Fringe Benefits

I went to work today. I'm such a hero. I'd totally decided to stay home and milk the snowfall, watch Oprah's Favorite Things orgy of consumer gluttony, and maybe do a little laundry or something. But my husband decided to drive, so I went. It was cold and snowy, but mostly ice-free.

And it's a good thing I did, too. Today was a very special day at the office. No, it wasn't Pizza Lunch and Dessert Buffet day--that was yesterday. It was popcorn and a movie day. Pretty awesome and not at all demeaning, eh? Who needs use of the company jet, weekends at the corporate ski chalet, or seven minutes in heaven with your hot new secretary, when you can sit in the sales training room with 40-50 other employees drinking Coke out of styrofoam cups, eating popcorn out of brown lunch sacks, and watching Tim Allen's The Santa Clause? Not that I'm complaining about the two-hour break from actually working, but I find these weak attempts at humouring the working cogs embarrassing. I'm sure the hearts of the people who were actually running the "event" were in the right place, but knowing that the idea most likely originated in some ridiculous corporate brainstorming session puts a bit of a tarnish on it.

Oh, and last week the business and listings departments divided into four teams and played Deal or No Deal in the conference room. The prize? Not a million dollars. It was Bravo points. Bravo points allow employees to go to our online corporate catalogue and exchange their points for wonderful products. Wonderful products like oven mitts, or word-of-the-day calendars. Score.