Co-Workers: Surprise!

Yes, it is true that at work there are many things which annoy me, maybe drive me mad even.

• The layers upon layers of managers...
• The political games...
• The work load...
• The lack of staffing...
• The long hours...
• The low pay...
• The fact that I get locked in a closet for days on end and someone slip pizzas under the door...
• The having to hide bodies of former managers...

... you know... the normal stuff that.

Okay fine... My work is nothing like that. Actually, there are a few perks about work.

Mostly, the people themselves... my co-workers.

Co-Worker: See, we are not getting any data from the feed.
Me: Hmmm... I see. Well, not my problem.
Manager: Hey now! Don't you leave! You're not leaving till you get this working?
Co-Worker: Maybe its something with the networking.
Me: Yes, it is something with the networking.
Manager: Do you want a chocolate?
Me: Um, sure.
Co-Worker: Look, I can ping the other side.
Me: Right, but look, trace-route... nothing. Its being actively killed. I still think its a router or firewall configuration issue.
Manager: Here! Coffee Crisp or Kit Kat?
Me: Oh! Coffee Crisp! Thanks.
Co-Worker #2: What if you try the other IP?
Manger: The IP of the NAT instead of the box?
Co-Worker #2: Yea, the NAT should route it to the correct box.
Me: Sure, why not.
Co-Worker: Hey! Look! It work!
Me: Yay! See... I'm awesome.
Co-Worker: Sorry I could not make you meeting at 10am today.
Me: Uh, no worries. The meeting had nothing to do with this anyway.
Co-Worker: Why would your adoption meeting be related to this?
Me: ... huh?
Co-Worker: You're adoption meeting. With the cake.
Me: I don't have an adoption meeting.
Co-Worker: You mean you don't know about it?
Me: No.
Manager: He doesn't know about it because it was a SURPRISE!
Co-Worker: Oh. I have a headache.
Me: Don't worry, I'll try to act surprised.

Last week they Surprised me with a ... I donno, an "Adoption Shower"? There was the biggest turn out I'd ever received for anything related to our adoption. Many co-workers signed a card, brought a couple of cakes, and donated some $$$ to help buy Ping a snow-suit, or winter boots which she will SO need once she arrives. (We actually plan on using the $$$ to buy her 14 gifts from China - 1 gift for each Adoption Day anniversary until she reaches 18)

Anyway, my co-workers rock! And I'm so glad that my one Co-Worker gave me a heads up, cuz if I walked into that room with all those people there without knowing what was going on, I'd probably have been reduced to a blubbering crying idiot... like a single middle aged person watching Bridget Jones Diary... And it wasn't hard to act surprised... because there were still WAY more people there than I expected.

So yes, my Co-Workers are AWESOME! Except Mike. Who thinks I need to get a hair cut... and a shave. Mikes a Jerk. :-)

But to the rest of you... THANK YOU! :-)

[kidding, Mike's not a Jerk...]