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What's your firm's holiday party like ?

stone

tell us all the sordid, little details ....

 
Dec 7, 05 7:22 pm
A Center for Ants?

tentative drinking w/ mixed cordiality and an overwhelming awkwardness of people trying to be professional and social at the same time. i slowly sip until i start to say things i probably shouldn't and graciously excuse myself.

Dec 7, 05 8:21 pm  · 
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digger

i have the most fun when the principals start dancing ...

Dec 7, 05 8:29 pm  · 
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garpike

T minus 35 minutes until our party... Dreaming of pints.

Dec 7, 05 8:31 pm  · 
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Ms Beary

apparantly, we are going bowling!

Dec 7, 05 8:34 pm  · 
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bigness

get drunk enough to tell the boss what you really think of him.
him being drunk enough to forget the coming monday.

i'm so looking foward to seeing my tutor drunk...seeing your boss pissed is one thing, but your tutor...

Dec 7, 05 8:35 pm  · 
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digger

so, Strawbeary ... this must be at your new firm, right ?

Dec 7, 05 8:41 pm  · 
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Ms Beary

that it is

Dec 7, 05 8:41 pm  · 
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digger

well .... you must be very proud ... they're taking you bowling ... you should have a ball

Dec 7, 05 8:43 pm  · 
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JG

I am hoping it will be as fun and as awkward as it was on The Office last night.

Dec 7, 05 8:43 pm  · 
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brian buchalski

given my personal propensity for over-indulgence, i have made a personal tradition of leaving the office party after two drinks & dinner before i end up as fodder for the newspaper reports of scandal season

Dec 8, 05 12:46 am  · 
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BOTS

ours is today 12:45 prompt. A restrained affair.

Who - combined Cardiff and London offices
Dress Code - All black (why?)
Food - Bistro Restaurant
Drink - Lots
Evening - Extended hospitality at a hip club (free drinks)

Check in tomorrow for a full report.

Dec 8, 05 3:56 am  · 
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sporadic supernova

Boring !!! ......

Lots of drinks and good food ... but boring atmosphere ..

where all the senior dudes make their own lil clique. !! ...

Dec 8, 05 5:09 am  · 
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SpringFresh

four whole days on a european city break!

i win.

Dec 8, 05 7:04 am  · 
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doberman

Going to madrid on our Xmas trip with the office this year. The plan is to get absolutly motherfucked on booze and drugs for 2 days, maybe see a bit of architecture (optional). I think it's gonna be ugly but interesting nonetheless...

Dec 8, 05 7:16 am  · 
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MADianito

we will b damn lucky if this f***er organize something...there's a challenge which arrived from willy muller architects for a soccer match...that might happen and loser pay drinks....

i personally will got to mexico to party w/my troops...

rojkind arquitectos end of year parties are the best....

Dec 8, 05 7:54 am  · 
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liberty bell

In my old firm the parties were always fun, usually at a good restaurant, tons of food and drink and laughter. The few times we invited clients to join us - not so fun.

This year, my partner and I haven't discussed party plans. Most likely we won't do anything as we are both too swamped with work and life. Though we've discussed a day trip to Cincinatti to see the contemporary musuem (WonderK, I'll keep you posted!)

But see, this goes to my attitude on the enforced-gift-for-the-partners thread: an office party is a way of thanking your employees, of sharing some wealth (in the form of free food and drink) and comaraderie - and we don't have any employees (yet)!

Dec 8, 05 9:08 am  · 
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liberty bell

Oh and one funny story: the least fun holiday party in my old firm was the year clients were invited AND 5 out of 20 employees (including almost all of the hard drinking ones) were pregnant - that was a quiet year!

Dec 8, 05 9:09 am  · 
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WonderK

lb, come on down! You should come down on the 16th and we can take you to our holiday party....should be interesting, although it sounds like we don't hold a candle to the Europeans (ahem, doberman - wow!).

Dec 8, 05 10:29 am  · 
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Hasselhoff

No at a firm, but still semi-relevant. When I was working at Harvard, the dept. holiday party was...interesting. There were four groups, the profs, the PhD students, the staff (me) and the kids/wives/husbands. The PhD students and profs milled around discussing research as if it were any other day, the staff sat awkwardly while no one talked to them, the wives/husbands/kids also sat awkwardly while the kids ran around like asses. Then this one guy came out dressed like Santa and gave out presents. It was basically two hours of optional, yet somewhat required social interaction that was just plain...awkward haha. Although, Harvard has killer catering, so the free meal was nice.

Dec 8, 05 10:35 am  · 
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liberty bell

I spelled Cincinnati wrong, didn't I. Damn.

Dec 8, 05 10:35 am  · 
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vado retro

i have never been to any of my present firms xmas parties. and aint goin to this one on wednesday. i have enthusiastically accepted the annual bonus however. lb can i go to sinsinnasty wid u?

Dec 8, 05 10:48 am  · 
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nonarchitect

drinks at trump tower with a bunch of sleaze ball in suits

Dec 8, 05 10:52 am  · 
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ReflexiveSpace

Aparently the old parties were quite the drunken events. Alas i missed this, now in their old age they aren't crazy alchoholics anymore, a shame for me. However there are some flyer like posters in my bosses office for some old x-mas parties and occasionaly a contractor will come in and recognize it. Every time they start off with something like "oh man, i remember that party i was so loaded and i met this chick..." and they will be cutoff with a "please, i don't want to know anymore." Must have been some crazy stuff from the small bits i hear.

Dec 8, 05 11:11 am  · 
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liberty bell

If you spell it like that vado how can I say no?

Dec 8, 05 11:11 am  · 
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ochona

i once spilled a gin-and-juice on a freshly printed final set of CDs

spent the rest of the xmas party reprinting them

Dec 8, 05 11:14 am  · 
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liberty bell

LOL ochona that is a funny story! Though I'm sure at the time you were bummed.

Dec 8, 05 11:15 am  · 
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ochona

i was actually more mortified than anything as i did it right in front of one of the managing partners at the firm

here in TX the xmas parties all seem to occur outside the office, far outside the reach of alcohol

Dec 8, 05 11:33 am  · 
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weave

I WILL ALSO BE BOWLING....LEAVING WORK AT LUNCH NEXT THURSDAY TO EAT AND BOWL AND DRINK...THEN EATING AND DRINKING MORE W/ SIGNIFICANT OTHERS AT FANCY RESTAURANT...

(SORRY FOR THE CAD ANNOTATION CAPS)

Dec 8, 05 11:46 am  · 
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SpringFresh

I once shot a director with a potato gun. He wasn't very happy.

Dec 8, 05 12:13 pm  · 
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Manteno_Montenegro

Inevitably, ours always look like this within the first hour.

Dec 8, 05 12:49 pm  · 
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ryanj

who: past, current and prospective clients and consultants
where: Casa Manana Theatre
music: Fort Worth Youth Symphony Orchestra
drinks: open bar

slide show, toast to founding principals...we'll see how it goes tonight, its the firms 50th anniversary so that went all out this year

Dec 8, 05 1:31 pm  · 
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stephanie

neither wild nor mild.
our party at one of the principal's houses. i don't know what it will be like this year, since we have grown so much, but we have a good group of people who like to drink a lot. and on the e-vite list one person stated: "i'm gonna get my date alter-ego so drunk the Allens will be washing festive-colored puke out of the christmas tree long after the presents have gone soggy"
the party is next weekend, but tomorrow we are having some sort of holiday cheer event involving office pictures, tree decorating, and nog.
i've requested that one of the principals dresses up as santa and hands out bonuses.
yeah, right.

Dec 8, 05 2:36 pm  · 
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Louisville Architect

i don't think my new office is having one. i quit!

Dec 8, 05 2:42 pm  · 
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Hmm nice themes. This is the first time i have a full compliment of staff for an office party. I was just thinking to go to a bar owned by one of our contractors....have a partially open bar and some nibbles. See who gets drunk first

Dec 8, 05 3:56 pm  · 
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myriam

Apparently it's a fancy dinner at a restaurant up the street. And I can bring a date! I love my firm. Now I just need a date. Anyone bored in Boston?

Dec 8, 05 4:26 pm  · 
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e

my office won't be having much of a party. it would just be me, the dog and two cats anyway. and we just can't come to an agreement on what kind of party to have, but i have a friend/client who owns a bar and they are having a staff party a couple of days before christmas. and yes, it will be at the bar. more beligan ales than you could possibly consume in one night will be on tap. good food too. can't wait.

Dec 8, 05 4:32 pm  · 
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Louisville Architect

those beligan ales 'll screw up your typing fingers every time.

Dec 8, 05 4:38 pm  · 
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e

ha. indeed.

Dec 8, 05 4:47 pm  · 
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dia

My last firm was a non-drinking firm. So, on a Wednesday before Xmas, we had a BBQ [which I cooked], invited some engineers [which I had to talk to] and drank orange juice. And for a bonus, I got a $150 voucher which I never used. I think I came inside at some point and bitched on Archinect. At least the BBQ was good.

Dec 8, 05 5:08 pm  · 
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whistler

Although not an Architectural party, I hosted a xmas party at the house I shared with a few friends in school. At midnight we challengeed a very skinny friend to dress in a santa suit and slide down the laundry chute into the throbbing party occuring in the kitchen.

The crazy crowd started chanting for santa and our friend wanted to back out of the deal. We explained he was sure to get laid if he followed through with the stunt. Sure enough a quick shooter or two got him worked up and we suffed him down the chute ( think the grinch and max the dog )

One of the best parties I ever hosted.

Dec 8, 05 5:09 pm  · 
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vado retro

here ya go myriam. go crazy gurl

www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/personals/

Dec 8, 05 5:54 pm  · 
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Living in Gin

During my 4-year internship with a large firm in Chicago, we could always tell the firm's financial shape by the party they had.

My first year there, we rented out a showroom in the Merchandise Mart that we had designed, and had it nicely catered with a DJ.

The next year, we took over a nice Italian restauarant just across the river, and the year after that it was a Cuban restaurant down the street. Both times it was with open bar and DJ.

My final year there, it was chips and beer in the conference room.

Dec 8, 05 8:35 pm  · 
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BOTS

The office party was a sucess. Still feeling pissed (drunk to those in the US).

Now onto our team do today 12:45 prompt.
A restrained affair.... blah, blah, blah

Dec 9, 05 7:02 am  · 
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liberty bell

drink lotsa water, BOTS. Glad you had fun!

Dec 9, 05 7:08 am  · 
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BOTS

running a bit late as I'm still here!

Cheers for the advice lb but in my current state more beer is the only way to shake the hangover so one can fully indulge in these prolonged office festivities.

The restaurant is bottom right of this mixed use scheme - site of the former Brains Brewery in the city centre. Don' let the weather pictured fool you. Today it's cold and wet (like the beer).

Dec 9, 05 8:04 am  · 
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momentum

last years holiday party was a bland affair full of the bosses friends on one side of the table, and employees on the other. as i was late, i ended up sitting next to the bosses friends. my wife sat next to the other employees. she had fun.

i kept putting off accepting the invitation this year, and since i don't work there anymore, i will have to decline.

Dec 9, 05 11:08 am  · 
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Einfahrt und Ausfahrt

Dec 9, 05 1:48 pm  · 
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doberman

diabase.
a non drinking party: isn't that what they call an oxymoron??
I'm having troubles fathoming the idea of a party without drinks... you should have laced the OJ with acid man... and then watched all those square engineers sink into some sort of psychedelic delirium...

Dec 9, 05 4:05 pm  · 
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BOTS

we danced late into the night...

Dec 12, 05 12:23 pm  · 
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le bossman

it goes a little something like this:

Dec 12, 05 11:20 pm  · 
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