Somebody Tell Me I'm Wrong Here ... Ok, something has happened in my company, and I'm really bothered by it. Somebody please tell me I am overreacting.

Last nite was the boss' Company dinner/Christmas party. It was held at a casino, in some restaurant. I didn't go. I had my reasons, chief among them that notice was not given to me in time (read: we were notified that this was the Christmas party the day before the actual dinner) to plan accordingly. I had other stuff in the works for that evening, and I don't like to be told on short notice that I'm expected somewhere and that feelings will be hurt if I am not in attendance.

So anyway, I didn't go. I stayed at home with the Yumi Bear and we ordered pizza and watched the Rockets play the Supersonics. She worked and I read while Yao and the boys did their thing. It was a good nite. This morning I come to work and I find out that our Xmas bonuses were given out at the dinner. Well, me having not been there I had the expected to still see my bonus. Later this morning, sure enough, #2 came by and dropped off a $200 check in my hand. On it is written MERRY CHRISTMAS. To that point I was cool. The world seemed OK, good, even.

Then at lunch #2 tells me that The Boss is pissed. I ask why. He says because he handed out those checks this morning and Boss didn't like that. What? It seems that The Boss didn't intend to give anyone that didn't got to his little party a check. I was shocked when I heard this. How could The Boss possibly justify such preferential treatment? Was he paying people to attend his functions now? Wasn't this our bonus? I expressed this to #2 along with the implication that The Boss was lucky the checks did go out, as otherwise he'd have a discrimination lawsuit on his hands (I was kind of talking out of my ass here, but I do think that the possibility of a law could exist). #2 told me the checks were not presents but gifts from The Boss.

Then I started to think about the impression that this gives me of The Boss. A man who will pay you to go to his dinner, but if you don't "no check for you!" It really worried me. Who am I working for? What kind of environment is this? There is a real lack of professionalism in this operation, and I think that this is highlighted by this recent event. I mean, just the fact that The Boss would hold a dinner and then reward those who attended while effectively shunning those who did not worries me. I've long held the impression of my boss that he's a 45 year old teenager, but now I'm really starting to think that's true in more ways than I am comfortable with.

So somebody please tell me I am overreacting and everything is OK. I have the check, but I haven't cashed it yet. I have half a mind to go down to The Boss' office and look him in the eye while I rip up his check and then throw it in his face. I think that this might not be such a good idea, though ...
  ¶ 3:50 PM