Beer O'Clock

It feels like it’s been a long week. I don’t know how that’s possible when I had one stupendous day off. Anyway, I felt I needed to unwind, so at 6pm, I attended beer o'clock where I work.

I know that it sounds a tad crazy; however, it's exactly what it sounds like. At 4:30pm, the technical support guys have a few beers and stand around and talk. I had always been invited to this event when I had my old job, though I didn't technically work for their department; in my new job that was once old, I now was in the same department with these guys.

I wasn't one to be shy; however, for some reason, when it came to drinking a beer with a bunch of guys, I turned out to be rather shy. I know. Who knew?!

I had always been one of the girls. I think the pink, the lipstick, and the shoes gave me away in that department. Due to the nature of my professional industry (Engineering), it seemed for the last 26 years that I was always dotted lined to the boys.

Anyway, in need of a release, I ventured over to the land of Technical Support. I met one of my friends and he dragged me to the cubicle that housed the refrigerator full of beer. On the way there, he stopped to speak to someone about an issue, a director, and he mentioned that I was "afraid" to mingle.

Immediately, I said, "I am not," which was a total lie. The director congratulated me on meeting my deadline earlier in the week, and I thanked him. He was really nice; however, after 5 weeks there, I still wasn't sure what he did and if he was my "boss."

Actually, the nice thing about my job was that I did my thing, and everyone seemed to leave me alone. In fact, the first day I started my job, I told the person who I thought was my "boss" that I would run at lunch, but I'd work an extra hour to compensate for the time being a contract employee. He said, "I don't care what you do as long as you meet your deadlines."

To this day, I still don't know if I really have a boss. I seem to be on my own planet. I check in with Fleet Command once a week, and everything in between has me being Jeanus, Jars, Jeantune, or Plujeanto.

I joined the group of engineers in the hallway of cubicle row. I was offered a beer from the refrigerator; I accepted, though since 1981, I had a fear of drinking a beer out of a bottle. My first boyfriend's mother always said that she thought women who drank beer out of a bottle weren't classy; of course, after beer number two, I found myself trying to explain this to the five engineers around me.

As we talked about the issues of the day, the engineers would throw out an "f*ck" or a "f*cking" every now and then. I noticed that once they uttered the "f" word that they'd wince and then quickly attempt to verbally wite-out their words by substituting a less offensive word. I laughed to myself.

After the tenth "f*ck" one of the more outspoken engineers looked directly at me. He asked, "Why is everyone so afraid to swear in front of you?" I responded with, "I f*cking don't know, because I have been known to say f*ck on occasion!"

Everyone laughed. Thereafter, it was open season on "f*ck" and anything else. It really hit home when one of the engineers said that his wife brought home a dress and asked if it made her look fat. He then said, "She's really skinny," but then he said, "It just didn't fit her well."

So, he told her that it didn't look right. He said it was a big mistake, and she got all pissed off at him. I laughed but to myself.

While I wasn't one of the guys, it was good to be with the guys today. They didn't seem bothered that I was there, and I was not bothered in the least that I was there with them. It's always nice to see life from the other side; it's even better when the other side seems to appreciate the fact that you're there and wants to speak to you exactly like you're on their side. Happy weekend. ♥

Lastly…

Writers are not just people who sit down and write. They hazard themselves. Every time you compose a book your composition of yourself is at stake.

~E.L. Doctorow