I heard a rumor...

Rumormonger - a person given to spreading rumors, often maliciously.

Well hello there scandal fans. Hope you all had a wonderful week. I needed a short break from the gossip world, unfortunately, the gossip world would have none of that, and continued on without my support.

Let’s once again talk about office gossip. What a lovely topic, and just never seems to get old … or should I say, it never seems to die.

Here are a few different approaches to this issue. The first two articles give a few tips on how to quash office place gossip. The other encourages using “good” gossip to your advantage in the work place.

The first and second articles talk about bad gossip that can grow out of a simple event, but take a bad spin that can hurt or mislead people. This takes place a lot when people become ho-hum with their tedious jobs. I have a theory that if people truly loved what they were doing, they wouldn’t have anytime to complain or think up malicious stories about other people. Perhaps that is just my Utopian view of how I wish things could be.

The third article is referring not to malevolent gossip, but instead just office news that can’t be completely official, but you still want people to know about it. The writer says it could be more harmful to try to completely restrict gossiping, I assume this means there are offices that tell people they can’t talk at all. In this the writer says, “If it’s negative behavior you’re trying to eliminate – then that’s simple – do the right thing.” AGREED!

Just this last week office gossip reared its ugly head yet again. Although I brushed it off and laughed at its ridiculousness, I did tell a weekly reader I would mention it in my next blog. Sticking with my rule of no real names, we will call him just that, “Reader.”

Contrary to popular belief, or the theory that made Harry and Sally so famous, it is possible for men and women to be just friends. As I have said in past blogs, I was a tomboy and I have more guy friends than I do girl friends.

As Reader in this story has admitted to me, he likes being a guy because he either doesn’t hear the gossip, doesn’t know it is going on, isn’t part of it, or just doesn’t care.

I consider Reader to be a friend, and I stop by occasionally to say hello at his cubicle. It is innocent, nothing nefarious to the situation, just two people having a casual conversation. That is my first mistake. In my work place, you can’t just innocently do anything without making the rusty wheels in someone’s mind start turning out naughty thoughts.

One day last week, I received an email from Reader stating that there was a rumor that “there was this girl who was always in his cubicle” that totally wanted him.

Guess who the girl in the story was … give up yet?

Funny thing is, this here bit of gossip was started by none other than a man. Since Reader works in a largely male populated section of the facility, makes me think that this rumormonger wasn’t the only one mongering.

I love it when I can am told what thoughts are “actually” on my mind when I am doing something. Now, if I am standing next to a double fudge chocolate cupcake with finger licking good frosting on top, then it would be a safe bet to say, “you totally want that.” You bet your ass I want that, now move or I will bowl you over to get it.

However, do not assume that speaking to a man, or a woman for that matter, makes me want to jump his, or her, bones. That is a good way to mess up friendships, cause hostilities with significant others, and a whole jumble of other issues. Word of advice to those who just can’t help but speak on every “event” they see, keep your mouth shut, your opinions to yourself, and get your mind out of the gutter.

Damn, now I want a cupcake.

If an American was condemned to confine his activity to his own affairs, he would be robbed of one half of his existence. ~Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835

Oh and I wanted to share this little ditty… check out how this rumor spanned over severaldecades to cause absurd reactions fueled by none other than the internet. But wait, it was started by the internet. Ah evolution … look how far we have come.

Not to mention … Hit it Bananarama! Can we be thankful these styles are out now?