Thanksgiving: Part Deux (and the Christmas kick-off)

It's officially December, which means I can blast the carols, hang the snowflakes, write cards full o' Christmas cheer, and indulge in holiday delicacies without shame or criticism from those grinches who complain Christmas marketing starts too early. Without Thanksgiving, Australian's consider December 1st the cutoff for acceptable Christmas-ing.

This weekend's activities were perfect for kicking off the season. Sandwiched in-between Thanksgivings was a "It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas" party.

 Beautiful people and beautiful food!

 What beautiful bunting!

 Jess's BEAUTIFUL cupcakes! (I ate the elf with pig tails :))

We had Thanksgiving: Part Deux at the Turkey Palace. Pretzels with beer cheese dip, turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole (with marshmallows!), stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin & pecan pie.

  

 

One nice thing about holidays in the summer is being able to eat outside!

It was even complete with football and  the American's (and American's at heart) representing their alma maters. There was even a full performance of On Wisconsin from a former Badger. And go figure that all the way in Perth, Australia, I met a fellow Terp who was doing his master's while I was in College Park and we know some of the same people!!!

In celebration of all that is American, both nights included some American themed trivia. One game just happened to be made in America, and thus Americans had a greater chance of knowing the answer. "How many quarters are in a Susan B Anthony?" "Who was Pokey's stretchy friend?" "What American city is known as Bean Town?" Now I must say that quiz games make me panic. I'm just not good at them as my pop culture and sporting knowledge is just not up to par. And I seem to recall one Block Island game of celebrity where I was KICKED OFF MY TEAM for not thinking fast enough. Needless to say, any advantage I can get I appreciate. I came in second (mind you it was to someone who was brought up in the US and Australia). Thanksgiving Quiz was custom made for the America-themed occasion and included, "What state has the smallest population?" "How many red & white stripes are on the American flag?" "What century was the civil war?" I won that one, but Kyla had the highest score of non-Americans (we've taught her well!), so we got to bring home the loot of chocolates back (to the office to eat while blasting Christmas carols).

Now it's time for work Christmas celebrations starting this week. The Physiotherapy department is having a Learn to African Drum session followed by a barbecue and drinks (of course, we are in Australia).  I've never received a corporate email that so blatantly says "Drink responsibly, because you people seem to get a little out of control" Here's our wonderful email message from Health & Safety.

Colleagues,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

We are coming to the end of yet another busy year at Curtin University and with the festive season upon us, we are now looking forward to our end of year functions to celebrate our achievements and hard work.

Please remember however, that as these are work functions, an appropriate standard of conduct is expected. With this in mind it is timely that we remind everyone of a few points:

1.       Behaviour at the Party (I still am amused by Australian/British spelling)

As work functions it is expected that everyone’s behaviour will be in accordance with Curtin’s values and Code of Conduct http://policies.curtin.edu.au/home/values.cfm, as well as our Health and Safety and Complaints policies and procedures. Copies of these policies and procedures can be accessed at. http://policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/

We ask that you take the time to familiarise yourself with these policies and procedures and be mindful of your obligations with respect to each of them. Note that alcohol consumption is no excuse for harassment, bullying or misconduct and is not an acceptable defence (and I thought Christmas parties were an excuse to tell off your coworker for assuming you're a secretary).

2. Drugs and Alcohol

 If you choose to drink alcohol, please ensure that you drink responsibly, be respectful to others, have plenty to eat and have spacers between alcoholic drinks i.e: water, juice, soft drink, etc. Please note that Curtin reserves the right to request the venue refuse service of alcohol to any member of staff who is, in Management’s view, behaving inappropriately. We remind you that the use of illegal drugs and/or excessive consumption of alcohol is prohibited at all times.

3. Transport

Naturally we want everyone to enjoy themselves; we also want everyone to arrive home safely.....so if you are planning on drinking alcohol, we ask that you plan your transport to and from the function:
·         Grab a cab or share one with other work colleagues 
·         Catch public transport  
·         Ride with a driver that hasn't been drinking  
·         Arrange for a friend or relative to give you a lift and pick you up
To find out more about alcohol limits or the effects of alcohol, please refer to àhttp://www.police.wa.gov.au/Traffic/Drinkdriving/tabid/987/Default.aspx. (we all work at a university, shouldn't we know all this?)

4. Contacts

If you have any concerns about the above mentioned points, become intoxicated (because if you're drunk the first person you're going to call is your boss...), unwell or your transport arrangements fall through unexpectedly, please don't hesitate to ask for help by contacting your function organiser or line manager. You will be gladly assisted, including arrangement of safe transport home if necessary. Likewise, if you are concerned about the well-being, safety or behaviour of a colleague let your manager know so that appropriate assistance can be provided.

We trust everyone will accept this communication in the right spirit by appreciating that Curtin is committed to meet its legal and moral obligations of ensuring your safety and well-being, not only in the workplace, but at work functions also. None of the above should prevent us from having a great celebration and we look forward to everyone having a fantastic time (and we don't even try to tell you that you can have party without alcohol)!

Best wishes to all for the holiday season!!!

-Health and Safety