1. Don't forget to link up tomorrow - I'll do my linky a bit later at 3pm SA time so everyone has a chance to get in first :)
2. It's gorgeous, cold, rainy weather here and looks like it's going to be that way until Thursday. My electric blanket is heating my bed and I can't wait to jump in :)
3. A quick little update on the sleep thing - I kept notes last night. After they went to bed, there were 5 interventions in an hour and then, finally, total silence at 8:38.
People suggested different things - the thing is NONE of their excuses are real. They are playing us. Pure and simple.
Lesley, I have gotten hardcore parent on them (our styles are similar) because I'm not of the "oh this is just a phase" mindset. Yes, it may be a phase but the bottom line is, they need to sleep. And another 2 years is not an option for me - I'll lose my mind before then.
Tonight I forgot to take notes but it's 8:28 and they're still chattering away, an hour after they went to sleep. The bears have been confiscated as well as their favourite pillows and I may have to go in there again later.
Oy!
Update - they fell asleep in the last 10 minutes so around 8:45.
To be fair, I love the "formal part" - the talking about goals/ budgets/ whatnot, the awards, etc. It's the social bits that I mostly hate.
I don't drink alcohol at all and I'm not one for superficial conversation so unless I can find a person or two to talk properly to, I hate these things.
Our team is also small (tiny really) and we usually start off sitting together and one by one people disappear to be with their real friends. I also don't like being a hanger-on.
I'm friendly to everyone but not super-close to many people and those people are usually with their teams.
So after the formal bits today, I .... went to the loo, chatted here and there to a few people, got food, and then bumped into a work friend and the two of us sat chatting very nicely until I decided to go home. She walked me out of the venue and reminded me that the two of us actually became friend because we started chatting at a conference a good 4 - 5 years ago!
A lovely full circle!
Anyway, that made me think again about a work friendship topic (for me) - the in crowd.
I mentioned a few months back (very off the cuff) that so-and-so doesn't feel like he's new at our company because he's part of the in crowd.
Everybody wait, WHAT? There's no in crowd here.
(at this point many normal people might have toned it down but not me)
Me Of course there is! It's so obvious!!!!
Team member am I in the in crowd?
Me Yes!
Team member are you in the in crowd?
Me No!
Team member why do you say that?
I then went on to explain that a certain type of person naturally fitted the in crowd mould at our company. It's not a clear introvert/ extrovert thing and I could barely explain it beyond a few sentences but that's not the point.
The conversation then went to the fact that the in crowd don't create it, it's other people that attribute this to them (I suppose they were saying ME!) and they could do nothing about it.
True...
I really don't know what my point was but basically I've never been part of the in crowd at work although I've never been hugely unpopular either.
Maybe it's because I'm so task -structured. I focus first on getting my work done and then on the chit-chat (although I've eased up a lot the last couple of years because I've seen the value in building connections). And of course, with my intimacy outlier, I really focus more on connecting properly with people.
Tell me your story.
Are you in the in crowd? Why do you think that is, or isn't?
PS One person in my team and her work friend were discussing the work conference this week and they both said, "oh we HATE these things". When I asked why, same story as me - the mindless socialising :)
