Embarrassing, but true.

My job frequently entails some pretty mind-numbingly boring projects. Product pricing is one, where you stare at spreadsheets and hit copy/paste/copy/paste over and over and over followed by rows of copied calculations.

When I'm working on one of these types of projects I will usually turn on whatever audio book I'm currently listening to because I can pay attention to the book and still do the work. I pause it whenever someone comes into my office or calls me. Not that big a deal and I pretty much relate it to the public radio stations or podcasts that a lot of my coworkers listen to during the day. I'm working, just multi-tasking too.

My office is directly next to our presidents office. Don't get the wrong idea when I say 'president'. Notice I didn't capitalize it. This is a small, family owned operation. I'm not talking about a corporate bigwig in a power suit and tie. Half the time he's in shorts and a baseball hat to go fishing that afternoon. However, he is still the president and who I report to.

I don't think either one of us have ever had a truly private conversation. The walls are thin, we're both loud talkers and I'm not really one to close my ears to potential office inner politics anyway.

Well, apparently I had the volume up a little high on my book while I was working yesterday and he, being as nosy as I am, came to see what I was listening too. He walked in to find me with my nose about 2" from the monitor as I stare at minute lines on a spreadsheet and so I wasn't too quick in pausing my story. Here's the rest of the conversation:

Him: What are you watching?
Me: I'm not watching, I'm listening (pick up phone and shake it).
Him: What are listening to?
Me: A book.
Him: What kind of book.
Me: Just a funny little 'girly' book.

Now, to pause in the dialog, when I say 'girly' book, I mean a short, comedic, barely a novel that's on the summer reading shelf at most Barnes and Nobles. Lighthearted, fun, stupid little book that's not going to change the meaning of your life or make you think real hard. They're usually about women who shop too much, or drink too much, or both and the 'adventures' they fall into while drunk and shopping.

That, however, is apparently not what a man thinks of when someone says 'girly book'. So he says:

Him: Great! Let me know when it gets to a good part!!

(again, note the small, family owned operation sentence previously. pretty sure that would not be the comment from a corporate bigwig in a power suit and tie)

Me: No!!! No!!! Nononononononnono!!!!!! Not that kind of girly book!!! That is not what I meant. I'm not listening to that type of book at work!!!

Now, picture me flushed a bright, burning red from head to toe and instantly sweating from sheer embarrassment.

Yeah, that was my day yesterday. At that point I was about 7 hours into a 10 hour book. Most of the way through. It's been the funny and lighthearted book I had expected, until about 30 minutes after I had the above conversation.

Then, I had to very quickly hit pause and stare at my phone.

Suddenly, it had become one of 'those' girly books.

I hate it when he's right. Although I'm most certainly not going to inform him on this occasion!

So, needless to say, I have not been listening to that particular story while in the office today. I have, however, been driving very slowly to pick up Baby A at daycare after work...