Office Parties

[Arcdelad]

so last night I had the dubious obligation of going to my wife's company holiday party...she works as HR assistant director for a major downtown luxury hotel, so they hosted the occasion in one of their ballrooms...these parties seem like such a great idea IF you are an employee - everyone gets dressed up (the frumpy girl in accounting all of the sudden looks like a victoria secret model), there is plenty of alcohol (social drinking among coworkers ive found is a great bonding instrument), and it gives a chance for everyone to cut loose a little.

So these parties are great...UNLESS your a "plus one" as my wife calls it...ie a guest of an employee. We plus ones get the exact opposite experience....for one we have to do the whole meet and greet with EVERYONE...

other person: "Hi..Ive heard so much about you"
me: "Oh...same here (in reality my wife mentioned said person once or not at all)"
other person: "How do you like Chicago?"
me: "Its great to be among the tall buildings and blah blah blah....train ride...blah blah blah...cold...blah blah blah...so what do you do here in the hotel?"

x50

the worst is when i stuffed my face with roast beast, then my wife brings someone over to meet me....you have to partially chew the 10000 lbs of meat in your mouth, all while there is this awkward silence...

then the dance floor...I dont dance...unless its really slow (but then your going to pay for that dance with crushed feet), or im in bear form before a raid...so...my wife and her work buddies go onto the floor, and I am relegated to the mini-purse holding spectator (what the hell do women put in those tiny itty bitty purses anyway?!?!?!?)...meanwhile, all these men on the dance floor are grinding with beautiful women to salsa-merengue and Usher, and im thinking, "why oh why diety did you curse me with lack of dancing desier / skill?!?!"....que lastima!!!

[Genoism]

i've had a friend who has managed to keep an incredible amount of things her little tiny super small purse....it quite literarly suprised me lol

[Luise]

 
Been there- from the housewife/mother's point of view (about 10 years ago): you're at home with little kids- your world is sooo different to the all the dinks (double income no kids- no offense to anyone here in that position) at the office party- and it's way past your bedtime and you have to get up in the night to feed the baby- ho hum - is there a lounge that I can curl up on somewhere inconspiciously?..

[Jandris]

What would I do without your hilarious outlook on life, too funny. I no longer attend my holiday party - it is bad enough that I have to work with some of them - even alcohol in large quantities doesn't make them acceptable. I also feel sorry for the husbands/wifes/dates that have to put up with this "party". You would think that everyone would want to forget work but no - the worst events get pulled out/talked about in vivid detail. I have no wish to relive the events that left me crying into my coffee. Then there are the chosen few - the backstabbers who flame anyone who is not present. You are not the only one who doesn't dance Arc - I don't dance either - so I can relate as I am left to guard the purses. I do understand that there are dance classes.....  I'd also like to have a chat with that girl from accounting 

[Muridin]

i can do the slow dances ( waltz etc ) after five minutes of staring at my feet till  i get it right .... but other than that .... nu uh ... me wont dance ....

people have tried to get me too, and they just get hurt in my attempts

[usonian]

that's nothing.

i remember getting invited to a christmas party with my significant other (you remember her arc) for a company who fired me only 2 months earlier (for quite a respectable act i might say, but that's another story).  you get those looks, the looks of surprise/amazement/disgust/bewilderment for why you are back mingling around in a group from which you have been ostracized, and drinking their booze nonetheless (whatever cheap small quantity of it there is).  honestly that wasn't too bad, i actually felt like i was giving a final f-you to the man by getting as much free stuff as i could. this included the portable dvd player my raffle ticket won - now those faces as i walked through the crowd, priceless.

but at least you're lack of dancing prowess is acceptable from a wife (she did kind of lock herself into that one after all).  for some reason this girl took offense to me prefering to play defender of the purse (and portable dvd player) rather than dancing to the crappy dj's top 40 mix.  the kind of drama that stirred up i'd trade any day for meeting people i don't know and stuffing my face with wild boar meat.

[Shadowwolf]

I used to be completely against office parties until I was able to experience what a completely awesome one was. Most businesses I find dont know how to throw an appropriate office party in the sense of accomplishing a sense of camaraderie and taking the employees minds off the work grind. I can completely relate to everything you said Arc as Ive experienced it all as well. =P

Universal was where my mind was changed completely about them. My first year there, actually first 3 months as I started in late year was a holiday party. Being southern California, theres 0 chance of snow. So they threw a party on the back lot of the studio (the place you see on the tour with all the fake buildings). They had each area of the lot dressed up and themed with food and things to do for that layout (western, litty italy, etc) and they brought in fake snow machines. Never had I experienced an office party like that before and sadly doubt I ever will but it accomplished the things I saw necessary for good party success. First, those "plus ones" that you mentioned, didnt feel out of place at all. There was soo many people there and things to do that build friendships between strangers it didnt matter if you worked there or not. Second, no one thought of work. Here we all were, having a party in the very same place we all dread from time to time facing every day and not one time did anyone think of work or what lie ahead of them when they came in Monday. That right there works with the first part in making everyone feel welcome, employee or not. The overall goal of the parties should be to get employees to know one another better both at work and out of and the best way to accomplish said result is a relaxed environment.

I dont throw an "office party" so to speak for my office as some arent actually here in my locale (telecommuters) and of those that are, there are very very few to even consider more then a nice dinner somewhere.

As far as dancing goes, you should go out there anyhow. You dont need skill or talent to have fun, gotta loosen up some. I seldom see people with any notable dancing talent on the dance floor at any party let alone office parties. Besides, no one knows who you are so what are you worried about? hehe. At the end of the night, anyone with talent is so boozed up they probably cant walk straight let alone dance well so I doubt people will pay any attention.

[un4]

Heh.  I've dated a few dancers now, so I've been forced to learn.  Take a class with your SO, it can be fun

[Muridin]

as my high school's lightining designer/technition (<--- thats not how you speel it lol ) i have to light both drama and dance performances.... and watching the dances ( all i their teens, and most of them the prissy, snobby, upper "class" morons ) i can say that talent and skill is a major plus

but then again, if your the plus one, no one knows who you are, and no one cares

[Arcdelad]

haha...good point guys...i guess no one would know who i am out there...it just feels awkward and i feel like everyone is staring at my butter churning self...i should get out there and just do it...

that sounds like a great party shadow...unfortuneatly i dont work and never had at a place as cool as a movie studio...hehehe....sounds like a great working experience all around though from everything youve said about that place..

i remember you telling me about that party uso...i still think thats awesome that you were bold enough to throw it in their faces after they fired you (for those not familiar, uso got fired for voicing his opinions against a really stupid boss of ours)...i remember before the buyout how our dpt would go and bogart all the alcohol gifts

[Peligrie]

haha...most often...I'm that account type girl. I really like it when I "wow" them at company functions like that. Then they know that it's not all about how you look at the office. 

[Blackjack]

arc... listen man.. all u gotta do is go up to one of these girls and be like

u:"hey.. im think you're really L33T..."
girl: "oh yeah? well your super duper uber!"
u: "hehe.. u wanna slash-dance with me?"

works all the time in-game 

might get u /slapped irl though...

[Arcdelad]

...and probbaly by my wife who im guessing wont lilke me hitting on other women in front of her....hehehe

[Blackjack]

yeah... thats a distinct possibility
she might like the idea of every /dancing?

[un4]