Overly late Sep 18, 2009
Let's say I schedule a meeting from 2-3pm.  Let's say you're running late.  Unless your presence was specifically requested or you have a significant contribution to make, I'd say the latest you should show up is when the meeting is 75% over, which in this case is 2:45pm.  After that, it's completely pointless for you to be there, and in most cases your presence will be an unwelcome disruption at an inconvenient time (attention spans seem to hover around 30-40 minutes).  And under no circumstance should you be like a colleague of mine and show up exactly when the meeting ends.  Some people's actions defy all logic. #business
Friday at 7am Sep 18, 2009
A woman Wendy works with (ding ding ding -- that's four W's in a row!) scheduled a meeting for Friday at 7am.  Here are the reasons why this woman should be fired and/or have her kneecaps broken: 
  1. It's Friday.  Fridays are light days.  You don't start anything new.  You don't tackle any big problems.  Because when it comes down to it, it can wait until Monday.  Everything can wait until Monday.  Even your precious meeting.
  2. It's Friday morning.  Sometimes Thursday night is party night.  Sometimes you get to work a little late because you decided to get the no-fat non-soy mocha dunka chino thing instead of your normal coffee.  Either way, Friday mornings are a little slower, because let's face it, it's Friday.
  3. It's Friday morning at 7am.  Unless you work in a factory or commute to work before rush hour, work doesn't start until at least 8 or 9.  And even though you want to pat yourself on the back because you get there by 6:30, no one else does, and they certainly don't want to start their day with a stupid meeting.
It's weird how angry I am at this woman I've never met whose meeting had absolutely no effect on me.  It's the principle. #business
Roll of coins Sep 18, 2009
One of my co-workers had a roll of coins in his hand, so I asked him, "Why do you have a roll of quarters?"  He said, "It's not a roll of quarters."  Realizing he was playing that game, I asked him, "Why do you have a roll of coins?"  He answered, "They're dollar coins.  It's easier than carrying paper money."  I can say with a fair amount of certainty that carrying around $25 worth of dollar coins is absolutely not easier than carrying paper money.  I've never heard something so unbelievably false. #money