Friday, November 17, 2006
Don't look a holiday pie in the face
Yesterday was the company "Turkey Pluck." Yeah. Every Thanksgiving that I've worked here, the company has had some sort of cheesy holiday-themed mid-afternoon social activity, prior to Thanksgiving. It always includes a game to be played for such thematically-appropriate prizes as Safeway, Whole Foods, and Honey Baked Ham gift certificates. And gift certificates for holiday pies available at the on-site cafe.
I never win stuff like this. But yesterday I won a pie.
The game was as follows: you were to pluck a feather out of the tail of one of several cardboard-and-styrofoam turkeys, and if your feather had yellow tape wrapped around the base, you won a prize. They had the prize winners get up in front of the group, they distributed the prize-containing envelopes, and then everyone's favorite MC (guess who, coworkers of mine?) made his way down the line with a microphone, asking people to share their name and what they'd won. I think I was a bit sarcastic in my tone as I said "I won a holiday pie!" Because, really, "Turkey Pluck"?
One of my coworkers later commented that I seemed less than enthusiastic in my pie-winning. And you know, the pie was the least impressive of the prizes, I do believe. But, I still won something. Next week, I get to take home a chocolate cream pie for my niece's birthday...and she'll love it.
The pie-thing and my mocking of the event itself got me thinking about irony and sarcasm, a couple of my specialties. Lately I've been growing tired of my affinity for such. It's so easy for me to hide behind sarcasm. I revel in verbal repartee, but there's a time for getting serious and going deep.
Last weekend, in the middle of an ironic conversation about men's hosiery and the wearing of Daisy Dukes in the workplace (no, seriously, this went on for maybe 20 minutes), I realized that I was tired of irony. There's something to be said for sincerity...and for genuine enthusiasm instead of ironic mockery and detachment.
I really need to embrace the holiday pie.
I never win stuff like this. But yesterday I won a pie.
The game was as follows: you were to pluck a feather out of the tail of one of several cardboard-and-styrofoam turkeys, and if your feather had yellow tape wrapped around the base, you won a prize. They had the prize winners get up in front of the group, they distributed the prize-containing envelopes, and then everyone's favorite MC (guess who, coworkers of mine?) made his way down the line with a microphone, asking people to share their name and what they'd won. I think I was a bit sarcastic in my tone as I said "I won a holiday pie!" Because, really, "Turkey Pluck"?
One of my coworkers later commented that I seemed less than enthusiastic in my pie-winning. And you know, the pie was the least impressive of the prizes, I do believe. But, I still won something. Next week, I get to take home a chocolate cream pie for my niece's birthday...and she'll love it.
The pie-thing and my mocking of the event itself got me thinking about irony and sarcasm, a couple of my specialties. Lately I've been growing tired of my affinity for such. It's so easy for me to hide behind sarcasm. I revel in verbal repartee, but there's a time for getting serious and going deep.
Last weekend, in the middle of an ironic conversation about men's hosiery and the wearing of Daisy Dukes in the workplace (no, seriously, this went on for maybe 20 minutes), I realized that I was tired of irony. There's something to be said for sincerity...and for genuine enthusiasm instead of ironic mockery and detachment.
I really need to embrace the holiday pie.
| posted by Barbara | 10:04 PM