...get out of here.”
Yeah, that's one of my favorite stupid lines in a movie. Back in the day I used to watch this movie every Thursday night while babysitting two girls. We would make popcorn, pull out the sofa bed and watch Back to the Future. How sad, really.
But that's not my point tonight. Tonight is the interesting play on words. Biff didn't quite have it down since the end of that phrase was supposed to be “leave”.
Leave is an interesting word. It has several meanings – well at least 2 that I have become accustomed to.
One is the evil side, usually stated with an exclamation point following it. Leave! It's angry. It's violating. It's just plain mean. Most people hear this at some point in their life, and they can take it however they want to.
I had the joy (?) of experiencing “Leave” first hand at, of all places, seminary. You'd think seminary would be an inclusive place.
Sidebar – I'm watching S60 and I'm pissed – they have the Captain's lapel pins wrong. UGH! I can't see the ribbon rack but it might be close...but the lapel pins are totally wrong! Why? Why would they do that?
Okay – back to the inclusivity of seminary – yeah, you'd think there'd be some since everyone is all about Jesus and all. Well, the second day of reading days in October of my first year (I had been there about 4 ½ months by then) I woke up to find “LEAVE” written on the white board outside my dorm room. Hmm...what to do about that. Did they (the elusive 'they') want me to go away? Did they think I wasn't seminary material (I was having my own issues with that one)? Was I too loud the night before (doubtful since I was reading and writing papers all night and asleep by 10)?
I didn't have the answers to these questions. I wasn't sure what the hell was going on. So I, being the sarcastic woman I am, wrote “I feel so LOVED!” on my board and drew an arrow to the word. Then I left for an hour or so.
I came back to find a couple people had written things like we love you and stay on my board. It was nice to have people circling the wagons and standing up for me, but the word still hurt. I never did find out who wrote it or why – i'm not sure I'd even want to know – but it still hurts today.
The memory came back today. Where I work 'leave' has a different meaning. Leave means vacation, time away from work, you're outta the office, baby! Most people write on their white boards outside their office what their status is (don't ask me why we are continuing the college trend in a professional environment, but I was practically ordered to get one my first day on the job). So often you'll see 'Mtg, back at 1230' or 'Lunch'. But today one worker had simply “leave” written on her board. It really caught me off guard.
I'm sure part of it is because I'm hypersensitive since I'm still trying to get over this illness, whatever it is, but part of it was why would you just write “leave”? Shouldn't it be “On Leave”? That would make more sense, I would think. And then, put when you'll be back. If you're that big on telling people where you are then tell them when you'll return!
Of course, I'm just against writing anything on my board – people don't need to know where I am or why I'm gone. There are people who even write 'Comp Time', like I care if they are using comp time? Why do people feel the need to tell everything to everyone? I don't know...But truly isn't the only person who needs to know their immediate supervisor? Although, I guess most people in my building are in, what they call, customer service roles and I'm not really. Though people seem to get pissed when I'm not around.
Oh did I tell you, too, that one day I was walking back to my office from the bathroom and saw a chief walking out of it? When I asked him what he needed and how I could help he said he just needed a signature stamp from my boss and he found that – which means he was searching through my drawers in my desk? Yeah. Talk about a pissy moment for Moe. I wonder what he'd do if I did that to him. Since then I have no trust for the man.
I guess maybe I need to put on my board when I go to the bathroom.
4 comments:
ick. random people digging through your stuff. no fun at all.
I love you. That's all I can think to say. That and I'm sorry sem sucked.
This is why I'm not a writer.
Sounds like you need a drawer trap for Mr. Snoop! Or maybe just some really odd stuff. Your choice.
I once had a (dead) fish head tacked to my dorm room whiteboard in college. At the time I was really into the Godfather movies so I was particularly unnerved.
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