So the office above ours wants to have focus group meetings for a mission statement thing. Words cannot express how much I do not care about this and think it is fucking pointless and stupid. We can't fix anything that anyone objects to on the staff survey, BUT WE CAN DO A MISSION STATEMENT?

If you ever wonder why I (in general) hate leaders and leadership, fairly frequently it's for stuff like this: you get paid huge amounts of money to come up with a mission statement that means nothing, helps nothing, does nothing. They have a mission-statement-y thing at Giant Org they like to harp on periodically (I've been forced to take a class in the mission statement, no less) and while I'm all, "that's nice sentiments, but it doesn't actually mean anything in anyone's day to day work." Other than "don't be an asshole," I guess."

Really, all mission statements should be "get the work done and don't be an asshole to anyone." THIS IS ALL YOU NEED. But do they do that? Nope. Could I tell you what either the Giant Org mission statement is now or the one for our office that was devised several years ago are? OF COURSE NOT. Because on a practical level, they don't matter.

But my office forced people to sign up anyway. Even stupider: 95% of the available slots were during your lunch or after work hours. To which I was all HELL NO, I AM NOT DOING THIS FOR FREE ON MY OWN TIME. I signed up for the lone 2 p.m. slot offered, did not give them any other options to slot me in. Today, I got scheduled for a lunch shift. During my therapy appointment time, no less. Fuck no. I declined it. Now I am trying to think of what to say when they try to sign me up again and if there's any way I can possibly decline.

In other news, I am now arguing with a dimwit who (a) filled out his form himself without official permission and sent it to my coworker. (b) Coworker said "we can't accept this from you and it's incomplete anyway without permission, please have the official send it to us." Dimwit continued to argue with her and unfortunately coworker mentioned my area of the office, so now dimwit is emailing me asking if it's done yet. I looked and (c) it's not here with the official approval, and I said "have the official send it." Then (d) he's all "your coworker has it," and I'm all "looking at this email chain you sent me, NO SHE DON'T BECAUSE SHE ASKED FOR THE OFFICIAL TO SEND IT." I said "go have the official send it." So idiot (e) immediately called the public service phone line to complain about it all and insist that we all still have it. The poor employee dealing with this numbnuts...

Friday night show:

Mic check:

Sabrina: "What are all my lines?"
Arie: "Free Broadway!"
Scott: did his bad audition song (I cannot replicate this) and took Steve's food order. After this, Andy did the same audition song and when he was reciting his line "THIS is how you sing (wgegrwegerw German Band, I can't replicate it),Tessa was all, "How do you sing it?" Afterwards, Scott was all "So THAT's how you do it!" (I note in the show he literally runs off screaming/crying and does not see it.)

Apparently Michael left his (basic black pants and turtleneck) costume at work and Jean found another to replace it. "Your costume looks different somehow," said Steve. "It's not the same costume I didn't leave at work."

Jean did a rant about how there weren't many people here and gave Nate shit for texting on his phone again. On a random note, I thought, "huh, he never does sound check but he has lines," and asked, and he said he has permission to just use his teacher voice since he kept losing the mic.

We rehearsed King of Broadway, during which: (a) Jean grabbed Isaiah's bottle out of his pocket and drank out of it. (b) I saw Jean had her name tag (in tape) stuck in her hair and removed it...with um, more force than intended. (c) Eddie sings about his mentor, the great Boris Thomashefsky, and tonight changed it to Boris the musical director's last name. Then got to the line about "on his deathbed" and ah, things got awkward...

There is a Korean church next door and alas, they decided to cook kimchi last night, making the costume area reek. My nose doesn't work that great sensewise and I was of course thinking "did I get covid" and had to walk into the costume room to check. Yup, it's there, it stinks, my nose still works, whew. Thankfully my nose is bad enough I didn't smell it much the rest of the night like everyone else, because I do not like kimchi. Jean: "This is not a good night for smells."

Very low number of people tonight. "We may outnumber the audience," Jean said, and Sabrina said "we're doing the show for us." One person we knew--Sierra from TnT came in, that was nice.

Jean continues to have a lot of fascination with her snap crotch, including talking about how many layers she has down below. Other Jennifer: "So, your girls get kinda hot down there, huh?" Jean again: "Nobody wants to look at me on Amazon(?) these days. Maybe in my snap crotch days, but that's been at least a month."

Some people (such as myself) put their costumes on once they arrive. Others wander around in sweats until it's time to change. And a few people just wear as little as possible. Dannette is straight up in her underwear and Sherilyn wanders around in a leotard like a showgirl. Sherilyn: "I do like to wear clothes actually. I don't walk around the house in underwear at home."

Sherilyn: "My husband doesn't like lipstick." Jean: "On him?"

Other Jennifer gave everyone personalized cards/notes and a pencil (Scott brought his orange one onto the stage as his Dixon Ticonderoga #2 prop), saying she liked watching me dance in the "I Wanna Be A Producer" scene and hoping we'll be in another show together. Ditto!

Jean noted that on show #10 (I think it's really #8) she finally figured out how to put the beer outfit on.

Jean mentioned being in 42nd Street here and not being a tap dancer and not expecting that she'd be one ("I just kept sitting in the audience"), but whoever was running the thing made her get up there and learn tap dance anyway.

While during the break in "Springtime for Hitler," someone (Michael, I think) told Isaiah that Nate was looking for him. Nate was on the other side and Isaiah crossed over...only to get a bird flip :P I love how this is a Christian guy and he's happily flipping the bird and gang signs in life.

I did not go to the afterparty (in Woodland again), did wait around until Scott left--apparently the guys were watching Star Trek back there. (Whereas we watch Urinetown and Sherilyn talks about what bits she takes from videos to throw into the show. And also they talked about plastic surgery. Little gross back there tonight.) We did talk for a bit upon leaving, then we hugged and headed home.

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