The end of an era

[lethargic_man]

Friday was my last day at the BBC, after nearly nine years working there. I went out with the team to a local veggie restaurant for lunch to celebrate, then later in the afternoon there were leaving drinks. The last time someone left I looked at what was on offer—a few nibbles, plus non-kosher wine, which I won't drink, and beer, which I've never drunk enough of to acquire the taste for (but in any case, wouldn't touch because I was cycling home), and thought: do I really want this for my own leaving do?

So I decided to throw a kiddush, minus the kiddush [sanctification] instead. I was going to post here (but didn't in the end get time—it's been hectic this week) about how I'd just bought £60 of kichels, cuchan, rogelach, kickles, etc. I'd thought: what if a work colleague spots this, won't it spoil the surprise? Then I had a look at the above list and realised they'd still be completely in the dark. :o)

In the end, the food all went down very well. They presented me with a big card which everyone in the team had signed; to my astonishment, one of the signatures read:

I have no idea who this is, as I can't read the signature: it's not the one other Jew in the department I know about, nor is it the one person in the department I know has worked in Israel. Anyone like to hazard a guess what the name says?

They also got me this (wrapped, as is traditional, in a copy of the BBC's in-house magazine, Ariel), which amused me greatly:

They also got me a backgammon set, which puts me in a little bit of a quandary. I already have a backgammon set (a travel set, so a bit smaller than the one they got me). I don't know whether I should get them to return it, for this reason; or keep it, because it's now got sentimental value to me.

They also got me an Amazon gift certificate; the biggest letters on it read "that thing you've always wanted", so it took me a moment to realise it was an Amazon gift certificate and not something to do with Jim'll Fix It...

I certainly left that day feeling appreciated. I just hope I now enjoy my new job as much. They've told me at the BBC I can come back if I don't, but it'd be gauche for me to have accepted all those gifts, and then go back to my old job!

Comments

[lady-eclectic.livejournal.com]

That's lovely! The photo is sweet too. You're glowing! :D

What will you do now?

Also: just give the Backgammon set away as a gift to someone else. No-one will be the wiser ;)

[karen2205]

I can see both 'Sam' and 'Fran' in the signature - not sure if that's of any use.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

No in both cases.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

Place I worked at had leaving do's for the permanent staff, where the leavee was usually given something from the employee store -- a CD player or similar -- bought with a whipround from his colleagues and bosses. Contractors like myself, all overpaid cowboys in the eyes of the permanent staff, never had similar do's until one day we decided to have a leaving do for one of our own. We went out back and got a giant box for a 42" plasma TV from the store wastebins, filled it with some junk to make it weigh properly and then we made a big thing about having a whipround to buy our departing colleague this "present" (he was in on the joke) worth about two thousand quid.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

*giggle*

[curious-reader.livejournal.com]

I don't believe in that superstitious rule not to have any drink made with grapes from a non-Jewish provider. I am not sure what is in wine though. I think the ban of on grapejuice is complete rubbish. The reason why the Rabbis banned it is because of intermarriage. You won't suddenly change your mind and marry a non-Jew only because you had normal wine with people. (note correction)
Anyway, now I completely understand what your Kiddush was about. I guess not everybody gets so much positive attention when leaving his or her job. Good luck with your next job.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

The rule on non-kosher wine is one of several I disagree with but keep anyway, because that is the halacha. (Second-day yom tov is another example).

(And most people leaving my old department do get as much attention, at least if they've been there a while. But it's different, of course, when it's you that all the fuss is over.)