Godless

I had a completely inappropriate conversation with one of my employees recently. We were talking about religion and he asked me if I thought the Bible was real, or just a collection of stories. Before I can stop myself I tell him that they are just nice stories.

He gives me two thumbs up and says "so you don't believe in god."

Yesterday, another employee walks through my office and we start talking about scientologist's. She was commenting on how fanatical and crazy they are. I said that the same could be said of people like her -- I consider her pretty religious.

I'm just amazed about how free I am lately with the fact that I'm atheist. That isn't to say that I have no faith. I just do not believe in a supernatural spirit that lords over people.

I'm sure this causes some people to think I'm some sort of freak or something and I used to worry about this. No more. I figure that if I have to listen to all the religious rhetoric all over the place, I can share my thoughts as well.

Why Work Functions Suck

I really despise going to work functions, and quite honestly, I usually skip them altogether when I can. I haven't been to a holiday party of a summer picnic in probably eight years (and I've worked here 10).

I did go to one on Saturday night. As a congratulations for a great year, the boss gave the managers and their spouses a day at the spa or a round of golf at a nice resort. There was dinner and a hospitality suite and we stayed over night. All in all, a really nice time. The Mrs. and I had massages and stuff and dinner was nice.

In the hospitality suite, I spoke to the people I normally speak with at work, and met their spouses, and they spoke with the Mrs. But there were at least three rude ass people who wanted to bug me about work.

First is the resident Greek. He asks me outside to smoke a cigarette and I'm happy to join him... until he starts in about the access points that are down. Fortunately, my appointment for my massage in in five minutes so I hastily leave him with half a cigarette.

When I get back to the hospitality suite after my massage, Tall Paul accosts me. Thankfully Jeff is there to stop him -- my hero!

Finally, FrankieQ wants to bug me about laptops. No introduction to his wife, no hey what did you do today, just what about those laptops. Yeah, I tell him, I'll be working on those, MONDAY.

So the way I see it, one of two things is going on here, they either don't care to get to know me, or they think that by discussing work with me is showing that they are interested in getting to know me.

I always assume the that it is the first case, and immediately switch off and they earn the asshole designation. Maybe I should somehow redirect the conversation and let them know that I am not socially inept.

2007 Redeux

So 2008 is shaping up to simply be a continuation of 2007. More poorly or un-planned projects. More stupid bitchy people and more micro-management. I so need a new job.

Then there is the smoking. What a roller coaster ride that has been. On again off again. I just can't seem to make a clean break. I had quit for a month and then started again and then quit again and then started again and today I am quitting again. I stopped to think about what I was doing while I was successfully quitting, and during the first time I was blogging more consistently, I guess it helps to take my mind off it. The other time I was just so sick, I couldn't smoke -- Don't want that again.

On the home front, the Mrs. travels throughout the first quarter, just like last year, and she is already talking about the next project she is working on. I love to see her get excited about this stuff, but that usually means late nights for her and missing too much time at home.

So here we go again...