To everyone who didn’t think I could do it (well who knows, I still might not), this is officially #50. HALF WAY THERE, BITCHES!!!! HALF WAY!!!!

• Who: The Postars (Dara, Stephanie, Dad [The Boss], Mom), Gina, Dara’s dad’s lawfirm coworkers
• Where: Georgetown
• What: California omelet, fries, coffee, diet coke

Hanging out with your coworkers on the weekend can be awkward. Sure, you have a rapport, an excellent working relationship, a mutual respect for each other. You enjoy the occasional birthday lunch out with your officemates, or maybe even a quick drink on a Friday afternoon after that tough project is finally finished. But to make the leap of socializing on the weekends, during time that is typically reserved for family and friends, and having conversations that center around things other than [gasp] work!?!??! Now that’s when shit starts to get REAL.

Even more awkward is when weekend coworker socializing involves your boss. This is not to say that all bosses are evil, scary, make-you-stay-late, take away your time off monsters, because most certainly are not. In fact, my boss is actually quite lovely and looks exactly how I will look in about 15 years. But no matter how awesome your boss is, and how much you like them, there is still always a teeny little element of fear and hesitation that goes into a casual, social interaction. Suddenly, the ability to hide behind your good work on a report, or your fancy looking spreadsheet, or the professional way you handled that client in a meeting is gone.  Without the crutch of work, you are left with only the raw interaction of two normal human beings—except one of these human beings holds the salary of the other in the palm of their hand. The stakes are high. A slip-up in this arena doesn’t just mean you have to rewrite your memo, it means you won’t get picked for the company softball team. If you’re even lucky enough to get invited to the game.

So you can understand my elation when I got to attend a weekend coworker event not as a participant, but as an outside observer.  After running the Lawyers Have Heart 10k (which actually became a 5k due to extreme heat) with Dara’s Dad’s lawfirm team, Dara’s wonderful dad was nice enough to invite us to attend their post-race celebratory coworker brunch at Martin’s. And this was not just a coworker brunch,  but a coworkers PLUS boss brunch. I felt like an ornithologist—waking up at an ungoddly time of  morning to sit for hours silently in a bush, waiting in dark colored clothes with binoculars perched on my nose for a rare galapagos petrel to fly over me. The thrill of discovering wildlife in its natural habitat!!!

Here are a few of observations from the morning: 

1. No matter what The Boss says, it is the most interesting thing you have ever heard. The Boss (Dara’s dad), is clearly the only person who a story even worth telling.

2. No matter what, The Boss is also the funniest guy at the table. Apart from being the most interesting, Dara’s dad is also a stand-up comedian.

3. Bringing your child to a coworker weekend event is a great way to leave early. Nobody can question you when you say your kid is hungry, tired or wet—automatic get out of jail free card.

4. When The Boss is paying, DO NOT order booze at 9am. You probably shouldn’t even do that if you are the casual ornithologist, hidden in the bushes. It’s just poor form.