Klasky's Weblog

Office “Friends”

klasky — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:38:42 +0000

I go back and forth with hanging out with office folk. I don’t really want to. It is nothing against my co-workers, but the truth of the matter is, that I spend more time with them then not. I mean, I have connected with a few coworkers, and enjoy their company while in the building, but it is not something I want to take outside of the office setting. I really have no interest in getting “drinks” after work really for fear that it could lead to inappropriate conversation/behavior on either end. This could be very awkward and that is exactly what I hope to avoid with this strategy.

It amazes me, however, how many people hang out post work. They have their own little cliques. It is middle school once again, favorites, besties and xoxox’s…maybe a few Whaaaateveeeerssss” in there as well. I do my best to not be affected by this, yet sometimes I do feel left out and just sometimes question my choice to be on the “anti-social” side of things. That being said, I really do not miss anyone when I leave for the day and the truth must be told, that most days I am thrilled to be leaving those that surround me for 8 hrs a day. I don’t want to sound harsh, but I really find it sort of strange when someone only has friends from work…I mean, no offense, but wouldn’t you want a separation of life and work??

There is a clique of managers at my work and they all whisper in one another’s cubes and pretend like you don’t exist if you pass them in the hall. It is lame and sort of makes everyone feel rather uncomfortable. However, I am convinced, once one gets an “in” to this clique, they will get promoted ASAP. Maybe these girls had the right idea?? Hmmm (rethinking my strategy)…So please accept me, lame office manager clique…

“Morale”

klasky — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:30:34 +0000

Here we go. We all know there is a recession and that those that have a job are blessed and lucky. That being said, if I hear one more time, that “times are tough” and that we should be lucky we “don’t get a pay cut”, I will maybe punch someone in the face. Well okay, not really but I might have that picture play out in my head. It even kills me more that people even ask these questions. Have they not been watching the news? Did they miss the presidential election to which the economic situation was the main concern of the American public? Must I even need to go further in this topic? Yes, we can all dwell and be upset about the fact that we will not be getting our annual increase or more promotions. It sucks. No doubt about it, but get over it fast. ”morale” is a key word that has consumed the everyday culture and language at my company. It is not such a bad word and while I am cynical about most things, this is not one of them. It is important to keep people motivated, challenged and happy. It is key to keeping the corporate setting positive and letting everyone know their is an end, maybe not in sight, but their is an end to this worry. There is more to this recession than poor pay, no promotions and loss of motivation. This is a time to build strong management, to learn how to be strategic and present new ideas. It is a time to learn from mistakes and move forward to success. This my friends, is the only means to an end.

Why Plane Travel Sucks

klasky — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:16:23 +0000

Lets look back 10 years. Remember the days when flying was easy? Barely, right? Well I remember the days when my parents could walk me to the gate and drop me off for summer camp knowing that there would be a responsible adult on the other end awaiting my arrival at my gate. Remember when once you boarded a plane, you sat on the runway for no more than 10 minutes? Remember when there was honesty and no bull shit when flying? I am only 24 and that all seems so very long ago. Over the past 2 years the flying experience has gone from being a bit overwhelming but fairly manageable, to being absolutely miserable and impossible. Why is this? Well, I could go into the technical reasons of cuts and the recession but I don’t believe there is a need to excuse this poor treatment. I realize that the recession is the root of some of the problems, yet I still find it hard to believe that this means making the travler experience absolutely horrendous.

Over the past year I have dealt with cancelled flights, no rewards or refunds, long delays, not due to weather but due to understaffed planes and miserable workers, sitting on runways and poor service. I I recently traveled to Mexico and this trip pushed me over the edge. It just started on a bad note. I showed up to the airport with ample time, a good 2 hrs early. I could not use the kiosk because I was traveling internationally. There were about 50 people in line and 2 people working the counter. WHY US AIR? WHYYYY? Tell me, please, why this would make any sense…anyone? So as the two employees are slowely taking their time with each customer. They are clearly not in a rush and just waiting for their next break. Each person who ahs a bag over 50 pounds must pay in cash to check it in. This means people going back and forth to the ATM. This takes up even more time. I am waiting in this line for about an hour and then when they realized half the people in this line were leaving in 30 minutes, they created quick line to get those with a time crunch through faster. I was sent in that direction and keep in mind this was not speedy by any means. As I made my way to the front of the line, I thought about being polite, I really did and I tried. Really, I promise but I could not help but be a complete bitch by the end of my conversation with the man. Here is why: The guy at the counter could not check me through my connecting flight and as I simply asked him why he could not do so? He did not give me an answer and was so flustered that he literally shooed me away and told me to I quote “leave, go, just check in at your connecting airport”. I responded “what???” and he quickly said “Just leave!”. So I did. I was shocked and did not know what else to do other than leave the counter. I would not have freaked out at the situation except my layover was a short 30 min. So of course I called customer service and complained to them and this got me know where…why did I think it would? I guess those over the phone, really are no more competent than those at the counter. I thought for some reason, they would have been more qualified, but I was dead wrong.

As we took off, I was incredibly stressed that I was going to miss my connection, seeing that I had to check in hopes that they would not give my seat away. At this point I thought, you know, a nice glass of OJ would help me out, but nooooo, it costs 2 dollars now for a drink that once used to be complimentary. Once again, US AIR, Stellar.

I sprinted to my next gate, inevitably 3 terminals over and made my flight, just barely. Of course we back out of the gate and I am thinking to myself, finally on our way! Nope, wrong assumption once again. We sat on the runway for an hour with no explanation, not one announcement stating the situation. See, that is what gets me and I think I am the only one this bothers because no one around me is ever flustered but I am fuming, steaming out of my ears because I want to know why we were boarded just to sit on the freaking runway. I want a reason. I think it is deserved. I paid a lot for this flight and the least the captain could do is apologize and let us know why we are where we are. It kills me, every time, after waiting for an hour, the captain gets on the intercom and says his schpeel like normal, just like we were not sitting on the runway for an extended amount of time. Like nothing is wrong. Are you kidding me? Am I the only one in the world that thinks this is ridiculous?

So there it is. Traveling blows and for one that loves being in new places more than anything, I hate the experience of getting there so much that it makes me want to only fly when absolutely necessary. My advice to all traveling, expect the absolute worst. In fact, have no expectations so you can be surprised when the 1 our of 100 flights is normal.

Lunch Time Conversation aka, Wedding Banter

klasky — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:46:13 +0000

Lunch time conversation is brutal. It derives from the absolute awkward silences that eventually have to be broken by one saying “so…did you see American Idol” or “My wedding…” or “My fiance…” or “The photographer for the wedding…” Tell me why, whyyyy must wedding talk be present every freaking second of every lunch conversation? TV talk, okay, I can deal. Even if it is politically correct, but wedding chit chat must be banned from all work places. I could go in depth about this, down the women’s rights path, in that those women that base their lives and conversation off of the men in their lives give all women a bad wrap. It hit me when I was talking to my co worker, Dave, who works across the hall and said he did not enjoy the lunch time talk because it was all women chatting about weddings. I quickly said to him, I hear ya, but not all women find this to be the most important conversation piece. Now, back to the non-women’s rights banter. It truly boggles my mind that photographers, venues, center pieces, menus, dresses and wedding party drama is so consuming in ones life. I look at it this way, I am thrilled for those who are getting married, in fact, I am happy for every single one, but I really am not interested in knowing anything about their wedding planning. While the awkward silences are painful, I would rather have that than the ladder. Just listening to how much the weddings cost and how time consuming they are scares the crap out of me. Either I will hire someone to plan my wedding (the J way to go) or elope…man that is sounding better and better every day.

Promotions

klasky — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:07:56 +0000

I just got promoted! My first one ever, and I must say, I am relieved, nervous and thrilled but also overwhelmed by the sheer awkwardness that take over the office during this time. I mean, not only do they announce it in front of everyone, but they force everyone to be happy for you which is so insincere. There are definitely 10 other people hoping for that same promotion and I know I would not be happy if someone I started with got promoted before me. See, that is the crazy thing about promotions, so you get promoted 2 months before someone, they might get promoted before you the next time. It is all in the politics of your boss and your relationship with your boss. I love the “congrats” you get from the co worker next to you, or the “you deserve it”, when underneath their breath they are thinking “what did they do that I didn’t”? So it feels great to get promoted, finally someone is acknowledging your hard work!! Just another year until another one! Hey, its all good, you move up and on and pretend to be happy for those surpassing you.

The Events Committee

klasky — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:32:21 +0000

First and foremost, why does this exist and why the hell do people actually get excited about it? I was some how voted onto this committee and to be quite honest, it is a large waste of my time. I really don’t care about bonding with my co-workers or knowing “fun facts” about them that I will never remember 1 year from now. I do not understand why or how people get psyched to plan events at work. I mean, lets be real, if it involves free food or coffee, okay, I get it, but if it involves a stupid game and a pizza party, you can forget about it. I am not in elementary school any more and really am not as excited about pizza as I used to be. So this is what we do, we meet for an hour, bounce ideas about what to do for days like St. Patties day, valentines day, and cinco de mayo. Again, I feel like I am in elementary school. We might as well have a valentines day box contest…remember those? The ones you made out of a shoe box that my mother made me do on my own, while other kids mother’s did it for them (hence why I NEVER won…and yes, it has scarred me). The thing that boggles my mind is that there are actually people who take it seriously…like have “EOD” deadlines for this shit and excel worksheets made up. Like are you kidding me? Is it that important that we need to take time out of our busy work day to have grids to fill our names in? Okay, so I am probably being harsh right now. It is not that I am not spirited or that I do not want some “bonding” but to be honest, what everyone really wants is a free coffee in the morning and maybe some donuts. We don’t need games or trivia, that is just not fun plus it wastes time and aren’t we looking at the bottom line people??? This is corporate America…come on!

April Eats my Food…

klasky — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:35:57 +0000

My Housemate works in a small boutique investment bank. Yes, that is very cool and intense. However this start up I bank not only carries loads of potential, but also carries the occasional annoying co-worker. I don’t know about you, but food is very important to me. It gets me through the day, keeps my brain moving but most importantly tastes freakin good. So when my housemate came home complaining about her co-worker, April, who eats her food, I was disturbed, yes, I did use the word disturbed. This food was only being offered to April in the mere kindness of sitting next to someone, but this is when the one being offered the food says “no thank you” or “I will have one”. This kind gesture is not an invite to go into one’s drawer and take their candy stash out and pick and choose the pieces one wants. I think April took this offer to a new level. Not only was she reaching into the privacy of Ali’s desk drawer, but she was eating her food and did not have the slightest offering of any back. Furthermore, April had the nerve to complain to Ali about feeling fat. The one forbidden part of this entire episode is if you are going to steal your co-workers food, do not, I repeat, DO NOT complain about being fat. Sympathy will not be on the receiving end. I mean, what is Ali supposed to do in this situation? Say “well, if you are so fat, why are you eating my candy?”

“When you are not busy, look busy”

klasky — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:54:01 +0000

Blogging, a fascinating phenomenon that has connected millions across the world….now how I really feel about it. It is something that has boggled my mind from the get go. Who actually reads another person’s blog (exclude perez hilton, tmz and the superficial.com)? I certainly don’t…maybe I will start. I really think it is a tool to help people talk about themselves in hopes of feeling important. Yes, that would be me now. I am sucked into this crazy world of blogging and hoping I will also achieve that feeling of greatness. Hey, at least I can admit it. There are many things I will write about on this blog, but I think it will mostly pertain to this quote “When you are not busy, look busy”. This applies to the corporate work world, however can certainly be acclimated to any work world. Where did this idea come from? Well, it was sparked by the one and only Steve Lasky, my oh so wise father who recently picked up a job a Starbucks. For anyone who reads this, I hope you can enjoy my enlightening comments.

Hello world!

klasky — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:39:29 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!