Last Friday, I got an email from a co-worker in the business department. Monday, she said, was the boss's birthday, and as such, we'd be having our standard pizza party to celebrate. Please be sure to sign the card. As I already had plans on Monday (Shawn's office was throwing us a baby shower) I more or less disregarded the email.
Monday rolled around and at a quarter to noon, I logged out of my work station, grabbed my keys, and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" my officemate Lara asked me conversationally. I explained about the baby shower (this is baby shower #3 we're up to now).
"Ah," she says. "When will you be back?"
"Oh, about an hour, I guess."
"Okay. Have fun."
I headed out to Shawn's office. Baby shower #3 was quite nice. Cake, presents, guesses about whether the baby will be a boy or girl, and debates over whether toddlers or teenagers are easier to handle. Being out in the sunshine was nice and I lingered a bit before heading back to work.
Coming back up the path to the office about an hour and half later, I could see my co-workers through the glass doors, gathered around the lunch table having pizza. Right. John's birthday. I opened the door.
"Surprise!" they all yelled.
"Surprise what?" I said, blinking. "It's not my birthday." I look around the room. "Where's John?"
Well, it seems that my co-workers had planned a dual party for John's birthday and my baby. Wanting it to be a surprise for both of us, they told John the party was for me and told me the party was for John. As I said, I had other plans, and as it turns out, John despises baby showers and opted not to come at the last minute. So neither of us showed up for the party and my co-workers sat around and had pizza on paper plates decorated with rattles and building blocks without us.
Oops.
Shawn commented that this occurrence is a tidy little metaphor for everything that is wrong with my office.