The Outsider(s)

On my iTunes today: Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild soundtrack
Gas Prices on the move: $3.19/gallon
Weather: A balmy 39 degrees

Today we went out to eat with some our Customer Service Reps from the company that does most of our printing. We went to a Mexican restaurant called Pedro’s. It was fair to good, nothing horrible but the Margarita’s were ½ off on Tuesday’s during lunch. Now, me personally, I don’t like to drink at lunchtime. I really don’t like to drink much anymore at all. But I don’t care if my co-workers partake. The only time I’ve ever seen them drink is 1 glass of wine or one small Margarita. Fine with me. Can’t get too drunk on that small amount but I think they worry that if I’m the only one that is not drinking, I will be the one to tell or tattle. First of all, what is there to tell? Did they get all sloshed? No! Of course not! I doubt they could function without being noticed if they were sloshed. I’ve noticed since I’ve started here that there is a “group” of people, very similar to a clique in high school that likes to go out for a liquid lunch twice a year, I’ve never been invited because I think they know I don’t drink and somehow they’ve turned that into me not approving. Me not drinking is my choice and just that, a choice. I choose not to drink because I am old now and even a single drink would make me sleepy and I’m really afraid to fall asleep at my desk! I am not George Costanza from Seinfeld! I do not have a secret sleeping area under my desk! I wish I did, but I don’t.

This clique at work has bothered me since I started. I came from a workplace where I was in the clique. Now I’m the outsider and it’s hard to deal with actually. They are nice to your face but all of a sudden you are the only one left in the department when they all decide to go to lunch. Or you are sitting at your desk and all of a sudden someone comes in with food for everyone in the department except you (and maybe 2 other people they have decided are not worthy to be in their clique). I’ve talked to others in my company about the weird goings on in my department and they’ve all told me the same thing: Do you really WANT to hang out with these people outside of work? The answer is NO. They are okay and all but just not the type of people I would go looking for as friends. I also wondered if it was me. And although I have a very strong personality and sometimes clash with people who don’t know me, I’ve known these people for almost 4 years and it’s still the same thing. I’ve made really good work relationships with others in my company, but just not my own department. It’s hard to be a team when you are made to feel like an outsider on a regular basis.

Speaking of Outsiders, I subscribe to Dearreader.com, a service that sends you short reads every day of books in categories that you get to choose. For instance, I get Mystery, Fiction and Good News books sent to me. It’s a great way to take a sneak peek at books before you purchase. A new category called Classics was sent to me today and they are featuring “The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton”. I read that book back in high school and saw the movie of course (all those hunks? I course I saw it!). So it was nice for me to take another look at the photos from the movie and read the first 14 pages of the book. I might just have to read it again! Take a look at these photos, look at how young all these guys are! It came out in 1983, the same year I graduated high school so I really remember swooning over many of the boys in the movie. Again with the cliques. Although I doubt the “Greasers” from the book would like to be referred to as a clique!

Have a great afternoon.