Sunday, July 23, 2006

So Long And Thanks For The Mammaries

Today's blog posting is brought to you by the feeling 'numb', the word 'ohmygod' and the number 56...

I left my job of 5 years on Friday. While it is sad to say goodbye to some it is a relief to say goodbye to a number of others. Onwards, upwards and hopefully not outwards I go.

I had a farewell afternoon tea on Thursday which had a pretty disappointing turn-out numbers wise although most of those who came were the people I really wanted to say goodbye and give a big hug to. There were a couple of surprise cameos, for instance 2 people who have been arch-nemesis in the past. Maybe they were there to report back to others "Ding dong the witch is dead".

There was this one guy who showed up whom I had never ever met. I guess he was new and there to make friends but that didn't stop him from hoeing into the spread. It was all I could do to stop myself from sidling up to him and whispering in a conspiracy laced voice "Hey....so do you know which one is Meredith?"

One amusing thing was that my team had given express instructions to the organiser to not to get me anything chocolate (it gives me uber migraines). So other than the (most awesome) 2 bottles of bourbon I got some lollies and...ummm...well....a hot cocoa kit - including drinking cocoa, marshmallows and a chocolate coloured cup with pictures of chocolate and the words 'cocoa' painted on it. At the risk of sounding ungrateful I suspect that the cocoa kit was slipped in on the sly as the final middle finger from the people I've pissed off over the past 5 years. The sort of people that resent being told that the internet isn't a passing phase and yes etutoring will be required by you as an academic before you retire so lets talk about why you don't seem have a ticket for the Modern Teaching Skills Train.

One very not amusing thing was that my mother (who happens to work there) posted all around the room, multiple colour copies of a rather embarrassing picture of me from several years ago. Lets not get caught up in details but lets just say I went through a Xena phase a long while ago and entered a competition that had a prize that was worth the costume rental. One of my favourite people from the OP asked me quietly whether it was real. When I replied, yes, the picture that the CEO of the organisation is currently viewing with a disturbing level of scrutiny was in fact real, he replied: Heh. Awesome...

Quite.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is that the in action photo that i am in as well? if so then it is a very very good photo (and not due to me in the slightest).

Best sidekick eva....

i still have the new womans wekkly idea (feck knows which one it was) with your photo in it, only one of those mags i ever have and ever (unless you enter a similar comp) buy.

scary that that was around 10 years ago!

Meredith said...

Maaaaannnnn, thanks for all that great and excessively accurate detail there Alan. I hereby formally announce the start of the merciless teasing about the photo...

Sigh. ;)

(You looked great in the photo by the way, you really worked that sheepskin and leather ensemble...lolll)

Becky said...

oh my, you may need to post that picture... just kidding. best of luck at the new job!

Anonymous said...

Tease away :) i was only helping out a friend who _wanted_ to be in the womans whatever magazine dressed as xena, but got beaten by a ferret :) i was supposed to look bad, i was a being a thug getting beaten up by the warrior princess :)

i could easily get a photo i reckon, i do have the magazine still. excellent....

and yes i did look wonderful in my sheepskin, and bad headband, it complemented your rented xena outfit and acessoried small defenceless child very well :)

congrats on the new job BTW, i assume you have started already?

Meredith said...

I can't believe you brought up the ferrit!!!....you know how sensitive I am about that. Sob....

(Oh..and I didn't get beaten by the ferrit, it just got in the same 'highly commended' section as I did...so there!)

(Oh Oh..and I meant the teasing of me is about to start, not about you. Like you say, I asked you to do it. I have no excuse.)

Yep, I started my new job yesterday. Posting about first day fun times to come soon.

I have this awful feeling I am going to have to distract people with my jelly wrestling story in order to distract them from the Xena thing...

Anonymous said...

To be honest i am now visualising a Xena costume Jelly wrestling cross over and its a comforting vision :)

I reckon anytime you get equal with a rodent, you kind of automatically lose :)

still i liked your entrant, it actually looked like xena, unlike some of the others, kid on trampoline, old lady sitting on old motorbike, etc. the drugs those judges were on must have been very good.

I still get slightly teased when someone sees the magazine and i have to explain the whole saga and show them the photo. and my grandmother was most annoyed i had not told her i was going to be in the mag and she had to spot me by accident :)

still think you should post a pic of the xena thing, and the jelly wrestling :)

Look forward to hearing about your new job, its nice to see you have finally left the nest and now live away from and don;t work with your parents :)

Meredith said...

What do you mean?! I feel the need to let the readers know I am not some kind of lameass...

I haven't lived with my parents since I was 19 and my mother while she happened to work at OP too, we were in different departments and we hardly ever interacted.

(PS, I do agree with the rodent thing though)

Seraph said...

HEY ! I remember the jelly wrestling ! You TOTALLY whaled on that other chick !! Mind you - you did have martial arts training and she was ... well ... a wimp.
That was a fun party. I still think it was a mistake to have kept the jelly in that beer chiller. That stuff was freaking cold ...

Fun times.

Meredith said...

The other chick was a gym bunny...she was freakishly strong too.

Seraph said...

That only makes your victory all the more impressive !

Conrad said...

Oh yeah, that jelly-wrestling thing. That is an uncomfortable memory. You would not believe the disappointment on Mum & Dad's faces when they found out about that party. "What sort of parties are you frequenting? And you took your little sister? We expected you to take care of her, not take her to dodgy parties. We are very disappointed in the way you have handled your big-brother responsibilities". So all I could do is blame seraph.

Meredith said...

That's interesting....Mum tries to tell the jelly wrestling story at the drop of the hat these days.....