Two Drink Minimum

When I first started my job, my predecessor mentioned to that some of my co-workers may, on occasion, drink in the office. That's fine I thought, at the dot com I worked for in Seattle, the CEO would sponsor "liquid lunches" for the whole company... there's nothing like free pizza and beer.

Okay, so the guys have a happy hour, no problem -- it is a lobbyist firm. She secretly showed me where one of them camouflages his booze inside a false globe as well as the massive liquor supply in the file room, hall closet, and the case of beer in the fridge. (What do they get a discount when they buy out the store?) I asked if we entertain many clients in the office. She said no, they just like an occasional cocktail. Evidently.

"Oh and by the way, some people smoke," she mentioned in passing. I was just about to shrug off the comment as a particular vice, but then I realized she meant, they smoke in the office. Grand, I thought, along with Emphysema, I better get a good reference.

Well, some do drink and not "on occasion" as I was led to believe. Our head boss, in particular, is the real boozer -- after a meeting, during a meeting, on Tuesdays. He's an old-school DC shaker, (who can be very funny and a down-right asshole on any particular day) who claims that in the old days, this was how they used to conduct deals in DC -- over a cocktail and a cigarette.

"Can we move into the modern era then?" I said to myself.