You know who you are...

Last week, a colleague and I were chuckling about yet another laminated note left by the kitchen sink in our office building. It said something like “Put your dishes in the dishwasher. Your mother doesn’t work here.” This is not the first such note. And we laugh because we all know who’s posting them (someone with way too much time on her hands) and truthfully, the notes just give us an even stronger urge to leave our dishes in the sink. Passive aggressive behavior at its best.

Another co-worker recently shared with me what has become one of my new favorite websites: passiveagressivenotes.com. Let’s talk about a few of my favorites, starting with this one:
Is Jesus winking at me in this photo? I love the thumbs up, which doesn’t exactly portray disappointment for the stealing behavior. If I made the sign, I would’ve at least used a photo of Jesus with a tear in his eye. That Bible verse response is brilliant though. There’s nothing like twisting the Word of God to justify any and all behavior. Cracks me up!

Other favorites include:

1. Hot Pocket thieves. Really? Hot Pockets? When I bring a Hot Pocket to work, everyone knows Heather is reaching into the back of her freezer and desperately needs to go grocery shopping. You wanna steal my Hot Pocket? Fine. No love lost there.
2. Talking office objects. If there’s anything more obnoxious than a note from a co-worker, it’s got to be a note from the toilet!
3. Cheesy clip art. I have a passionate LOATHING for all things clip art. I even have a crazy clip art file where I’ve accumulated real flyers from work that promote everything from getting your immunizations (a smiley face with measles, coughing up germs) to injury prevention (a stick figure with a broken leg, crutch and a bunch of question marks swirling around his head…I think he’s dizzy.)

Oh, I’ve had many such opportunities for these kinds of notes or actions over the years with roommates, neighbors, colleagues, and the obnoxious lady in front of me at the grocery store check out. I’m not going to admit any of it here, but let’s face it. Sometimes we need to have the last word!