Friends,
If you’ve spent any time at all following this hot mess over the years, I’m sure you will have at one time or another said to yourself, “My goodness, he sure uses a lot of words to get to a point.” My proclivity to go on and on keeps my editor out of the pool halls (that, and a global pandemic. mostly the virus. -ed). It’s this longstanding criticism that gnaws at me like a piranha on Ritalin, forcing me towards—gasp—brevity.
This got me into trouble at work.
You see, sometimes you have to explain the joke. Sometimes some folks aren’t on the same continent where your playful jibes were supposed to land. I was reprimanded over the period of four days for something that you would have either laughed at or ignored. Something’s gotta give. How do I communicate with my colleagues in a department-wide forum without running afoul of somebody’s version of decorum? How do I spare these sensitive nerve endings scanning chat transcripts? I conducted an impromptu investigation!
What are the traits of the people in my department who never get called out? What they have in common is that they are largely absent from group chats. Have nothing to say in team meetings. They’re invisible.
I’ve been sheltering in this place since the beginning of March (for reasons!) and I have mostly enjoyed the banter with coworkers during the slow periods since then. It’s been a nice way to stay connected. That is now over. I’ll have to go into hiding as well. Sure, I can do my tech support job, but no more “typing in public.”
I’ve tried to be the friendly, outgoing team player, so this is going to be a big adjustment. The bosses don’t like it and they’re deciding right now if I’ll be furloughed, so I’m keeping to myself.
And this blog. And Twitter. You know, like a hermit.
Stay safe. Wear a mask. We’ll get through this.
Your pal,
– bob