Whenever I get to go to lunch for work and someone else pays for it, I get a giddy feeling inside. Buying lunch is expensive, and since I’m making a lot less money than I used to by working part-time, and I am way too lazy and disorganized in the morning to make my own lunch, I relish the idea of dining on someone else’s tab. Plus, any lunch where I don’t need to worry about packing bibs, toys or baby wipes is a luxury. Work lunches for me are a time to relax, order an appetizer AND an entree and talk to my peers about something other than presentations, travel schedules or the benefits of dropping the morning nap.
That’s why I was irked the last week when I went to a team lunch and everyone started to check their BlackBerrys during the meal. My hopes for a work-free dining experience went as dark as the BlackBerry screen is when it first comes out of the holster (can someone please explain why I always need to use the “light” on the screen?). I love my colleagues, but when my lunchmate peers over her shoulder during the salad course to see if the little red light on her portable e-mail addiction is flashing with a new message, it makes eating about as appetizing as downing the glucose drink at your 23-week prenatal check up.
I’ll admit I’m not totally innocent in my BlackBerry use. I have suffered in the past from acute reliance on my little blue electronic box. But I’ve learned to put it away in optimal social situations, such as ones that suit me. Like luncheons with my friends. Maybe it is because my colleagues are childless that they don’t quite yet see the benefits of a non-working lunch. Or maybe it’s just that I’m more picky now with how I spend my time. If I’m going to take the time out of my busy work day to have a group luncheon then I’d like to enjoy it. I’m not quite sure. But what I do know is that the only BlackBerry that should appear at a lunch date is one that you can eat.
Tags: BlackBerry, working mom, lunch date, work lunch
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If you want to get to know some ladies who would never whip out their BlackBerry during a lunch date, come visit the newly-created, fabulous Chicago Moms Blog. Your thumbs will thank you.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel your pain. It absolutely drives me crazy when people pull their Blackberry’s out during lunch. No one ever died from not checking their email for an hour. I once was in a meeting with someone that kept checking their Blackberry the entire time. It really makes you feel like what you are discussing is not important. It’s just rude. (PS. I do like the ‘Crack’berry when it is used with moderation and restraint.)
I get irked in meetings when everyone starts pulling theirs out. I would be so offended if I was the speaker at the meeting. It’s like you can tell people are getting bored when they start pulling it ou. Or you have my controller, who will be in the middle of a sentence and pull hers out and start reading it while she’s talking! And she’s not so great at doing two things at once!