I'm a big fan of the IT department and a good friend with the guy who runs a certain part of it; we have a bunch of adventures -- baseball games, barbecues, and burlesque -- off the clock. The other guys enjoy my company too. They're all really nice and helpful, even when it comes to non-company stuff. When my phone's SD card was on the blitz, one guy had an adapter and backed up my photos. Obviously that's not part of his job, so I'm grateful.
I also tease them a bit. A few months ago some spam arrived in my inbox, so I forwarded it with a note Who's in charge of e-mail? to -- get this -- the guy in charge of e-mail. He cracked a smile.
Honestly, I'd rather be "one of the guys" and hang out with them at the company x-mas party -- we did shots of tequila every hour last December¹ -- than with others who don't share my sense of humor.
Sadly, though, I'll never be one of the guys, because I'm not a guy. Since they're in IT, they're all a little nerdy, a little goofy -- apparently a new hire once asked: "What does a breast feel like?" -- so surely they're enjoying more than just my personality when I hang out with them.
I'm going to admit something a "modern woman" never would: It's fine, and it's a two-way street. Sometimes you need to have a drink after work, get a little flirty, receive attention, and leave it at that.
My buddy's birthday was earlier this week, so I joined him for two beers at lunch. I knew he was out with someone who reports to him, but I didn't know he was out with this other guy, so it was a surprise when I saw him at the bar. A nice surprise, since I haven't seen him in months. When I mentioned this to a friend, I likened him to Roger Sterling: a well-meaning yet unabashed drunk, but he wears a badass leather jacket, buys me drinks, and offers me the last cigarette² in the pack. What's not to like about that?
I'm two weeks into Beastanetics, a high-intensity workout class. After the first workout, my glutes were killing me, something someone in IT said he could help with. After the second workout, my inner thighs were sore, so I told the instructor that I had stretched in my buddy's office for "both our benefit."
Desk jobs make you desperate for entertainment, and there's nothing wrong with it. I'm getting paid "four times"³ less than they are, but not because I'm a woman nor because our relationship is anything but platonic -- it's because I'm at the bottom of the totem pole in my twenties and they're twice my age and have been with the company since before my brother was born.
It's funny, though, when they're having trouble with their iPhones or Twitter and ask me for help. Always a pleasure doing business with you, guys.
¹ I didn't join them to the strip club.
² I'm only a smoker when the cigs are free.
³ It's not like they never offend or insult me. I was livid when someone mentioned the difference in our salary. It's impolite conversation.
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