"I quit and I am taking Peerless with me"

With Christmas Season comes the usual array of Holiday Parties. Always a good time yet some people tend to drink way too much and all the secrets of the past year come spilling out like Britney Spears' tits during a wardrobe malfunction. Peerless' father once told him that more people get fired because of stupid things that transpire at Christmas Parties than any other reason. This statement is true for the most part. Peerless has witnessed wives of co-workers get into fist fights with other girls who the husband had gotten to know all too well during the past year. He has also seen co workers get into fights because someone is way too drunk and someone trying to playfully cut up the other person gets out of hand. Once, Peerless even saw a guy who was gay (nothing wrong with that) profess his attraction to a very horrified straight guy. Needless to say, the object of the Gay man's crush could not escape the ribbing that ensued until the next year's Holiday Party. (A disclaimer on the Gay incident- IT DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE TRADING FLOOR WHERE PEERLESS HAS WORKED FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS).

The best Christmas Party Meltdown Peerless Experienced happened in 2005. At that time, peerless worked for a group of guys who were (are) overall nice people. Peerless brought them Business and they paid him well for it. Therefore, was never going to have an issue. However, the fellow who worked with Peerless in the Sugar Options pit was rather disgruntled about his salary, etc. The day of the Party, Peerless and the guy go out before the Dinner actually starts and Peerless actually sees the other person double fisting beers and shots of hard alcohol. By the time the actual party (a sit down dinner at a high end Italian Restaurant in Tribeca) starts. Peerless' co-worker is absolutely shitfaced. While they were walking over to the party, the co-worker starts mumbling about how "so-and so" is a fat f$%k and for me to watch him because he is going to show me how to stick it to someone.

The actual dinner passes without incident but before the dessert arrives, the head of the company gets up and says he would like to make a toast. He starts mumbling something about how our company is the best and we had the best year and he is the best broker, etc. Peerless' friend gets up and yells at him in the middle of the restaurant, "If you are so (expletive) great then why can't you pay me a bonus more than $500". The argument gets played out very loudly by a bunch of drunk people in front of horrified diners and culminates when the co-worker announces "I AM QUITTING AND I AM TAKING PEERLESS WITH ME!!!!" At that point, everyone at the table (and other people in the restaurant) turn to me to see what Peerless will say. Peerless gets so flustered that he spits his wine he was drinking across the table. A big dilemma ensues: If Peerless just says he is not quitting, then he will totally make his friend look bad and he will get fired, if he says he is quitting, then not only does Peerless not have a job, but he also probably wont get paid for December as well. Therefore, he replies that he is SHOCKED no one in the company can get along and perhaps everyone can try to work things out instead of everyone getting fired, quitting, etc. Unfortunately, no one wants to work things out and a full volume disturbance erupts with the waiters bringing the check without us asking and them requesting that our company never go back to their restaurant. The argument between Peerless' friend and the owners of the company spills out onto the street and gets so heated that a full scale brawl is narrowly averted.

The end result of the altercation: Peerless' Friend gets fired the next day. The same guy also pukes all over the back of a taxi cab and almost gets in a Fight with the Irate Driver. Peerless tries unsuccessfully to get the Company's owners to reverse the firing. Peerless does not quit at that moment but winds up leaving 4 months later.

Peerless is actually very good friends with the Owner of the Restaurant. When he goes there with his wife, they actually joke about booking the upcoming Christmas Party at the same restaurant.