It is all a Blur

On Thursday afternoon, about one o'clock one of my VP's asked me to lunch. This is the first time he and I have been able to make this happen so there was no way I wasn't going to go. I work ALOT of hours, I rarely step away from my desk so I figure I deserve a nice lunch out. Besides, he was paying.

We went down the street to Momo's. We walk in, they greet my VP and he leads me to the bar. The bartender introduces himself to me while grabbing a beer for my VP who dines there quite frequently and is known by name. Then he orders me a beer as well. Anyone who knows me knows that I rarely drink, and never during the day because it makes me sleepy, but I think what the hell, one won't hurt me. Suffice to say, one lead to three and VP and I are getting a little hammered. After we eat (yummy chicken and pear salads) VP decides that we are blowing the rest of the afternoon off. I think he is joking but he isn't. He makes some calls up to the office and drags me over to Kingfish for drinks. Slowly others from work join us. It is around 3 pm now and I am a little tipsy.

I decide beer is out and order myself a Mojito. Mojito's are yummy, refreshing, light and dangerous. As I am swilling down my first my VP decides to make a game of it. He and I are going head to head, drink for drink till one of us calls it quits. Around my third Mojito (or my sixth drink) I am starting to feel like I may lose this one, but alas, I get a second wind when my Admin shows up to join me.

The conversations are getting a little crazy. We are loud and crass and having a blast. We are laughing and carrying on when my BF comes in. I can tell by his grin I might be in a little trouble for disappearing from work, but he sees I am having a grand time and reminds me that we are leaving by 5:30. Ah ha - that gives me another hour to put the VP down. At this point we are on drink number eight and I can see that I am actually doing ok while VP looks a little worse for the wear.

Stories are being told; my co-workers are enjoying the fact that HR is out with them, behaving like a dope and letting her hair down. Not that I am uptight at work, just a little more professional and guarded than most have to be, mainly because I help manage all the ER cases and that means I have to be good most of the time. So even though we are all on the clock, we are telling it like it is and not worrying a damn about the repercussions. Basically bad kids out to have a good time.

Drink number nine arrives and I start slugging it down when I look over at VP and drink number eight is only half-way done. He smiles at me and throws in the towel. I triumphantly down that puppy and do a little victory dance. I am the champion!

VP heads up to the office to get ready to go home and as I am walking out the bartender asks who is paying the bill. Initially we were throwing cash down (there are about 6 or 7 people there) but somewhere along the way they started a tab. She hands me the bill - $150. Hmmm, ok well I ain't paying it, I won. Considering the amount of drinks we all had, this is cheap but I am still not paying it.

Cool thing, one of my new managers takes care of the tab. A gentleman indeed. The next day we all kick down a little cash and settle the score.

As I walk around the office I notice all my cohorts in crime. We are all a little green. We are all shushing others for "talking too loud". We are all shoveling fat and salt in our gullets as quickly as we can. Others in the office stop in the kitchen and can tell who was out with us the day before by what concoction they are munching on. "Ah, HR got you too?" And a slight nod (because it hurts too much to do otherwise) is all they need to know that you don't mess with the queen of the Mojito's.