Your morning cup o' ketchup

I like to talk to you a minute about breakfast. In particular the two egg and cheese on a roll. My favorite is actually two egg and cheese on an English Muffin, but that isn't really offered at delis around the region and so I go with roll or, preferably, bagel when it's available.

However it's not the bread I want to discuss, but what they ask me every time I order this combo. "Ketchup, salt and pepper?"

That's right, ketchup.

I'll admit that I'm naturally prejudiced against ketchup. I don't like it even on fries, so obviously I wouldn't like it on eggs and cheese, but at least I understand it on fries. But on eggs? Seriously?

I think, maybe, I've seen little kids put ketchup on scrambled eggs before, but little kids will put ketchup on anything. Some children use food as an excuse just to eat ketchup.

I have learned not to make a fast of disgust when they ask me, but when I answer with "no just salt and pepper" they look at me as if I'm a freak; as if I had ordered a monkey and seal meat sandwich. But I'm pretty sure that I am not the freak in this one. That New Yorkers are the freaks. All I'm saying is there's a reason McDonald's doesn't put ketchup on the Egg McMuffin. And if anyone loves ketchup, it's McDonald's.

Tired

I am both tired of campaigns and tired of doing employee reviews. I'm also tired of waiting to hear about layoffs.

We're losing 19 to 20 people as of the first week in December. It's like I work in a funeral home these days. People are walking around trying not to get noticed and also spending all their time NOT working and instead guessing who will get laid off. I've suggested we start a layoff pool where we all stick a dollar in for our guesses.

Our company's stock fell by half in the third quarter from last year to this. So our corporate overlords won't have to cut back on the number of yachts they own, they're jacking up the employee portion of healthcare costs (resulting in many employees dropping their healthcare all together - something I'm debating on doing if I'm even around) and, of course, dropping the employees altogether.

I'll see you all in the rice lines.