OK this one was very funny and we still laugh about it.
One of the directors on the team I supported had a planned vacation to Yellowstone. She blocked it off on her Outlook calendar as “vacation – out with the bears”. The week before she left, we were in our weekly team meeting and she reminded everyone that she was going on vacation. This started off some casual talk about “Oh, that’s right – you’re going to Yellowstone?” She said something about “Yep, gonna go hang out with the bears.”
Another director (S) who happened to be sitting right next to me, said, “So you’re a furry now?”
We all DIED laughing. The division director (M) actually got up and left the room. S honestly had zero clue what he’d just said. So then another director (K) stood up, motioned for him to go out into the hallway, where he explained the cultural meaning of that term. (Oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation!) Honestly, I was more surprised that (K) knew what it meant, than I was that (S) didn’t.
I was still red-faced and laughing when they came back in. (S) sat down next to me and whispered, “Did you know that it meant that?” I said, “Yes! Why do you think I’m laughing?” He hissed (embarrassed), “Why didn’t you stop me?” I said, “I didn’t know you were going to say it!”
That reminds me…I should go remind that team of this conversation. They could use a laugh today.
