Naked office

To boost morale after 6 rounds of layoffs, a British marketing company decided to drop the dress code AND the dress, inviting employees to be nude on Naked Friday!

Naked Friday: British Marketing Co. Works In the Buff

Like a scene from the 'The Office,' the employees of British marketing company onebestway came in to work one Friday and proceeded to get naked. The idea came from David Taylor, a cheeky business consultant and psychologist hired by the company to boost team spirit.

"Inviting an organization to go naked is the most extreme technique I've used," he told The Sun. "It may seem weird, but it works. It's the ultimate expression of trust in yourself and each other." The move to bring in Taylor came after onebestway was forced through six rounds of layoffs.

The staff underwent a week of counseling and nerve building activities leading up to the big day. Tasks included photocopying body parts, sketching nude models and discussing at length. Finally, they were asked to strip down to their birthday suits -- but only if comfortable.

Amazingly most turned up in the nude. One man chose to fashion a pouch, and two female workers wore black underwear. The only female to go fully naked was front-of-house manager Sam Jackson, 23.

"It was brilliant. Now that we've seen each other naked, there are no barriers," she said. "We weren't put under pressure. If we wanted to come in clothed or in our underwear, we could. But I love my body and wasn't ashamed."

The team was filmed for a one-time TV special, Naked Office, to be aired July 9 on British cable channel Virgin 1. Click here to watch a short clip of the show on The Sun online.

But did the stunt work? According to Managing Director Mike Owen, "We have been so much closer since, professionally and personally. It's given us that boost I wanted." He added, "I recommend anyone to do what we did. It's not a sexual thing. If you do anything scary as a company, it encourages bonding."

Crush du Jour: David Gilkey

Friday fragments

Company
My cousin Inez (we call her Nez) and her husband Steve are coming to visit this weekend. I'm embarrassed I can't even remember when the last time was that we saw each other. Maybe 4-5 years ago? We've talked on the phone and IM'd since then though. Nez & I are less than a year apart in age and spent a lot of time together when we were kids and teenagers. I'm looking forward to their visit!

Commando
The other day I went 'commando' for a few hours. I had on flannel pajama pants (without underwear) and a t-shirt, but realized I needed to walk the dog. Rather than putting on underwear for a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood, I just slipped off the pjs and put on jeans, sans underwear. I felt a little 'naughty', knowing I was walking around town with no underwear. I kinda liked it.

Ted Haggard
Speaking of naughty, a friend sent me this (obviously doctored) photo of Ted Haggard, which I just had to share. As usual, click to enlarge.

Vintage vs. Retro

Vintage is when something is from a past decade. Retro is when something modern is made to look like its from a past decade. Your grandparents wedding photo is vintage. The photos you took yesterday using black and white film are retro. Just because they're black and white doesn't make them vintage.

Toolboxes

Have you ever noticed how toolboxes smell like vomit? Growing up, my dad had a metal toolbox that smelled like vomit. Many years ago our lesbian housemates had a big plastic toolbox that smelled like vomit. We have a small plastic toolbox that smells like vomit. What's up with that?

Not the same
You may have read earlier this week that Nevada is trying to implement a domestic partner registry that will grant most of the rights of marriage but without the term 'marriage'. Then on Wed I had yet another discussion with some gays who feel that 'as long as we get the rights, who cares what they call it'. I had to remind them, as I have many others, that separate is never equal. We will not have equal rights if we are granted separate rights from our hetero counterparts. I swear, sometimes I get weary from trying to help people understand this. Then I read the following on Facebook, written by a hetero woman, and had to share it:
"There are lots of differences between a 'committed relationship' and legal marriage. The ability to represent my spouse is very convenient… at the bank, in court, applying for a loan, discussions with creditors, medical professionals, even changing the cable package. These are mundane things that most take for granted. What about the stuff that really matters? Medical emergencies? Right of survivorship? Benefits earned as a part of your pay? To claim your spouse's dependent as your dependent? To co-parent adopted children? Marital privilege in a court of law? None of those issues have to do with sex or lifestyle; granting these benefits to all adults does not diminish the sanctity nor deplete the rights of hetero marriages. Those who oppose equal rights are guilty of tyranny." This momentarily restored my hope.

Obama

While conservatives may like this because it appears to be making fun of Obama by ridiculously comparing him to Jesus, I find this hilarious, and not that far off the mark! Then there's this Obama float...What is the blond girl holding onto???

Big Ella
It seems Spouse has become obsessed with protecting Big Ella. You'd think it would be me, since she's my girl. Whenever we go somewhere in her and I park, he always has to give me suggestions about where to park that will have the least potential for someone damaging her, as if I hadn't already thought of that. Then there's his latest: he now wants us to pay $120./month to store her at a public storage facility. I said that if we were approaching winter, I'd consider it, but since it is spring, I didn't see the need. Knowing we did not yet have a garage, we agreed we'd keep a car cover on Big Ella after she was repainted to protect her from dirt, sun damage, pollution, bird poop, etc. I believe that is sufficient.

Salad and chocolate
I have noticed that whenever I eat salad as a meal, I always crave chocolate afterward. I wonder what the connection is? Its as if my dark side is saying "You think you're being healthy by eating that salad, eh? Well now I'm gonna make you crave something fattening! Muah-ha-ha-ha!!!"

Happy Friday everyone!

Crush du Jour: Freddie Guerrero