the place; my best memory of a hospital party then was the hospital picnic in summertime. Some people I thought were cool asked me to join them that first summer and I felt like such a grown up.
Later, in my lab medicine years, I worked in three places, the main one being UCLA. I liked those parties a lot, a lot, er, a lot. Did I tell you about the time...
Then I studied landscape architecture and interned at a firm, and by then I was married. It was a small firm and we all usually got along, except when we didn't at all. We had several good parties of the food and drink and talk type, significant others being present. Best memory is of a friend who has since died of aids telling wonderful social and architecture stories, making me wish sometime later, yet again, that sometimes we taped conversations. Another memory is of m'boss, married, meeting my friend, J, living with E. I don't think I've talked with him since, all these years later, that he doesn't ask me how J. is.
And now I have my own wee firm. We have a design firm and an art gallery, and the openings for the gallery wear us out re party giving. Our better treat for ourselves is to shut our doors and go to the sort of fancy coffee shop at the marina and have some of their dreck wine and look at the boats - I know, boring, but still, kind of a way to connect past the work day; we usually call my business partner's husband and he joins us. Once in a great while... for example when that horse was racing this last year that was such a story.. forget his name.. anyway, we closed the door and went to the Saffire Rose and had a) a martini, and me, b) a Laphroig on the rocks. OK, well, two of those, plus some salted nuts and watched tv for a few hours with about six other people who wandered by.
Parties may vary...
Sadly there are precious few people at work who I would like to spend a lot of social time with. A couple of drinks after work sure.
I'm not a snob, ask anyone. Anyone who counts anyway.
Our work do is an annual event, we have an active social club and membership is $2 a pay, and the XMAS party is free to members. Our employer gives us the afternoon off to attend. It is pretty rare for anyone to bring a partner or friend, but not unheard of.
I'm going to NY for my company party....since I'm flying, they won't allow me to bring my 12 Gerbils.
Physics parties are a variegated lot. I've gone to absolutely stunningly boring gatherings of socially inept physicists, but then I've also met some really cool interesting people. Had one rip-roaring male vs. female debate, me and another physics wife (though she was also a professor herself, forget the field now) vs. a couple of male physicists about women in science. That was great. That's a general plus about physcists -- big debators.
Haven't gone to dancing-type parties, though we may have just been invited to one -- definitely a more formal sort of thing.
Some of my lifetime friends are from different workplaces, and many now live dispersed over thousands of miles, but we keep up, at least somewhat.
But I know, there are some workplaces where you never want to see anyone again, ever, including the next day.
dagmaraka wrote:My boss throws a fabulous dinner party at his house. S.O.'s welcome and they do come, for it is a treat. My bf will be there, but since I'm a staff and he a fellow, we can't go together. in fact we pretend we have nothing to do with each other. a true romeo and juliet story. then we go home together.
See, now that's the way it should be done. I'm catering two such dinners in the next couple of weeks.
Soz, I used to work for a engineering firm, speaking of stunningly boring. They loosened up as they lubricated but then they just got stupid. Where I work now, we just have a party in the office the day before Christmas.
ehBeth wrote:There is an afternoon off as well.
But that's something different again.
Interesting perspective, hingehead. I like to spend time with some of my colleagues away from work. I share interests with several of them. I like their company - and my s.o. has happily spent time with several of them, getting together for food and drinks after work when he's in town. We all like to natter about politics and linguistics and sports and stuff. But dancing, <sigh> it's the great divide for us.
beth m'dear, you seem to miss the entire point of 'party!@#$%&*!!"
a party is a place where you indulge whatever 'needs' (urges) you have (within the local regs of 'decency') in the company of whoever you deem to bring, and, hopefully with the backing of your partner, who is 'party' (p-t-p) to the shenanigans, and more than able to standup for themselves if the need arises.
Go for it girl; and dance your sweet ass off (oops sorry Set!)!
Mrs. cav and I took dancing lessons once, ballroom. I am no dancer. I hate it actually, but it was something we could do together that sounded like fun. Things didn't last long though, what with the very pretty instructor, and my needing a lot of extra attention. Just kidding....it was a free trial, and once it expired, and we found out how much further lessons were gonna cost, that was the real end of that.
I had about talked the Mrs into going to the company Christmas party this year - But then she learned it would cost us $25. Only employees get in free. Now she won't go. I agree that the piker company ought to ease up on this ridiculous rule, but since they won't, I still would like her to be there. Now I'm considering not going.
ossobuco wrote:Yes, Jane, we like leaving work early!
Ohhhh! I thought you meant the business was splitting up and hence there would be no party at all! Oh heck yeah....leaving work early is good anytime!
Taking a spouse to a party is rather like taking sand to the beach isn't it ?
bogowo - thanks for that input - i'm gonna do it myyyyyyyyyyyyy way! and i'm gonna boogie oogie oogie til i just can't boogie no more.
<omigod, Beth posted a thread!>
I don't have a s.o. and my work doesn't have xmas parties.
Aw, k!
Or maybe that's a blessing? :wink:
Well, I am a nanny - no xmas parties and I am quite happy with that. The lack of a s.o. is a little more sad.
Aw, littlek...okay, I'll be your significant other. You can tell everybody that your Kicky's girl! And I won't even leave my dirty underwear on the floor. Sound good?
