12:16 a.m. | 2004-01-18 I�m So Glad We Spent This Time Together. I don�t think I�ve mentioned that Boss�FormerBoss (BFB) works a couple of doors down the hallway now. But, I do know that I haven�t mentioned that I spent Friday moving into an office down that same hall. I now have to walk past BFB�s office to get to Colleague�s office. That�s a good example of why you shouldn�t burn any bridges along the way. It�s a small world. Not that I burned any bridges with BFB as we�ve been friends for a long time. Just that you never know how things are gonna shake out. Anyway, I really miss the days when BFB, Boss, Colleague, GuyFriend, BestestGirlfriend and I all worked and lunched together. It was a very dynamic group. And, looking back, it was comedic improv. At it�s best. Inside jokes going back for years. Right before I left on Friday, I caught up with Colleague in BFB�s office. I won�t bother you with the dialogue because it�s too full of inside jokes. However, I have to say that it�s been a while since I laughed that heartily. It�s a matter of the right mix. I realized that tonight when I stumbled across a 48-hour marathon of The Carol Burnett and Friends Show. For a moment, I thought I had died and gone to heaven until I realized there wasn�t a masseuse-in-waiting. Surely heaven has that, right? Along with featherbeds, fireplaces and food. And, whatnot. Surely. I have to say, it took from zero to a nanosecond before the first huge wave of belly-laughter hit me. I remember watching that show in primetime. I�ve loved it all my life. I mourned the fact that they never syndicated it, until, apparently, now. Unless, it�s been playing for months and you guys didn�t tell me. If that�s the case, shame on all of you. I had to turn it off because it was causing physical pain. Belly laughter can do that, you know? It can heal, but it can also hurt. In other news, I think I started a new trend. Or, well, spread a trend farther than I meant to. See, I have a tendency to call Colleague by his last name. It�s a law school thing. And, I think that certain people were already doing that at our OldWorkPlace before I went there. But I did spread that habit to others within our OldWorkPlace. However, I�ve always been quite professional when dealing with �outside� folks, and best I can remember, I�ve always called him by his first name in said situations. I�m not so sure now. At our NewWorkPlace, we�ve been working with some of the same �outside� folks this past week and I received an interesting email. I discussed it with Colleague. This is that. (CI:) Hey Colleague, have you ever referred to yourself by your last name when speaking with ThisPerson? (C:) Uh, no. I don�t normally do that. Why? (CI:) Well, she sent me this email and asked me what your new phone number is � but she referred to you as bleep. (His last name.) Did I do that? I mean, I don�t normally call you by your last name when dealing with outside folks, but did I? (C:) What? Let me see that. (Showing him the email.) Ha! That�s funny. I talk to her all the time and she�s never called me that. Ever. That�s interesting. (CI:) Did I do that? I�m sorry. (C:) I don�t know. I don�t really care either. But, that�s a little odd. (CI:) Maybe that�s your �street name�. Just sayin�. It may be my doing though. I mean, I do have a tendency to give a person a �nickname� and it tends to be infectious. For whatever reason. Just for the record, my official nickname for Colleague is actually a shortened version of his last name � again, typical � which is even more humorous. And, yes, I am a �nicknamer�. Strangely, if your name is two syllables, I�ll make it one. If it�s one, I�ll make it two. I�m contrary like that. Oh, and I have an update on Boss. I believe she was off work (unemployed) for three whole days before she landed something new. I�m quite happy but not surprised at all. What did surprise me was that she said she wanted to take a year off work, but was bored after three days. Well, all right, that really didn�t surprise me. I expected that. The grass is always greener, you know? See, it all works out in the end. However, if they could shorten up that middle part, that�d be really cool. But, that�s where the lessons lay, I suppose. your thoughts? seed flower