Yes, they both have a hole in the middle...but that doesn't mean they're the same....

Are they trying to fool us by bringing in a similarly-shaped breakfast treat?

I don't understand. I walked into the kitchen expecting to find nothing, but instead I find two boxes of Dunkin Donuts. I would have rather gone hungry. I know that I sound ungrateful, but what is with this hodge-podge of Friday offerings? Office settings, and people in general, require routine of some sort. When I first started this gig, everyone was so excited to tell me about Bagel Friday!!!! It seemed like they had been accustomed to Bagel Friday for years, and now, we lose The Bean Bag, we don't have bagels one Friday, and now we have donuts. Additionally, this destroys my blog theme. It is called "The Blogel." That is a combination of blog and bagel, for those of you who may be slower. It is not called "The Blognut," or "The Doughblog," or any other cleverly thought up name. What am I supposed to do? (Both with regard to sampling a donut and with my blog.) I am trying to eat healthier, bikini weather is fast approaching. Now, everytime I go into the kitchen, or wander into the bathroom, I have to pass them. They're staring at me with their vanilla and chocolate frosting, and red and green sprinkles.
Wait, what? Red and green sprinkles?
How old are these donuts?
I commented to my boss, "It's a nice change of pace." "Yes," he replied, "Christmas donuts."
So, not only have the bagels been replaced by donuts, but they have red and green sprinkles?
Ummmm, this is not comforting.
I am at a loss.
My heart has a hole in it, similar to the holes found in bagels...and donuts.

9:08AM:

Currently eating a banana to fend off hunger.

Not again....

9:01AM:

No bagels.

I had to legitimately check my watch to make sure that it is actually Friday.

Where...are..the..bagels???????

It has taken me a week to write this post. I could lie and say that I have been trying to come up with the perfect way to express my feelings over the situation that occurred, but really, I've just been busy.

Last Friday I was especially hungry around 8:00. I walked into the kitchen at the typical time. The room was empty.

There were no bagels.

"Okay," I thought, "Let's give it a couple minutes."

I returned to my cube. I continued writing for about 15 minutes.

I wandered back into the kitchen.

Still no bagels.

"Alright, maybe they're running late. I will give them another 20 minutes."

I returned to my cube. I attempted to do work. I couldn't. My stomach was rumbling. I was nervous.

I mentioned the lack of bagels to one of my editors.

"I guess they're riding here on bikes. The economy must have gotten to them too."

Not funny.

I returned to my desk.

"Okay, I will give them until 10. If there are no bagels...I will go down to the deli...and...pay for a bagel."

10:00AM rolled around, and there were no bagels. I walked to the deli in dismay. I ordered a breakfast sandwich: ham, egg, and cheese on wheat bread.

I could not bear the idea of paying for a bagel on a Friday.

I had been spoiled. At this point I needed a bagel to do my work.

Was this it?

Was this the end of bagel friday?

Should I be concerned?

Could they not afford bagels anymore?????

What happened to The Bean Bag?

My mind raced.

There were no bagels that day.
***
Today I was nervous.

I did not know what the outcome would be. I was not sure if last week had just been a blip, or if bagel friday was gone forever. I packed oatmeal and a banana just in case. I ate them when I got to work. Today was a big day.

I could not smell any bagels around 8. I continued to work on my stories. I handed them in, and wandered to the kitchen, not optimistic.

There it was. Order had been restored.

Einstein Bagels! Asiago cheese, pumpernickel, wheat, plain. More variety!

Cream cheese containers spread everywhere. Low-fat, high-fat, heart-attack flavored!

"It was a blip!!!" I thought to myself.

Bagel friday is back, refreshed, and tasty as ever.

I suppose you have to lose something in order to realize how much it actually means to you.

Thursday Toastings

Yesterday, while I was sitting at my computer, I smelled something familiar. It was the scent of freedom, relaxation, and the WEEKEND. I immediately felt happy. "It's Friday!" went through my head. A minute later, I realized what had happened. Someone had toasted a bagel on a Thursday. Now, I do not know where the culprit got this bagel, or why he or she thought it would be a good idea to consume one on any day that is not Friday, but as soon as I realized that it was, in fact, Thursday, and not Friday, I felt conflicted. First, I felt anger. Anger toward the person who had toasted the bagel. I then felt angry with myself. How could I be so naive? Of course it was not Friday. I then felt angry with the company. They had actually trained me to associate bagels with Fridays. Of course, this is not the worst thing that could ever happen to me, but still. We're talking about principles here, bagel principles. I then felt sadness. I was not going to be getting a bagel AND I had to wake up the next morning at 5:30. There was no sleep and no bagel. Great. The only glimmer of hope that I felt was the fact that the next day I would be getting my bagel, and I would treasure it.

Bagel Uproar (From Last Friday)

Apparently, last week the bagel wizards only gave us a small amount of bagels, and the people who delayed their bagel consumption by an hour didn't have any to eat. I am a bagel shark, and therefore always get there as soon as they are spread out on the platter. I picked a delectable everything bagel. You know what they say, the early bird always gets the worm. As soon as 8:15 rolls around I "go to the bathroom," which is really just an excuse to go through the kitchen to see if the bagels have arrived. They are usually not there. I take a stroll out of the office, through the hallway, and then return to my cube. Our secretary extraordinaire called "The Bean Bag" (who I suppose can no longer really be called bagel wizards), explained the situation and demanded to know what happened to the rest of the bagels we paid for. The response on the other end was a simple "Ok." The manager was then put on the phone. He also said "Ok." It turns out he delivered the bagels, noted that "The bag did feel a little light," but did not think to check the bagel count. I do not think we were reimbursed for the lost bagels. Finally, today the bagels were delivered in a brown bag in a black trash bag. One editor was quoted as saying, "What the hell is this? Are they trying to make the bagels unappealing?" Yes, sir, I think that is what they are trying to do. The black bag in conjunction with a lack of bagels is creating huge problems around here. Livelihoods are being destroyed, stomachs are grumbling, people are grumbling. How do you write on a Friday without a bagel (or two...?) Bagels were toasted, but there was a sense of mistrust and annoyance lingering in the air along with the sweet smell of toasted doughy goodness.

We are in an uproar.

The Premiere Bagel

Most companies provide employees with incentives for waking up early, working hard, and providing positive results for their organizations. The business I work for does this (amongst other things) through bagels. Each Friday, when one walks through the kitchen after 8:30AM, he or she will observe a wide array of bagels on two white platter trays. There are typically two or three different types of cream cheese, butter, and jelly sitting next to the bagels. I suppose we are being rewarded for making it through another week. "Hey! You did it! Congrats! Fill up on some carbs to get you through this last hump before the weekend!" I love Bagel Friday. The carbs provide me with the energy I need to get through one last day. You see, I have to wake up at 5:30AM to be at work by 6:30, so the bagel (or bagels if I'm feeling particularly gluttonous) gives me the energy to keep on writing, writing, writing.