A couple of years ago I worked in a watch center in Washington, D.C. Our watch center was small but had just undergone a huge modernization and remodelling in December 2006. It was just big enough for the six of us. There was a rumor that the boss was going to have a look at the new watch center, but I ignored it.
On this particular day, 17 May 2007, was insanely busy. There were a whole bunch of bigwigs, executives, hotshots, directors, and VIPs and other useless types floating around. They tend to interfere with the work. To make things worse, my watch center began filling up with off-duty colleagues. They stood the watch like I did and they ought to know better than to come to work on their day off.
My work quote begins in this crowded atmosphere of tension and my own growing irritation. Tom is my watch supervisor. He is a good guy and has done some awesomely killer cool stuff.
Tom: Hey, Toe. Put on your suit coat. The boss might be coming.Note here: we had to wear suits during normal business hours and my suit coat was hanging on the back of my chair.
Me: Yeah, right. He ain't coming all the way down here.Tom (nervous): He might. He's in good mood today and has some spare time after the video teleconference. Me (scowling): Pfffft. All the time he spends in this building, he never comes down here to visit the watch. We're the red-headed stepchildren living in the basement. He ain't coming down here.Tom (emphatically): Toe, just put on your coat.I noticed that all our colleagues are wearing their suit coats and they're watching this little argument between Tom and me. I wasn't going to make Tom look bad so I put on my suit coat. As I sat back down I fired my last shot:
Me (grumpily): Mark my words: as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, the boss ain't coming down here to see us.President Bush (aka the boss, grinning): What's that?Me:
I had never seen any president that close before. We were hand-shaking close. My first time! Woo hoo! I was never so glad to be so publically, embarassingly wrong. Handshakes and introductions all around and, of course, photographs. That was a bad day gone good.
