Sometimes I wonder if my colleague's in work don't like me! I don't think I have done anything wrong to any of them, I have always been very respectful with all of them, done them many favours but yet I sometimes get the feeling that they don't like me and they basically take advantage of my good nature.
We're a small team in a kind of large company and from my previous experience with working in different places, we like to go out for a few drinks on a Friday after work. Nothing too major, especially in these economic times, just go to the pub, have a drink and chat, just for a laugh. You don't necessarily have to have an alcoholic beverage to have fun, there is so much to choose from.

But this team isn't like that, well, hasn't been like that in the last 3 odd years. I find myself socialising whenever possible with other teams in the company because my team don't do anything or go anywhere. I have tried to organise different events in the pass such as bowling or go-carting or just a meet up and despite people saying yes it always ends with just myself and no one else, sometimes 1 other person shows up though but that's it.
Every year for my Birthday I have a party and I always send out an email well in advance so people know and can either make plans to be able to attend it or let me know that they cant. This year only 6 people showed up for the party after I had booked a venue for 40 people, 1 person unfortunately wasn't feeling well and she only dropped by to wish me a Happy Birthday so technically 5 people were there but, hey, at least some people showed up!
Now normally I couldn't care less about this, I still had a great night with my sister and her friends, we sometimes celebrate around the same time as our Birthdays are 4 days apart! So I went my usual way the next few days in work, not really caring about it when I turned around and noticed that one of the guys behind me had his desk all decorated with balloons and flyer's as it was his birthday. He wasn't in work until the next day so it was pretty much going to be a surprise for him and all I could think of was "Those f**king bastards did nothing for me and I've been here longer than most of these guys" OK so I was slightly annoyed and I did try to let it go, honestly I did but fast forward 2 months later and I am being asked by a colleague if I want to put some money towards getting 1 of the girls a Birthday card and something else! My answer was a polite "NO" Why would I want to do that when no one did anything for mine? I'm normally the first guy to start any collections for Birthdays, no one did anything for mine so I quit!

Now its not just the Birthday thing that's annoying me. In the past I have tried to organise some nights out which no one has come to and I pretty much have given up doing that as its always a yes from everyone but then nobody shows up! Working on a night shift I have very little interaction with anyone on the day shift unless they are doing a late shift or over time. Its normally myself and another guy in the building and we get along great. We have the same sense of humour and he is like my main guy to go to when I have some questions that require experienced people! The other interaction we get is emails from our Team Leader to keep us up to date on new ads for the job or emails from colleges just asking how we are and so on! He asked me today if I was going to the Halloween party that one of the girls is organising, I told him I didn't know of any party and he said it was in the email she sent out, an email I never got because I wasn't invited. This upsets me more than annoys me because I thought myself and this girl got along fine! Not the sort of "fine" that we could date and so on but the sort that you just got along very well and were good friends. He showed me the email and I noticed that she only sent it to others she liked/got on with so the way I see it, we don't get along and we're not fine.

So, being with the company close to 7 years, I have decided not to organise any more nights out, not to celebrate my birthday with workmates, not to trust some people and that for my 30th next year, I am going to Vegas!
I think my next blog will be about my religion.
Take care
Maurizio