top o' the mornin'®

[earendel]

Our office Christmas party is today, but there will be no reindeer games for this jolly old elf. Ive been banned from participation. Not because of my red nose but because I had a habit of winning every game. The games are of the usual type - Christmas trivia, name the song from the picture, complete the lyrics, and so forth. Unfortunately the games don't change that much from year to year and my velcro brain picks up the answers and doesn't forget them. So I'll eat and drink but watch others play the games.

[MarleysGh0st]

You've been banned!?

Contact the EEOC--that's got to be illegal discrimination!



Maybe if they tried the Festivus Feats of Strength, someone else would have a chance.

[earendel]

You've been banned!?

Contact the EEOC--that's got to be illegal discrimination!

Somehow I don't think there's a category for intellectual discrimination.

Maybe if they tried the Festivus Feats of Strength, someone else would have a chance.

That's for sure!

[Appa23]

Our office Christmas party is today, but there will be no reindeer games for this jolly old elf. Ive been banned from participation. Not because of my red nose but because I had a habit of winning every game. The games are of the usual type - Christmas trivia, name the song from the picture, complete the lyrics, and so forth. Unfortunately the games don't change that much from year to year and my velcro brain picks up the answers and doesn't forget them. So I'll eat and drink but watch others play the games.

Earendel, Christmas parties are verboten.

I think that you are having the annual holiday safety meeting. If other things occur during the safety meeting, then so be it.

[earendel]

Our office Christmas party is today, but there will be no reindeer games for this jolly old elf. Ive been banned from participation. Not because of my red nose but because I had a habit of winning every game. The games are of the usual type - Christmas trivia, name the song from the picture, complete the lyrics, and so forth. Unfortunately the games don't change that much from year to year and my velcro brain picks up the answers and doesn't forget them. So I'll eat and drink but watch others play the games.

Earendel, Christmas parties are verboten.

I think that you are having the annual holiday safety meeting. If other things occur during the safety meeting, then so be it.

Actually I was told that it was an "office teambuilding exercise". Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

[MarleysGh0st]

Actually I was told that it was an "office teambuilding exercise". Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

What a fine exercise that is, when they won't even let you join a team!

[peacock2121]

Holy crap!

Banned?!?

Holy crap!

[silvercamaro]

Earendel, Christmas parties are verboten.

I think that you are having the annual holiday safety meeting. If other things occur during the safety meeting, then so be it.

Where is that Airing of Grievances thread?

I understand completely why offices, and government offices in particular, indulge in this kind of linguistic gymnastics to help bureaucrats cover their rear ends. What chaps me is the fact that this kind of exercise institutionalizes hypocrisy and makes wink-wink-nudge-nudge deceptions acceptable at all levels. It's no wonder that kids don't believe much of what adults say, and many adults buy into every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike.

[Appa23]

Earendel, Christmas parties are verboten.

I think that you are having the annual holiday safety meeting. If other things occur during the safety meeting, then so be it.

Where is that Airing of Grievances thread?

I understand completely why offices, and government offices in particular, indulge in this kind of linguistic gymnastics to help bureaucrats cover their rear ends. What chaps me is the fact that this kind of exercise institutionalizes hypocrisy and makes wink-wink-nudge-nudge deceptions acceptable at all levels. It's no wonder that kids don't believe much of what adults say, and many adults buy into every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike.

Let me say that there is considerably less linquistic gymnastics in my office.

As I noted yesterday, we go out to lunch. While we do not discuss safety for the entire hour of leave that we are granted, we do discuss safety and office matters for some of the time. We also do not expand things into the afternoon-long celebration that other offices do. It is for the very reason that it seems unethical and unprofessional for the organization's attorneys to flout the regulations.

[earendel]

Earendel, Christmas parties are verboten.

I think that you are having the annual holiday safety meeting. If other things occur during the safety meeting, then so be it.

Where is that Airing of Grievances thread?

I understand completely why offices, and government offices in particular, indulge in this kind of linguistic gymnastics to help bureaucrats cover their rear ends. What chaps me is the fact that this kind of exercise institutionalizes hypocrisy and makes wink-wink-nudge-nudge deceptions acceptable at all levels. It's no wonder that kids don't believe much of what adults say, and many adults buy into every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike.

Let me say that there is considerably less linquistic gymnastics in my office.

As I noted yesterday, we go out to lunch. While we do not discuss safety for the entire hour of leave that we are granted, we do discuss safety and office matters for some of the time. We also do not expand things into the afternoon-long celebration that other offices do. It is for the very reason that it seems unethical and unprofessional for the organization's attorneys to flout the regulations.

Lest I give the wrong impression, we're not taking a "three-hour tour" - it's lunch and we all gotta eat. The DE (district engineer) has made it clear that long "holiday parties" aren't acceptable unless the individuals opt to use leave time.

[Appa23]

Where is that Airing of Grievances thread?

I understand completely why offices, and government offices in particular, indulge in this kind of linguistic gymnastics to help bureaucrats cover their rear ends. What chaps me is the fact that this kind of exercise institutionalizes hypocrisy and makes wink-wink-nudge-nudge deceptions acceptable at all levels. It's no wonder that kids don't believe much of what adults say, and many adults buy into every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike.

Let me say that there is considerably less linquistic gymnastics in my office.

As I noted yesterday, we go out to lunch. While we do not discuss safety for the entire hour of leave that we are granted, we do discuss safety and office matters for some of the time. We also do not expand things into the afternoon-long celebration that other offices do. It is for the very reason that it seems unethical and unprofessional for the organization's attorneys to flout the regulations.

Lest I give the wrong impression, we're not taking a "three-hour tour" - it's lunch and we all gotta eat. The DE (district engineer) has made it clear that long "holiday parties" aren't acceptable unless the individuals opt to use leave time.

Lest I give the impression that I was calling out Earendel, I was talking about other offices in my district.

[silvercamaro]

I'm not picking on you, HD. I see this kind of thing everywhere, even private businesses where everybody treads carefully for fear that the stockboy's girlfriend or a random customer might be an athiest or a worshiper of the moon.

I'm picking on hypocrisy, and the fact that we all are required to be hypocrites so darn often.


(Edit: I'm not picking on Earendel or government employees or anybody in particular. I'm just crabby about the necessity of the BS.)

[earendel]

I'm not picking on you, HD. I see this kind of thing everywhere, even private businesses where everybody treads carefully for fear that the stockboy's girlfriend or a random customer might be an athiest or a worshiper of the moon.

I'm picking on hypocrisy, and the fact that we all are required to be hypocrites so darn often.


(Edit: I'm not picking on Earendel or government employees or anybody in particular. I'm just crabby about the necessity of the BS.)

The issue isn't what we call it - nobody objects to calling it "Christmas". It's just that taxpayers, rightly, have an expectation that government employees won't spend inordinate amounts of time on parties when there is business to take care of. So euphemisms such as "teambuilding" are used whenever the office is having a get-together. And as far as that goes, that's not too far wrong for us - we've hired six new employees in the past two months, so this will be a chance to get to know them and they us.

Apropos of your umbrage, there was a story on NPR this morning about Christmas in England. Since there's no "separation of church and state" there, it was long a practice for schools to perform Nativity plays. That stopped recently in many areas because of fear of offending the increasing Muslim population. However there's an effort underway now, led by the Muslim leadership, to tell people it's all right to celebrate Christmas and do the Nativity plays. "After all," as one Muslim quoted in the piece said, "Jesus is one of our prophets, too" (in a Cockney accent, no less!).

[Appa23]

I'm not picking on you, HD. I see this kind of thing everywhere, even private businesses where everybody treads carefully for fear that the stockboy's girlfriend or a random customer might be an athiest or a worshiper of the moon.

I'm picking on hypocrisy, and the fact that we all are required to be hypocrites so darn often.


(Edit: I'm not picking on Earendel or government employees or anybody in particular. I'm just crabby about the necessity of the BS.)

The issue isn't what we call it - nobody objects to calling it "Christmas".

Well, . . .

There is a reason why federal regulations and advisory opinions never use the word "Christmas" but rather "holiday" in discussing appropriate celebrations and decorations.

Part of the junk that I deal with in my job as ethics counselor.

[peacock2121]

ethics counselor?

I bet you and skoop would have some very fun conversations about that.

[Appa23]

ethics counselor?

I bet you and skoop would have some very fun conversations about that.

Well, it is governmental ethics, which is not the same as ethics in the broader sense.

It entails telling people what they can or can not do things, and having to instruct 1000+ employees on the rules every year. If a question arises, I provide an opinion (like if someone asks if they can be on a source selection panel if their spouse works for a firm submitting a proposal.)

(I am curious what Ear thinks about his district's annual ethics presentation.)

[earendel]

(I am curious what Ear thinks about his district's annual ethics presentation.)

Since you asked...Dale Holmes, the chief counsel, does a very good job of making the presentation interesting and relevant. I presume that someone higher up the chain picks the topic, but whatever it is, Dale does a great job with the presentation itself. I've been to classes that were a total waste of time; Dale's never is.

[Appa23]

(I am curious what Ear thinks about his district's annual ethics presentation.)

Since you asked...Dale Holmes, the chief counsel, does a very good job of making the presentation interesting and relevant. I presume that someone higher up the chain picks the topic, but whatever it is, Dale does a great job with the presentation itself. I've been to classes that were a total waste of time; Dale's never is.

Dale is a great counsel. He is quite the storyteller if you ever get him to your favorite tavern.

[earendel]

(I am curious what Ear thinks about his district's annual ethics presentation.)

Since you asked...Dale Holmes, the chief counsel, does a very good job of making the presentation interesting and relevant. I presume that someone higher up the chain picks the topic, but whatever it is, Dale does a great job with the presentation itself. I've been to classes that were a total waste of time; Dale's never is.

Dale is a great counsel. He is quite the storyteller if you ever get him to your favorite tavern.

That's usually how he starts his ethics presentations. They can be quite riveting.