FB: Liberty League

['gro]

Salem is about a 4 hour trip for Gro. Different teams and Gro would of considered the drive... made LD11 meet him there.

I was gonna go. Fortunately for LD11, an RPI alum is the Patriots O-Line coach, and I am going to the Tampa game with my brother and pops with some sweet seats on Sunday up in Foxboro so I'll be home before the Stagg Bowl.

nice work on the tickets. don't forget your mittens. Tampa is gonna win.

[dewcrew88]

Salem is about a 4 hour trip for Gro. Different teams and Gro would of considered the drive... made LD11 meet him there.

I was gonna go.  Fortunately for LD11, an RPI alum is the Patriots O-Line coach, and I am going to the Tampa game with my brother and pops with some sweet seats on Sunday up in Foxboro so I'll be home before the Stagg Bowl. 

I thought you were BSing, LD11, but I was wrong. That's pretty good that you have those contacts. Enjoy the game.

P.S. The game is on Saturday, not Sunday, but you already knew that.

[Garnet]

Garnet found this on the MSN.com site.  He thought some of you could stand to read it. 

Office Party Etiquette

By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

With the holiday season in full swing, many employers throw a party for employees to reward them for a job well done, celebrate the year's successes and build camaraderie among workers. But while this is a time to relax, there are some pitfalls of partying with your coworkers.

Thinking business social events are off the record and thinking you have an excuse to drop your ethics and inhibitions can be job suicide. "Stories of one disastrous evening will be spread by employee and spouses to their colleagues, friends and customers," says Kathleen Rich-New, an executive women's coach. "You are a paid professional, act like it."

Whether it's punch in a meeting room or a shindig at the hottest club, it's important to remember you'll be working with these people come Monday. This doesn't mean you have to be uptight and a party pooper, but rather know where the line is drawn between office hijinks and fodder for gossip. Here are some tips for enjoying the office party while still maintaining professional decorum.

Deck the Halls
Although you might want to dress up and be decked out in your favorite outfit, remember you are with professional colleagues not your drinking buddies. When you are thinking about what to wear, remember that this is not just an ordinary holiday bash but a party with people you see every day in a professional setting. Your clothes should be similar (in taste) to what you would normally wear at work. "A good guideline is to think about what your boss or your boss's boss will be wearing to the party. Don't wear anything that is sexy or revealing to an office party," advises Theresa Castro, Career Coach and author of The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets to Self-Discovery.

Frosty the Snowman
The office party is about building camaraderie, not fostering cliques. Remember to mingle with people outside of your immediate group of work buddies - don't just clump together with your friends and co-workers, Jill Bremer of Bremer Communications says. "Check in with them periodically, then move on to another person or group. Your company expects you to work the room." And, if someone enters your conversation group? Welcome them and make introductions.

Don't monopolize any one person at a party, either. This isn't the time to corner the CEO and deliver your 45-minute pitch for office recycling. Bremer suggests circulating every five to 10 minutes so that you can meet as many people as possible. This is your opportunity to learn about projects and clients, departments and get to know the variety of people in your organization.

Do You Hear What I Hear?
Although work parties are a time to let your hair down, it doesn't mean you should let it all hang out. This isn't the locker room so don't treat it as such. Be mindful of swearing and crude language, advises Jim O'Connor, president of the Cuss Control Academy and author of Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How to  Curb Your Cursing. "You may be offending people and it makes you look like you are an oaf," he says. "Respect people and think before you use profanity - it will get you a lot further in your career." It's also important to be careful of inappropriate jokes. Don't tell a joke that you ordinarily wouldn't tell at the workplace, such as jokes that are discriminatory in nature or contain racial, sexual, gender-based undertones.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Keep in mind that alcohol has the tendency for people to say or behave in ways that they normally wouldn't. Set a limit of one or two drinks. "Don't get trashed," Castro says. "What you say and how you behave at a party can and will be held against you later. This is to not to say that your behavior will be documented in your next evaluation. Instead, people will keep mental notes and use them later when you are looking to get promoted or get an increase in your pay."


Cindy Rakowitz, CEO and founder of RNR Entertainment Inc. agrees. "The office party is not the place to overdrink.  The repercussions can result in the loss of a job, and a demerit in one's reputation for a long time."  And never use drugs at an office party, she says. 

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Be wary of putting yourself in compromising positions warns Peggy Post of the Emily Post Institute. In her book, The Etiquette Advantage in Business, Post writes, "Excessive flirting, inappropriate soul-bearing, too-eager touching -- amorous adventures in all forms lose their romance in the clear light of the office workday. The safest way to avoid embarrassment and regret is to be well aware of the dire consequences that can result."

Employees should think of the office party as a place to show themselves at their very best, Rakowitz says. "It is a rare opportunity to impress upper management, and transform oneself from a "number" to a friendly, fun human being. Rigid rules aside....dance the night away...be 'ON'....and have fun!"

Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

[Jonny Utah]

Be mindful of swearing and crude language, advises Jim O'Connor, president of the Cuss Control Academy and author of Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How to  Curb Your Cursing. "You may be offending people and it makes you look like you are an oaf," he says. "Respect people and think before you use profanity - it will get you a lot further in your career."

Who the f#!k does this a$$hole think he is anyway?

[JT]

And never use drugs at an office party....

What if you see the CFO doing coke and weed with mailroom guys like JT did early in his career?

['gro]

excellent article. Gro's rebuttle...

1. The key word is PARTY, not OFFICE.
Don't look at it like you're going to work but there just happens to be food and alcohol. Look at it like you just walked into a party and it just happends that eveyone from work is there!

2. 1 or 2 drinks? Psssssh.
Don't fall down, don't barf, and don't drink and drive. But drink all you can handle. Also... drink selection is key. If it's open bar, go for the good stuff. Don't wuss out and get an amaretto sour. Don't order the exact same drink as your boss right in front of him (unless its a Samuel L Jackson beer, mmm mmm b#$%h!!).

3. Mingle with everyone? Even the herbs?
Who cares? Find the cool people, you've probably already had drinks with these people before. Impose the work/shot rule. If anyone mentions anything about work, they do a shot. That's the party trifecta there. Not only are you playing a fun game, but it involves drinking, and you can actually have a good conversation and not talk about goals, budgets, vendors, etc.

4. Keep it on the DL.
If some office trim is throwing signs at you, be cool. Set up something for afterwards. Invite the cool crowd out, the ones that aren't gonna blab to everyone on monday. But, it's ok to do a little flirting at the party so the co-workers know you're money.

[JT]

JT likes Gro's rules.  When JT was corporate that's how he rolled. Now JT has a question.  JT usually rolls Stag at Xmas parties.  Now Fiancee has a corporate Xmas party in which JT is also invited.  Any advice?  JT likes to be entertaining, but doesn't want to be over-the-top.

[Jonny Utah]

Yea at our xmas party.......No wives or girlfriends allowed.  Thats a key rule.

['gro]

JT likes Gro's rules. When JT was corporate that's how he rolled. Now JT has a question. JT usually rolls Stag at Xmas parties. Now Fiancee has a corporate Xmas party in which JT is also invited. Any advice? JT likes to be entertaining, but doesn't want to be over-the-top.

ask mrs. JT. If she wants you to go, then go (make sure there's free booze). You can at least keep her company and if there's cool people there, then enfore the work/shot rule... you'll be a hero.

[JT]

JU,

Definitely like the no family at Xmas parties... but this one is her's not JT's.  JT figures it is his job to make her look good in front of co-workers.  JT is basically a show pony.

Gro,

She wants JT to go, otherwise she won't... its in the Bronx.  Its a tony place, but still the Bronx.

[Jonny Utah]

JT likes Gro's rules.  When JT was corporate that's how he rolled. Now JT has a question.  JT usually rolls Stag at Xmas parties.  Now Fiancee has a corporate Xmas party in which JT is also invited.  Any advice?  JT likes to be entertaining, but doesn't want to be over-the-top.

JT, just have 3 beers at home and 2 swigs, (not shots) of blackberry brandy in the car before you go in.  That always gives me a great head buzz and attitude I need for a place I probably would puke in sober.

[JT]

JU,

Its open bar, so JT will head for the Makers Mark.  Fiancee can drive home.  JT can maintain.  Unless it is a company of stiffs, fun will be had while making gal look good.

['gro]

JU,

Its open bar, so JT will head for the Makers Mark. Fiancee can drive home. JT can maintain. Unless it is a company of stiffs, fun will be had while making gal look good.

Ha, Gro was drinking makers on saturday. This bar in 'nooga serves the strongest drinks ever. They are not even drinks. You ask for a makers and coke. They fill the glass with ice, fill it with makers, then put a splash of coke on top.

[Jonny Utah]

Its wierd.  When I was in 9th and 10th grade, I would drink stolen whiskey from my parents liquer cabinet every weekend.  Id fill up my flask, hit the parties and never drank beer untill I was in college.

Now the smell of whiskey or hard booze makes me sick,  I have a kegerator in my kitchen and 4 beers every day for breakfast, and maybe 10 or 12 for dinner.

[Regulator]

JT likes Gro's rules.  When JT was corporate that's how he rolled. Now JT has a question.  JT usually rolls Stag at Xmas parties.  Now Fiancee has a corporate Xmas party in which JT is also invited.  Any advice?  JT likes to be entertaining, but doesn't want to be over-the-top.

Jt-
Take the following advice from regulator for what it's worth.  You figure it this way.....Mrs. JT seems like a pretty cool cat, so that would lead me to believe she has some pretty cool work friends. 
Be the funny guy!  There is nothing wrong with a few jokes, but don't think you have to talk, every second of the party. 
Reg usually listens 80% of the time and talks 20%....and if I didn't ask open ended questions, the conversation would suck...just boring corporate people standing in an 8 foot wide circle drinking out of their straws until someone brings up a ghey work topic.  If you aren't the funny guy or the guy who speaks up, you will be labeled "OK" or Wierd" from that point on.

When the mrs' manager comes over, greet them, crack a small but funny professional joke (i.e.- "nice to finally meet you,....Now I know who has been keeping Mrs. JT busy until _pm all the time!"  Then exit within 2 minutes after you give the boss your spheal of what you do and where you're from, leave on another quick joke that will make him smirk

After that, you have fulfilled your requirements for seeing people.  Forget about meeting new people and netorking.  Go back to the original group and as long as you aren't falling over drunk, you and Mrs. JT are in like Flynn.  They boss probably won't even remember you (since he met everyone else's date and as long as you don't make an azz out of yourself...hence the 2 minute time limit.

Enjoy!