Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Don’t Worry, It’s OK To Be Late Today

It’s been a while since I devoted some blog time to useless holidays and I know I always say each new holiday is greater than the last, but this time it’s really true. I was tempted to wait a few days to post this in honor of the holiday, but then you would all miss out on getting to celebrate ‘Be Late For Something Day.’

Now I regularly celebrate this holiday, except I didn’t know it was a holiday. I should have suspected there was one, but sometimes I just don’t dare to dream big enough. Note to self: start hoping for a holiday that honors deep fried foods and for a ‘take a stunning super model (or Tina Fey) to work day.’ Ok, a ‘treat Michael like a King at work day’ would be pretty cool too, you know, as long as I am dreaming and all. Oh, and a ‘get paid quite lucratively for blogging day’ would certainly be welcome as would a ‘that’s what she said day’ where everyone is free to say ‘TWSS’ as many times as they want, even when it isn’t appropriate without fear of retribution or an HR investigation. On that day, we’d be free to do it over and over and over again (TWSS). I mean I’m sitting here listing holidays I could only dream about so I might as well list them all, right? Oops, forgot ‘work from the beach day’ and ‘no work because I have twins day.’ I swear I’m done now. This post is supposed to be about ‘Be Late For Something Day,’ so I should really start focusing on that, but hey, better late than never, right. Sorry, it just seemed so appropriate.

Since I was out late Tuesday night, it was inevitable that I’d be late this morning. I guess you can say that late begets late. Or late to sleep, late to rise. Or, I really don’t care what time I have to be to work tomorrow, I’m busy tonight. No matter how you cut it, I will be celebrating ‘It’s OK To Be Late Today’ in grand fashion. Let’s see, if I am expected at work around 8:30, I will arrive today no earlier than 9:30. As soon as I enter the office, I will make sure to wish everyone a happy ‘It’s OK To Be Late Today’ just so they know that my lateness is for a good reason, as opposed to the usual reason, which is because I was blogging, eating, sleeping or ironing something to wear at the last minute. Sometimes I also forget I need to go to work, but that is just a mental block that my doctors assure me can be overcome with medicine.

Let’s just hope not EVERYONE celebrates today. There are some professionals that need to be on time today. I am speaking of people like emergency room doctors, law enforcement, ambulance drivers and other emergency responders, as well as donut shop owners and the guy that owns the Mexican restaurant across from the office. Let’s face it, there are just times when someone’s tardiness has far-reaching consequences, such as not having a full allotment of chips and salsa prepared before we take lunch at 11:30AM. I guess I should also add air traffic controllers to this list. Still, not as important as the chip dude. But then I’m not flying today. Others may disagree with me, but they haven’t tried said chips, salsa and nachos. For if they had, they too would agree that chip dude serves a far more important duty than our nation’s air traffic people…sorry, no offense, but you HAVE to try these chips!

I prefer to think of lateness/tardiness/not being on time as a frame of mind. After all, if no one points out that you are late, are you then in fact actually late? If you just slip in through the back door unnoticed and immediately assume your daily duties without stopping for coffee, that morning pick me up candy bar or to chat with everyone you encounter, are you really late, especially if your boss doesn’t see you? I choose to say no. But then I also chose to like New Coke back in the 80s, and we all know how that turned out. I also chose to give my allegiance to BetaMax instead of VHS and I liked George Lazenby as James Bond, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Well, I should go now. I need to set my alarm and all of my clocks back 45 minutes. Really, how embarrassing would it be to arrive on time (or dare I say early) on ‘It’s OK To Be Late Today’ Day. I’d never live it down…

25 comments:

Odat said...

WEll, what do you know? I'm late today and it's OK!!! Wow...I want to thank you for bringing this holiday to my attention. I'm printing your blog out and am going to post it all over the office!!! Thanks Michael!!! You're a real pal.
Peace

Patti said...

I'm early today because...well, I'm like that. A contrarian.

Your post did remind me that you neglected my Mexican restaurant question that I posed to you. I forgot that you forgot, but now you reminded me...Remember how I told you I couldn't stop thinking about that dejected family?

Have a good Wednesday, Michael. You're forgiven. There's always next Tuesday.

Nikki Neurotic said...

I'd celebrate but I'm suppose to catch a train...and well, you can't exactly be late for that. I don't want to end up like Mr. Bean!

Open Grove Claudia said...

I'm always so excited about whatever I'm doing after work that I tend to get in early so I can get it over with. I figure we all have to work, so why not just get it done?

Then you can ride your bike on the boardwalk, or I can visit with my bees, you can play with your kids, or I can play with Rosie the Vizsla.

Michael C said...

Odat: Glad I could help!

Patti: I obviously am going to have to devise a better system for remembering submitted questions!!

Silver: No you don't. It is not ok to be late for trains ;-)

Claudia: Now there is an approach I had not thought of before!

Lemon Stand said...

The only problem with this post is that I was woken up ON TIME this morning and didn't read this till AFTER I had dragged my butt out of bed.

Michael, I really could've used this information last night as the alarm clock was being set. I think about all those 'communing with my pillow' minutes that I have lost out on today and I am, well, irritated that you were late in posting this.

Someone should have made your position in the universe a little more clear to you. You are NOT 'non-essential personnel.' You MUST post on time with information this critical to my happiness! (Preferably BEFORE the happy event)

Now that I am up and the kids are off to school, I wonder if I can make up for lost time and try to snuggle with my pillow or if the moment is truly lost... **sniff, sniff**

Michael C said...

Lemon Stand: I am so sorry. I will have to rework some schedules and priorities, but I think I can accommodate your on time posting request. ;-)

Anonymous said...

"Sometimes I also forget I need to go to work, but that is just a mental block that my doctors assure me can be overcome with medicine."
Is this true? I forget that I have to go to work every morning. I just sit around watching the show I missed the night before, and then all of the sudden it 7:30 and I still have to get showered, dressed, make lunches and get my 8 yr old off the BRATZ website, dressed and to school, along with let the dogs out and to work by 8 am, after of course a 20 min drive to work. So of course, I in grand style celebrated this holiday with being more then 30mins late to work. Of course this is a daily occurrence lately, but at least no one seems to notice.

C said...

Yikes! I almost missed the window to pill the cat and this is the only day the time is really critical because they have to check her blood within 6-8 hours after her pill. I should have slept longer and informed the vet of this holiday and then rescheduled.

As it is, I'm making up for it in other areas. For instance, it's 10:54 am, and I'm just now thinking about breakfast for us all. I guess I'll call it brunch.

I've never seen the Lazenby Bond. I was getting old bond flicks from the library for a while, but they were a lot cheesier than I remembered them being. Does that ever happen to you? I guess you just have to love the cheese and embrace it, like with Star Wars. But it's still annoying when the ninja tries dripping poison down a thread into a sleeping Bond's mouth instead of just jumping down from the ceiling and stabbing him, or even whipping a throwing star at him or something.

The tooth fairy is going to be a day later here, too. Stupid tooth fairy.

C said...

Er - re the ninja - not that I want Bond dead. No! I should have said "trying to stab him." That's important! ^_^

Michael C said...

TexasP: Sadly, it's not true and your mornings sound a lot like mine!

Candace: Brunch sounds good! Lazenby was only Bond once. And I'm glad you cleared up the killing Bond thing. I was worried there for a moment :D

Rebecca said...

I'm with Lemon Stand - you need to give us more notice about these important holidays. I already came to work on time (of course the last time I was 6 min late I was given a talking to 3 times) 8-\

Oh, but I can be late coming back from lunch, that'll be great :-)

AndreAnna said...

I still can't figure out what TWSS is, though I assume it's a SNL or Tina Fey reference.

Deadmanshonda said...

Truly, truly embarrassing...I hope you made good on your venture.

*~*Cece*~* said...

Darn it! I was early for late day, but since I left an hour early yesterday does that count for something?

Michael C said...

Frigga: I promise to be more timely with my info, but it late day ;-)

AA: It's that's what she said. I know, I'm way too mature for that...
:D

Leiselb: I'm glad you agree and yes I did make quite good on it!!!

Cece: Yes, the hour is completely transferable under the circumstances!!

Airam said...

I celebrate that holiday at least once a week. It's horrible.

Mimi Lenox said...

Of course you're not late if no one sees you. What kind of silly question is that?!

Mother Hoodwink said...

I have a MySpace account because I like to pretend I'm still young and cool. There are always these bulletins about crazy holidays. You can go here: http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/INDEX.HTM to see which one is also your birthday. I share my birthday with Get A Different Name Day. This year I will change it to Tina Fey.

Michael C said...

Airam: Sadly, I don't celebrate that holiday only once a week. That's even horribler. Yes, I made that word up and I'm not even sure if what I said even means anything...

Mimi: Phew, thanks for clearing that up for me.

Mother H: Cool, I'll check it out! I share my b-day with this crazy holiday called Christmas Eve.

Airam said...

I'm using horribler today and then will follow it with a TWSS.

Michael C said...

Airam: That's the spirit!!!!! :D

Anonymous said...

I am LATE every day to everything. I certainly know how to celebrate that. But I cant wait to celebrate these NEW HOLIDAYS......

Especially "take a stunning super model (or Tina Fey) to work day." OR "get paid quite lucratively for blogging day"

The only other holiday I celebrate instead of Yom Kippur is 'yeah im kinda poor'...

ps... Nothing is more important than the CHIP DUDE being on time!!

katherine. said...

hey I was celebrating and didn't even know why...

CS said...

How about be late for blog-checking? Does that count for something?