Last night was the first annual "**** ******'* Family Reunion", which was a gathering of past and present employees, as well as regulars. Another former employee and I were chatting a month or so ago, and thought it would be fun to get everyone together and catch up. Many of us have remained very close, hanging out on weekends, continuing to work together at other establishments and getting together for random parties and other events. As we have all continued to grow, whether it is in a career, relationship, school or family, we have continued to remain in touch, but getting everyone together has been difficult. This was simply a wonderful opportunity to bring our "family" together and enjoy each others company for a few hours.
Well, what was intended to be a friendly gathering quickly turned into something it wasn't, all based on a phrase that was, quite honestly, a joke. See, there is a reason many of us are former employees of this establishment. While we loved working together, enjoyed what we were doing, and had some of the best customers in town, there was something always bringing us down. I'm not here to bad mouth anybody, and I'm certainly not holding ill will or a grudge. To be honest, that is the furthest thing from my mind as I was setting this gathering up. True, I wasn't a fan of the boss, I'm not going to lie. It is my opinion that an owner hires the right people, they make his/her business successful, and he/she rewards them. It doesn't have to be monetarily, it can simply be a pat on the back or an encouraging word or high five from time to time. What I have never understood is why an owner continuously looks for faults in people and never gives credit where credit is due. This was the norm here, and it wore on people.
Anyways, back to last night. I set up an invite on Facebook several weeks ago, sending it to a couple dozen past and present employees, and they mentioned it to others that were not originally included. We were all meeting up at Bayside Bowl for some bowling, beers and to enjoy each others company for a few hours. Well, in the process some messages were sent around and the now infamous term was coined, as a joke. Like I have previously mentioned, this great group of people share a common bond, many of us met each other either at this establishment, or directly because of it. I'm talking life long friendships, too. There was another common bond for many of us as well, but certainly not all. There was a general dislike for our former employer, and that is why many of us are no longer there. No big deal, right?
Well, it turns out someone didn't like where we went with all this joking, and took it upon themselves to turn it into a bigger deal than it ever should have been. I should be talking about all the fun we had last night. However, here I am, letting people know that some peoples panties need to be slowly removed from their rear ends, as they have clearly bunched up a bit! Those of us that did take part in the joke, which was just a couple of former employees, have every right to make the joke, and if that means you use what power you have and put my picture up on your wall in an effort to keep me out of your establishment, then so be it. The intent was never to ruffle any feathers, and none of us were looking to get ourselves kicked out. It was simply a joke amongst friends, nothing more.
Like I said earlier, I don't hold a grudge, and I certainly don't look for opportunities to bad mouth people. None of us were looking to cause a stir or get anyone in any sort of trouble. Was the joke in bad taste? Perhaps, but remember, if you are an ass, don't be surprised if people don't like you. I'm just saying...
About Me
- Mark
- I've always wondered if people actually read this stuff. I never do when I'm on other pages. Well, in case, for some strange reason, you find it necessary, I'll give you a little knowledge. I was born in The County. For those of you who don't konw better, that would be Aroostook County. For those of you who do, your jokes won't work on me, they are lame. I'm the son of an investment banker that squandered his every penny on tuna fish sandwiches in the late 80's, and my mother was the lead singer for the Bangles. Neither of those is true, but again, I'm convinced nobody is reading this anyways. I met my wife at a carnival, and we were married by the bearded lady in front of the entire clown brigade. I have a daughter who is training for the 2012 Olympics where she will compete in the Triple Jump and Javelin. We live in a nice little shanty in the woods and are hoping to one day have running water. Any questions?
