Boss-across-the-hall update: is this the end of boss-across?
Published by Becky S November 5th, 2004 in style & grammar, boss-across-the-hallHe likes us to keep abreast of the Business Intelligence field by reading websites, trade rags, and whatever else we can get our hands on. Last year I got him to buy copies of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball for the entire team because, hey, we can all learn from Billy Beane’s innovative use of data. Unfortunately, a lot of technology writing is so, so bad. For example, this sentence from an article about Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services:
Reporting Services offer various delivery methods, from ftp to email and it provides various rendering formats therefore it makes adds easiness to business to business reporting.
There are many things wrong with that sentence, but the most cringe-worthy is the word easiness. See Mark Kleiman for more examples of what he calls the “ness monster.”
Anyway, back to boss-across-the-hall. Today is the last day for soulless office park open benefits enrollment, and Mrs. boss-across-the-hall wants her husband to take out a large life insurance policy on himself. I think he’s safe for the rest of the year, but don’t be surprised if he mysteriously disappears early in ’05. Which would be bad because who wants to break in a new boss?
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Corpoetry:
“Building flexibility through spreading knowledge and self-organization, organizations capable of double-loop learning, combined with optimal use of human resources.”
Who writes this kinda stuff? At least they didn’t use the “B2B” acronym.
Got my fingers crossed for Boss-Across.
You are so funny! I nearly always laugh out loud when reading your blog. thanks
True enough, and I, for one, would be aggrieved at the loss. But then again, think how blogworthy the murder investigation would be! You would surely break new cyberspatian ground with your insider’s knowledge of Mrs. Boss-Across’s fiendish crime.
Oh, Debra, I hadn’t thought of that. If boss-across disappears, internet celebrityness could be mine.
Mark, I have no idea who writes that stuff, but I should start working on some technical articles of my own. I think I could do a better job.
So, you and Mrs.-boss-across-the-hall are in cahoots? What percentage of the policy do you get? I hope you don’t have a year-end review–because plotting murder is not going to be favorable to your promotion. But who needs promotion if you have internet fame and insurance money?
There’s an absolutely certain way to determine Mrs.-boss-across-the-hall’s intent. In one word……Breakfast.
More life insurance + feeding him eggs/bacon/fried potatoes=New Boss-across-the-hall.
If she’s still forcing him to choke down oatmeal and fruit every morning he’s fine. Simple. Unless she’s just plain mean.