I got stuck on a lunchtime video conference today with some people in my department and a vendor. I hate meetings at noon, but with timezones being a factor, it was the only available time the vendor could meet. Usually, I’m only on these for technical consultation, so I rarely need to speak other than to clarify a point or answer questions about our infrastructure. Those are usually toward the end of the meeting.
That said, I just muted myself and ate at my desk because I was starving and would have plenty of time to eat a quick bite before it got to the point where I had to say anything.
What I did not realize was that even though I was muted, my webcam was on. So 6 people I work with plus three vendors all watched me eat a bag of tacos, and no one said anything!
Like, when I eat a taco with people around, I do eat it in a dignified way. Less so when I’m alone (or think I’m alone) and wolfing it down before I have to do something So, yeah, it was not a pretty sight.
I’m still mortified, but at least I am laughing about it as I’m typing this out.
I took an uber to a friend’s house, try to talk to the driver about whether its ok to bring lunch for friend, find out he’s deaf. I know some ASL so I can sort of communicate but I havent had practice for 5 to 10 years so I am rusty. Anyway the signs for “thank you” and “fuck you” are about 2 inches of vertical distance apart. Guess which one I accidentally signed at the end of the ride.
So thats what has been haunting me for the last week.
