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Subject:Re: After all, it is Friday... From:Ken Poshedly <poshedly -at- bellsouth -dot- net> To:Nancy Allison <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:57:35 -0800 (PST)
Although not specific to reducing stress in a tech pubs dept, at one company I was with for 12 years (yay!), they had an unofficial ritual imposed on ALL soon-to-be married staff members -- both men and women (if I recall correctly).
Specifically, the workday before your wedding, a bowling ball complete with chain and handcuff as attached to the victim's ankle for the entire day (and sometimes a few minutes or an hour longer to induce as much stress as possible). Yes, you carried that contraption with you everywhere -- management meetings, project review meetings, bathroom visits, even for outdoor errands during lunch (if you were that brave).
I myself was somehow able to keep my (re)marriage date a secret almost until lunchtime of the last workday before the weekend. Others have been caught first thing upon arrival in the morning.
It was sort of a "great equalizer" -- with the exception of perhaps a top-top-manager -- as far as I know, no one was immune from this "sentence" that reminded us the similarity between that last workday and the rest of our life (theoretically).
At least two of my former coworkers lurk on (and sometimes contribute to) this list, so they can attest to or correct my statements. (Hi Carolyn and Nick!)
-- Kenpo in metro Atlanta
(first marriage, 5 years married until miserable divorced ladyfriends meddled with my wife ["desperate housewife syndrom"?]; second marriage, 20 years, now with two teenagers; I'm now 60 and will never sleep again)
________________________________
From: Nancy Allison <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 10:47:31 AM
Subject: Re: After all, it is Friday...
Once more, with text!
Balsa wood airplanes that were built to fly crazily. Quite amusing until one nearly landed on our manager's head . . . ah, those were the days, working in places that actually had good-sized TechPubs departments.
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