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Snapshot

A friend of mine emailed me this last week. It's a memo from his company's CFO, regarding their upcoming holiday party. (Emphasis mine).

This luncheon probably seems like a major extravagance relative to the state of the economy and all of our cost containment programs. Many of you are probably thinking that if you don't go to this luncheon you can save us some money. I appreciate the sentiment, but, I need to give you a little background on this event. We booked the Hotel *** early in this year for our Holiday Dinner/Dance on the evening of December ***. The process of booking required a deposit. As the economy started to erode and we started to slow our spending, we attempted to cancel the Holiday Dinner/Dance. Unfortunately, everyone else in the Valley is trying to do the same thing. We were able to cancel the evening party, but the Hotel refused to refund the deposit. They also refused to convert the deposit into rooms for our next sales event or consider any other creative solution. Renee and Caroline looked at the size of the deposit and cut a deal with the Hotel where we can have a nice Holiday Luncheon for just our San Jose employees and use the deposit as payment. Based on the circumstances, I view it as your corporate and patriotic duty to attend this luncheon and eat everything you possibly can eat. I plan to starve myself for a day or so and then start with the most expensive foods. I won't fill up on starches. I won't drink any water. I plan to wear loose fitting clothes. In order to get maximum bang for our deposit, we need you to show up and EAT. I believe that this is a buffet, so, as long as we continue to eat, I would think that they have to keep bringing out food. Caroline will publish the menu in a follow up email, so you can start to plan your eating strategy before you get there. Thanks.

Historians take note: if this isn't a perfect snapshot of this place and time, I don't know what is.

Posted by Evan Goer on Nov. 17, 2001 at 2:35 PM