Birthday Celebrations

Today is my birthday (my 20th birthday celebrated in the good ole USofA) and it made me think about what I miss from working in England. 

Buying doughnuts for everyone in the office  

I don’t know if this still happens, but when I was working in England, if it was your birthday, YOU were the one who had to buy the cakes for the office.  I don’t know why this was or who decided it was a thing, but it definitely made sure you got a cake – usually lovely real cream doughnuts.  Could get a bit expensive though, depending on the size of the office.  (I don't miss having to buy the doughnuts, but I do miss the actual doughnuts).

Drooling.....I miss real cream

Alcohol related presents

To be honest, this does happen here too (to me anyway, I wonder if they are trying to tell me something). The only difference is it’s not acceptable to have a glass of wine/vodka/rum on your tea break in America.  This is merely a technicality though, because there is no such thing as a ‘tea break’ in the USA.  I think I just found a loophole

Drinking at lunchtime

If you worked in town, there was usually a pub or wine bar less than a stone’s throw from the office so if there was a birthday, it was guaranteed that the office would be there at lunchtime, possibly a little longer than a usual lunch though.  Food was not involved.

Drinking after work

Once you had stumbled your inebriated self through the afternoon, hopefully not making too many mistakes, it was back off to the pub for an after work drinkie, which invariably lasted into the late evening even though you were “only staying for one.”

You can get home

Even if you are six sheets to the wind, you can get home.  Public transport is there to take care of you. Once you’ve found the right bus stop, you’re all set.  You just have to make sure you get on the right bus and it will drop you off close enough to your house so you can crawl on your hands and knees to the front door.  I am not saying I’ve ever done this, of course, but you could if you needed to.  [*cough, cough*]

Not so in America.  The lack of public transportation puts a damper on any after work frivolity because you need to stay sober so you can drive home.  Party pooper…

So yes, it’s my birthday, I didn’t get a real cream doughnut, I won’t be having a liquid lunch and I won’t be going to the pub after work.  But then again, I’m not a teenager any more and I’m sure if I did,  I would need tomorrow off work …..

But be sure, I will be celebrating.  And as the Irish say:

“It is better to spend money like there's no tomorrow

than to spend tonight like there's no money.”