Public Embarassment

You didn't think I would forget to post about the holiday party, did you? Ah, enforced jolity with the co-workers, always a good time. We needed the time to bond and unwind together, given certain sudden changes we've been seeing around here.

We had a luncheon, complete with party planning committee. Our party had an agenda. (Item #1 - FUN!) Seriously. Planned activities included a showcase of talent among our staff (mostly the junior staff, interestingly enough...) I was roped into singing. I agreed out of guilt, based primarily on the following conversation:

Colleague - Hey K, do you wanna sing with Coworker?
Me - Ummmm, NO! (running by on the way to the bathroom)
Now, keep in mind, I'd just been on a 2 hour conference call, it was past lunch time, I was starving, needed caffeine and use of the bathroom. I was still in my little depressing conference call world, and thus the response was a bit more sharp than I would have intended it to be. So I went back, massive bottle of soda in hand and said I was sorry, hadn't had caffeine or food, etc etc, was very cranky and did she mean sing NOW? NO, was the response, at the party tomorrow!
I didn't really want to, but I agreed b/c had sounded like such a beeeyotch before. I get so nervous, with people watching me, I just start shaking. Stage fright. Very bad. Did I really want to get up in front of all these people and have them think I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket? Not especially....

We agreed to sing Winter Wonderland and all went well, I guess. No one, and this is important, said anything at the time... Other entertainment included salsa dance lessons and some Irish drumming. We also had a white elephant gift exchange which was fun.... although entirely missing the point of the true white elephant (unlike last year's exchange among my friends, one of whom contributed to the exchange a photo frame with a picture of her ex boyfriend in it.). This was only to our benefit though - who wants crappy gifts?? I got some chocolate and a starbucks card, the perfect gift!

Ok, so fast forward to today - one of my esteemed colleagues took pictures of all this, which she forwarded around to THE WHOLE STAFF. One of the pictures is called 'singing finger' which showed me singing and holding a page with the words on it (helpful, not because i needed the words, but because i could look at them, rather than out at the crowd, all of whom were staring at me. I guess my Inner Diva was out to lunch that day...) - I guess I was holding it weirdly and one of my fingers - guess which one - (Go ahead, guess!) is visible, so it looks like i am flipping off the staff. Good one. Very smooth move. I had no idea I was doing it. I just wanted to get through the !@#$($ song. She sent around some other pictures, too, but not as bad as that. Am hiding in mortification under my desk.

(And, for the record. Yes, there is a picture. No, you don't get to see it).