Massaging egos won't violate our harrassment policy, will it?

I stopped into Isaac's office yesterday.

"I just wanted to say 'hi' since I didn't get a chance to earlier," I began.

"He looked at me suspiciously. "You're only seeking me out because Casey isn't here," he countered.

"That is not true!" I protested. "I very often stop in to say hello to you."

"When Casey isn't here," he persisted. "When he's in the office, you seek him out. Or Dan."

"I seek you out way more than I seek them out," I noted (correctly, I might add. For every time I go to Casey and Dan's office, there are at least two or three visits to Isaac's.)

"I'm in the office more than they are," he countered with mock indignation. "That's the only reason."

"Listen, I can't help that you are feeling some sort of...intimidated by Casey or Dan. You've got your little complex or something. Seriously, can't you just enjoy that you are the person who is here today; you are the person who bears the benefit of seeing me with my swishy dress and painted toenails and my strappy shoes..."

Isaac swiveled his chair to check out my claim.

"No stockings," he mumbled, slightly disappointed.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing!" he claimed, feigning innocence.

"By the way," I purred, "neither Dan nor Casey is privy to the fact that my stocking are usually thigh highs. You're the only one who was there when I revealed that tidbit. When cooler weather comes back around, and bare legs aren't as much of an option, you'll know something that they don't."

A thoughtful smile crossed his face. And I knew that my attention to Casey and Dan was forgiven, at least for the time being.

Color me surprised

I stopped into Dan's office to say hello, and as we were talking, Isaac stopped in as well.

"I'm seeing red all day today!" he said, "I just got done talking to Ruth, and now Dana's here." Ruth, like myself, is a redhead. Just a few days ago, when I framed the timing of an event as "back when I was still a blonde," Casey noted that Ruth and I are the only redheads in the office. I mentioned this to the guys. They thought for a moment, trying to establish if anyone else sported a fiery head like mine.

"Sue has some red, doesn't she?" Isaac asked, referring to my and Ruth's boss.

"Weeeell, sort of," Dan hedged, "but hers is red from being colored not red because it's red."

"How do you know for sure that Ruth and I are natural redheads? We might color our hair too." I countered.

"No, there's a difference. My mom used to color her hair, and my dad would be askin' 'What did you color your hair red for?!' and she'd be all 'Well, I didn't mean for it to be red!' Your red looks like you are supposed to have it that way."

Which is good to know, considering the amount I pay in upkeep to have folks asking why I stopped lightening my hair to blond and reverted back to my "natural" color.

For he is Dan, doer of good things were women are concerned

Casey wasn't at the office today, but Dan was there when I stopped in to say hi to the Marketing boys.

Dan's a good looking man. His girlfriend used to work here, and she's a good looking woman, and the two of them are so cute together that it's like bunnies ought to be flying out of their asses. Seriously.

Dan's a guy's guy sometimes, chatting about the ballgame or cars or his new stereo. But Dan is a girl's guy, too. He knows the difference between tan and ecru. He understands the appropriateness of buying Mrs. Fields cookies for the women close to him to cheer them up. And today he noticed that I had cut my hair, and told me it looked good. (The Husband wasn't sure that I had cut it, and he sees me every day.) It's nice to have Dan around.

There's a warm wind blowin' the stars around

Today was an unseasonably warm day to have a Christmas party. There is something to be said, though, for not needing a coat and not having to cope with snow and ice and sleet.

After the CEO concluded the festivities, and everyone departed to enjoy an afternoon of leave, some of us headed to a local watering hole. Funny how I ended up surrounded by "my boys" from Marketing...

A few rum & cokes, some sips of Paul's sour apple martini (ordered with my consumption in mind, I think, since he kept setting it in front of me anyway) made me happy. But I stayed alert, in control- I had time constraints because it was my day to pick up the kids from school.

My favorite crush walked me to my car. He flirted, I flirted, but so did the other boys. No one will be the wiser. But it would have been nice to exchange something more than a good-bye hug in the parking lot.