And the (holiday) beat goes on

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. Well, in our office, we have modified that a bit to say, “When horrible Christmas music is forced upon you, make a drinking game out of it.”

Yes, we are drinking in the office.

Actually, we are doing something even more stupid than drinking in the office. We are PRETEND drinking in the office. (Apparently, I confused my co-workers’ impending violence with looming senility. So sue me.)

We decided that since we couldn’t do anything about the music (and I’m sorry yuletide lovers, the music is gawd-awful), we would have a little fun with it. So the game is, every time we hear Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, we must open our “Lou Grant” bottom desk drawers, take out our imaginary bottles of hooch, and take a belt. (Un)fortunately, this particular tune seems to be one that is played quite often AND is in the commercial, which the station plays about every 20 minutes, announcing the 24/7 musical torture.

We are pretend plastered by 10:30 am.

Which, real or not, actually makes the day a bit easier to take. And when K trips over her feet getting up from her chair or B lets out a hearty burp, we laugh and laugh and laugh. We are holly-jolly pretend drunks, I must say.

And then we get back to work and wait for Rocking Around the Christmas Tree to come around again…with one hand on our Lou Grant drawers.

On the bookshelf, #2008-54

The Wayward Bus, by John Steinbeck

Yes, another Steinbeck. I have fallen hard for this writer and am a little nervous that I have only two more of his books in my To Be Read pile. I will have to rectify that.

I love Steinbeck’s books because of the disparate groups of characters he brings together. He always has the do-gooder who is a little bad and the ne’er-do-well with a good heart. Plus, the requisite alcoholics, women of ill repute, and all around bums. Who could ask for a better cast?

This story focuses on a group of people who gather at a diner, in the middle of nowhere, to board a bus that will take them to their futures. The bus breaks down, the waitress quits, the bridge goes out, the bus driver decides to run away…and yet, it all turns out just as it should. This was a great adventure.