The worst (USA TODAY) Facebook group I'm joining anyway
Surfacing in my feed last week from a colleague, the Facebook group is called "I worked at USA TODAY when USA TODAY was still cool!" Right. You want to guess my reaction? When USA TODAY was still cool? My disagreement burns with the fuel of a thousand angry Neuharths.
The group's description (above shot from its pix) is what you'd think:
We worked at USAT in the 90s, when the paper was doing great and we had a blast! Remember the massive Christmas parties with the shrimp the size of your hands? Remember summer Detours in the 17th floor conference room? Remember Thursday night happy hours and Friday morning hangovers? Let's share those happy times…
Ah, the parties and the shrimp. When I arrived at USAT six-plus years ago, practically all I heard about org-wise during my opening months was the Rosslyn parties and the shrimp. And the chocolate fountains, strawberries and karaoke. And you know what? I didn't give a crap.
Don't get me wrong, friend. I love parties, shrimp, chocolate fountains, strawberries, and karaoke as long as other people are singing. But I didn't come to a world-beater news brand for some bullshit afterglow feel-good festival of reminiscing. I came there to get some work done.
And that's what we do, my colleagues and I, every damn day of the week. We don't run away, give in or rest on laurels and fat shrimp.
We believe in doing great beyond a medium. We believe in buying our own shrimp. We believe in going to conference rooms to throw down and develop the future. We still believe in drinking on work nights and fighting hangovers, except we do it 24/7. We have happy times, but we share hard times now to secure happiness for those who follow.
I worked at USA TODAY when USA TODAY was still cool? I'm in.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:11 AM
"bullshit afterglow feel-good festival."
a technical name, commonly used to describe coworker get-togethers, weddings, selected baptisms and nearly all election night parties.
i like it.
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:26 PM
I saw that group and refused to join. So USA TODAY no longer wastes money? What gets me is that some of the members of that group started at work after me so I apparently missed out on the parties. Darn, I'd a been cutting the effing rug.
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:24 PM
I'm sure Claren had to hear about the dog biscuits as big as her head.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:48 PM
I miss the free soda. That's about it. Rosslyn is over-romanticized. The main thing I remember about the one Christmas party I attended there was that the food was nowhere near as good as people claimed — and you could barely get to it because we were jammed into these tiny rooms. The old Christmas parties in our Tysons lobby were better, and I think I boycotted half of those for one reason or another.
I should start a "Hey, remember sharing your desk with a couple of other people, using 'roaming profiles' that didn't really roam?" group. Or "I miss waving to people in passing airplanes." Or "I think the gym equipment just fell apart under me."