I want to make ginger infused vodka, have a party with a ginger themed drink, then give out little bottles as take home gifts.

Wouldn't you need an actual Ginger at a party like that?

I've done cranberry, coffee and hot pepper vodkas and/or liqueurs this year. I used peppers from my garden, and the pepper vodka is not for the faint of heart.

I have no objection to giving a boss a gift. I object to feeling like I have to give a gift.

I have no objection to giving a boss a gift. I object to feeling like I have to give a gift.

Yes, this. If my boss was someone I liked enough to buy a gift for anyway, him/her being my boss wouldn't stop me, and price wouldn't be any more a consideration than if I were buying a gift for any other friend.

But in a corporate heirarchy, being pressured to buy an expensive holiday gift for someone who by definition makes more money than you is just flat-out rude. (I think I'd feel better about a birthday gift because at least then you're not asking people to chip in when they're already almost certainly strapped for cash. But then, in my office, most birthday collections are a couple of bucks for a card and a cake.)

(Oh, and hi. I'm back from Cincinnati and feeling very sad and nostalgic. As my uncle said at the funeral, it's not that often 91 years is considered way too short a time. But it was.)

I'm glad you made it back, Jess, but sorry about sad -- I hope it's at least the kind of sad that mixes more and more with the fond memories over time.

The only time I felt pressured into buying a boss gift was in larger offices, and I thought it sucked. I would have preferred to get an individual gift for a boss I liked, not contribute to a group thing.

The last 19 years I have been the boss. Some of my employees have given me gifts, some of my customers have given me gifts. It felt personal and not rather than business like. I've always given bonuses to the employees, but really I do things for them at different times of the year as needed, and they do the same. One of them has been using my car for a month or so while she tries to save up to buy one. This is small company stuff though, not a big corporate environment. We feel free to flirt and tell raunchy jokes too.

I just don't agree that it goes as far as never buy your boss a gift.

I say don't buy your boss a gift--but buy a co-worker you like/respect/etc a gift, even if they are your boss.

There may be (and I don't like it either) a responsibility to buy someone downstream for you a gift, but that's a whole different kettle of worms.

Welcome back, Jessica.

Hi Jess, good to see you back safe and sound. How was traveling with the baby?

Welcome back, Jess. I've missed you.

I just got surprised by pain. I'm even surprised to be surprised.

Ow. Dude. Random eyeball pain. Uncool.

I need an OMGWTFBBQ section on the whiteboard in my classroom. I can think of a few students who would end up there a lot.

I wish I had a whiteboard (or ANY board) in my classroom to write OMGWTFBBQ on!

(momentary rant) I almost got reprimanded by my principal (the Draconian Dictator) today because I had an asthma attack this morning and did not get to the school at 6:45 this morning for a "Grade Level Meeting." These meeting are supposed to be for 'interventions' but it's more of teachers griping about the students in a given grade because "they are worried about the students progress." We aren't contractually obligated to be at these meetings but the Draconian Dictator will harass anyone who doesn't appear.

One of my students was confronted by 9 teachers today because his name was mentioned in the Senior Grade level Meeting. The principal even sought him out to tell him to 'work to his potential' and then told my student he (the principal) was going to come to his home during Christmas Break to 'check on him'.

What is it going to take to get this megalomaniac taken out of our school!

I think I shall get the principal a lump of coal for Christmas.