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Sunday, May 22, 2022

it's how you use it

I've been working some extra shifts these last two weeks.  A couple of weeks ago featured spring semester finals for the college students. Then this past week, one of my coworkers took a vacation week to Mexico, so I covered one of her long shifts.   I'm looking forward to "normalcy" working hours.

And I'm looking forward to continued spring thaw.  Many signs shout it out, mainly return of allergy sneezing and puffiness and little puffball goose babies around every corner.

I enjoyed a run along the burbling creek this morning. Geese on the water, but I didn't spot any babies.  Childless geese?  Parents getting out for "me time" before the babies are up?



I received an invitation to transfer to a local PEO chapter this week.  I recently blogged about visiting some meetings after being on hold from the 2-year covid lockdown.  This first chapter to invite me to transfer is the one I'd set my sights on and was stalking the hardest. It's all pretty casual, but there are procedures to follow - in that, to transfer, I need to be invited - so we're playing the game.  I'll accept and be done with playing the field, I suppose.

Also at work this week, each of us in my department was given a little "thank you" gift for  making it to the end of another school year and gearing up for the next.  We each received a polo shirt with the college logo and a similarly logoed coffee cup. 

We were told a few weeks ago that this was coming, and in fact, we were to select a size and style for the polo shirt from a box of samples.  I selected the Ladies medium, but when push came to shove, alas, the Ladies medium was unavailable.  

It was no biggie to me, I mean, where would I even wear the thing other than to work?  And we're not required to wear it - it's not a uniform.  

Anyway, the gift bags were bestowed upon us, and I found that the powers-that-be got me a shirt anyway - a Men's small shirt, substituted for the Ladies medium. Putting it on, I look like  a small woman in a man's shirt.  Like a middle school kid wearing his dad's golf shirt for the school dance.

They tried, and I appreciate it. I'm not scrutinizing the mouth of this gift horse. Seriously, though, I will never wear that shirt. 

But it got me thinking.  What if, say, a male coworker selected a Men's medium and it wasn't available.  Would he be given a Ladies large as substitution?  I think not.  But what would they do?

I like the coffee cup.  It will get much use, it's quite the right size.

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Loosely linking up with Mama Kat for the prompt:
1. Write about something you are looking forward to.




8 comments:

Linda Sue said...

Giving a man a lady shirt would never do- someone would be set on fire for sure! Nice gesture...um, NO!!

John Holton said...

I'm a very large man, and every time they would get me a supersize t-shirt, some little woman would grab it for a nightgown.

Abby said...

Linda Sue, right? I gave the shirt back thinking maybe a smallish male work study student can wear it better.

John, I was largely pregnant during one work t-shirt giveaway. The shirt made a nice nightgown. That would work in this case too, but unfortunately, my man shirt has a collar and buttons.

betty said...

I'm thinking they would make sure the man got the shirt in his right size and not substitute something else. I guess it was the thought that counted with your man substitute shirt. At least the coffee cup was the right size :) I hope nothing happened to the geese's children and that's why they were without goslings. Yea that it seems like you got into the PEO you wanted!!

betty

Abby said...

Betty, yes they did try. But no way a man would be given a ladies shirt.
I feel that most of the baby geese are fine. The parents are very attentive!

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

I'd have gone with the large woman's and you could wash it in hot and dry it and just wear it around to wash the car, do yard work etc But I sure understand what you are saying re: a man getting a woman shirt.

Abby said...

Peggy, your solution makes sense, but no one asked me. Someone just decided, "Oop, no Ladies medium so get the Man shirt"

KatBouska said...

I honestly don't think it would even cross their mind to give a man a woman's shirt. And yet we often wear mens clothes...remember the "boyfriend jean"? When will the boys start wearing the "girlfriend jean"?

Cheers to the end of a school year and hopefully a quieter work schedule!