Friday, August 04, 2006

What you should do this afternoon

There are things I feel very strongly about. I have undying love for breakfast in bed, the banjo, and the two dollar bill. I believe that grown men should not wear sweatpants in public. And I believe in the beer lunch.

Let me put this in perspective. You're at work. Everyone you talk to on the phone is a bitcher or a moaner and they all seem to have decided that you are sub-human and therefore in full need of their entire personal warehouse of invective and slander. Your coworkers are exuding a fog of all-pervasive sullenness and bickering like a Noel Coward couple. It's always 10:42. No matter what.

And then, you take the beer lunch. The sandwich is on a stale white roll, the ham came from a plastic bag, and lettuce is tasteless and crunchy for crunchiness's sake. The TVs are playing a variety of low-rent sporting events: World's Strongest Man, World Series of Degenerate Gamblers, Women's Billiards. But none of this matters. The sandwich is warm and the beer is cold and you aren't at work and your lunch break should've ended ten minutes ago but you push back in your chair and watch some pseudo-obese Scandinavian throw kegs over a 30 foot castle-wall and curse the half-finished Thursday crossword and take your sweet ass time.

Then, you return to work. Suddenly, it's 1:45 and nothing is bothering you. Everyone is going ballistic and you're in a zenlike state of peace and serenity. You aren't drunk by any stretch of the imagination. The important thing is you've left the crappy confines of officedom and taken some time out and the rest of the day is nothing but feet on your desk and the calm completion of your necessary duties.

And that's my assignment today. It's Friday. Have the beer lunch. And call me in the morning.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

as much as i love the beer lunch, i prefer the guiness breakfast. mmm...totally normal.

Anonymous said...

did u know that two dollar bill was billie joe armstoungs nickname in grammer school?

cool nickname...but the reasoning is not the most shall we say legal of stuff

jeffro said...

i find the Tom Collins lunch to be a nice pick-me-up

birdmonster said...

Rachael: I had a few of those during the World Cup. They seem like a fabulous idea until about 4 o'clock.

Anon: No. Didn't know that, actually. He just became way cooler. It almost makes up for the man-eyeliner.

Jeffro: The Tom Collins lunch is the Beer Lunch's grandaddy. The triple Scotch Brunch is the Tom Collins lunch dead great grandpa. It's all very confusing, I know.

GH: Cats? Surely you jest. I recommend your neighbor's porch or the side of a cab you just exited after throwing not quite enough money to the driver. In this way, you dare him to charge you full price. It is a dare he will never take.

jeffro said...

I think it's a Long Island Iced Tea kind of day today...

Anonymous said...

lol ya so cool untill u hear the reasoning..."billie joe earned the name two dollar bill in grammer school due to the fact that he sold joints for two bucks"

Anonymous said...

You have an outstanding good and well structured site. I enjoyed browsing through it » »

Anonymous said...

Where did you find it? Interesting read caribbean cruises Accounting finance quantitative review Ritalin recreational Norton ohio custom car seat cover Discount laptop leather bags ite circuit breaker http://www.piece-of-crap.info Elizabethtown community college in kentucky Systems management software Adderall xr adult Lake county liposuction columbus golf Insurance life load no term