(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.

Stabby-stabby? I've been getting a lot of those in my eyeballs and face due to my sinuses objecting to the cold, the weather systems roaring through and I suspect forced air heat. I'm looking forward to NM (two days!) cause the weather there always suceeds in drying this kind of irritation up. Risk of nosebleeds at first, but no pain.

Gifts as involuntary obligations in the workplace (I'm not counting bonuses or anything on the corporate dime) are kind of not right. Gifts as geniune appreciation originating in the mind of the giver? Just fine.

One of my students was confronted by 9 teachers today

Dude. I'd've dropped out right then. Even if there was no good reason for the worry.

(Also, the hub wonders if your principal is related to his corporate-overlordish district manager.)