I hate these "Back To Reality" days

Ugh. After three solid days of snowboarding, snow football, and snow drinking (and in this last item, by "snow," I mean "alcohol"), I am feeling rugged. I can feel the cartilage crunching in my shoulders when I try to lift them. Not that anyone cares about my bitching and whining, but I really do hate these post-holiday back-to-work days.

You know what I dislike most about them? It's not actually being back in the office or having to do work again or saying good-bye to another one of life's fleeting moments of carefree fun. What I dislike most are those people in your workplace who seem happy to be back. Who are completely perky and "back on the horse" first thing Monday morning, sending memos and requesting meetings and so forth. What I want to know is, where are the souls of these people, and how can they get them back?


Welcome back, friends! Aren't you glad those pesky holidays are over? Say, I have an exciting new assignment for you...

I know not everyone parties it up during the holidays (I keep Christmas low-key party-wise, but I really blow the doors off for New Year's) but still. How can you be so chipper your first day back? Didn't you enjoy the holidays? Aren't you a little sad to see them go? Aren't you a little rusty after having all those days off and office downtime? Aren't you going to miss - just a little - all the friends and family and fun you most likely saw and had over the holidays? Can't we please have a small adjustment period?

On behalf of all of us people who are, you know, fun-loving, I beseech you to give me just a little ease-back-in time. I don't need a lot. Just a little. How about this - I'll do whatever work is necessary, but can we not start any new projects? If you want me to call twelve hardware stores to find out what shade of white the office paint is, can you give me a couple days? That's all I ask. Thank you.

Also, huge congrats to the Redskins on winning a gutty, hard-fought victory over the Eagles to make the playoffs. I was wrong about them, and I freely and happily admit that. It was a great game on Sunday, and they look like they're ready for prime time. Yeah, yeah, famous last words. And the Bucs will be tough. But they're due for some Redskins revenge, after the Skins got robbed this season on that Alstott two-point conversion call which cost them the game. Not to mention the Bucs knocked the Skins out of the playoffs the last time they were in in 2000 - when the then-Redskins kicking team couldn't snap the ball and get a game-winning field goal off the ground. I think the Bucs have a karma adjustment coming this weekend. Or, at least on paper they do. But you know how that goes.

Anyway, back to work. Ugh.