March 24, 2002 – It is after 1 am and I am not tired. Things are getting more organized in my life but I am still irritated by it all.

My latest rant has to be the insipid qualities I see in some of the people I seem to have around me. Primarily, at work since that is where I spend a lot of my day. Not my immediate co-workers but the ‘supporting cast’ – so to speak.

Case in point, I have been attempting to organize an after-work get-together – a happy hour of sorts. The initial one was ignored by people at work – many of whom decided on a different event. The fallout from that event is still present with some changes in employment status for some people. So, I decided to try again.

Actually, this time I spoke to someone who had tried to organize some other event. I explained the ground rules: neutral location, non-offensive to anyone, free to attend, something work would not be afraid to sponsor if it came to that. My co-worker indicated he would re-arrange his event – the assumption here is that it fit the ground rules. Keep in mind; I wanted, at ALL COSTS, to avoid the repercussions of the above-mentioned fiasco.

I receive an email about the event. Date, location, etc. So, to not appear hypocritical, I tell them I will attend – as close to an RSVP I can provide.

Here are the problems I had with the situation:

1) I could not find it without direction. The goddamned place had no sign visible from the street…just some tiny neon piece of crap that blended in with the other crappy neon signs. I had to call a coworker (who did not attend) to get directions. 10 minute delay.

2) The building was locked. Who the fuck runs a commercial enterprise of any sorts which is purportedly open to the public and locks the doors to get to the elevators. I had to wait for someone to come down the elevators to get in. 15 minute delay.

3) I get upstairs and realize there is only one stairwell to the ground floor. Obviously the fire marshal was paid off/blackmailed/blown to get this fucker to pass inspection. 0 minute delay but an irritant nonetheless.

4) I go up to the front desk and cannot hear the woman sitting there – the music is too loud. I should have realized at this point there was an obvious disconnect with this location and the ‘neutral location’ prerequisite but I was already too irritated to think about that. I tell the woman I have an invitation and she indicates I cannot enter. I am pissed off. Apparently, I do not fit the dress code. Nevermind I see people dresses in the same clothes I am wearing. Now, I am really pissed. 3 minute delay.

5) I leave the building.

It is obvious I have to own this ‘project’. It has been FUBARed. Why the fuck this is such a hard concept for people to understand is beyond me. I later found out the place in question was a single’s meatmarket. Yeah, that will go over well with the few religious people at work (who are invariably older women). Why not choose a gay S&M club for the next one!

Here is the rant I have about it.

This is obviously in no way, shape or form a neutral location. It is obviously no inoffensive to all people at work. I am not sure if it was free to get in (I never got that far) and work would likely be afraid to appear to sponsor events at this location. To be honest, I even went so far as to suggest On The Border as a location to have this event. Last time I went to On The Border, there were no skanky people trying to fuck everything with two of more legs and an available orifice and/or protruding phallic organ.

The invitation for this event was sent through work email. It would appear to some to be work sponsored in that respect. The location did not allow people under a certain age to enter. Again, some people could have felt purposefully excluded from the event…something that would not occur at your local restaurant chain.

Also, some people could not attend because they had children to tend to. This could also have been resolved by choosing a reasonable location. God forbid you might want to have people at work realize you do have a family.

Lastly, and pardon the pseudo-nonsequitor, the club offered a buffet. What the fuck kind of club offers a buffet? This was what made me originally believe it was a restaurant. I guess I should have known. I have even seen strip bars offer buffets. God forbid I would ever have to eat at one.

It’s 2 am now.