Saturday, March 25, 2006

NIGHT OUT

Last night I went to a party for a former boss who was unceremoniously let go a few weeks ago. Normally I don't socialize w/my co-workers (or former ones). The place was a converted old theatre, turned into a sports bar (ugh!). Huge, but such a horrible conversion of great space. The movie screen was projecting March Madness. More than a few people laughed in the final 2 minutes of the BC/Villanova game (which lasted 15 w/all the timeouts and commercials) when I asked if anyone knew if 'Desperate Housewives' was on. "Who has the remote?!!!"

But I went b/c Nancy had been so good to me in the 9yrs I spent in my last department. Though we had issues now and again, she provided me many opportunities. ...and she is one (if not the) smartest persons I've ever met. The people who were there were similar to me in the fact that we were 40-ish and been mentored in some way by Nancy. Since there were about 65 of us - not much time w/the honoree, so there was a core i hung with whom things are just fun and easy.

Ok...except one. This person in ITD (who are always the life of the party! NOT!) said I must be happy in my new job (new? it's been 16 mos!) - that I seemed happy and that before I was a 'sourpuss!'. I laughed it off, but have been giving it plenty, or too much, thought since. I'm the guy who thinks everything is funny. Granted, I was the most hated man in my last position - but that's why it was given to me: b/c I could handle it. All 1100 doctors hated me. All 4000 nurses hated me. As did patients and families. Most support services disliked me. It was a no- win position except for the front office. Though a serious job, I was light-hearted about it most of the time or I would have slit my wrists. Oh well......the people at the bar I relayed the story to just laughed.

Man - I only had 5 (or was it 6?) beers. Granted that is nothing compared to my past lives - my Poplar-life and my early working in Cleveland life. 5 or 6 were a warm up and I'm guessing that'd be 4 nights out a week. And I mean OUT.....til closing. Remember the days you could get home at 2:30a and still roll into work by 7a no worse the wear? Those days are gone for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy being 42 (and let's face it - who of us thought I'd live this long), but where did the stamina go?

My email group was discussing just yesterday how they wished we could go back to being burnouts. The reality is - we never were (well....I don't think....@ least since I've known them). Hell, I barely smoked pot....and isn't that where the term came from? It was so much easier to drink, or ingest and snort my drugs! This was a life before boyfriends, husbands, kids, mortgage etc. This is the same group who was here at xmas, and I believe we were all in bed by 12:30a. Ok ok ok.....YES, we started drinking at 4p, but that's not the point....or is it? Maybe there is no point.

Maybe the point is - I never thought I'd be standing in a bar watching basketball w/a bunch of mid and upper level managers...let alone BE one of them. Welcome to my life!

1 comment:

Blobby said...

Just you and Diane Schute (sp). Of course, she's passed out under the teeter-totter....but that's another story.