I'd like to thank the academy

It's awards time at LFD (Little Fire Department). They've done awards in the past, but with some recent changes in management, they have started up a more formal awards program. I think it's great, but I'm not really interested in it.

I guess that bears a little explaining.

There's a variety of things you can get an award for, but the way I look at it, unless they start giving awards for mopping the floors or checking off the equipment, there's really no reason to give awards for doing other parts of your job. Oh, sure, some parts are a little more glamorous, but in reality the 'glamorous' parts of the job only constitute about 10% of it. If that.

Now, having said that, I got 2 emails last week. They basically said, 'If you are getting this, you will be receiving an award, and your presence at the ceremony would be greatly apprecaited'.

So now I'm really stumped. I have received 1 award in the past, and from what I have gathered, they will be re-recognizing those awards, so that explains 1 email (and don't get me started on that award; I was brand new, I think I was out of the academy about a week, and my role on that call basically consisted of being told what to say over the radio and staying out of the way haha). The second email has me stumped though. The members of the awards committee are keeping mum on who is getting what, so no help there.

To top it all off, yesterday I was walking past the Assistant Chief's office, and he called me in. He asked if I was going to be at the ceremony (banquet? party?), and when I said that I imagined I would, his only response was 'Good'. I told him that I had been asked that question a few times lately, and that the response was always the same as his. His answer to that was, 'Good, see you later.' I was dismissed, and no follow up questions were going to be tolerated.

As I was heading up the stairs, he yelled to me from the bottom that 'The good news is that if we are giving you a pink slip tomorrow night, at least you'll have some friendly shoulders to cry on.' He was kidding. I hope.

So anyways, in the past they have been big fans of giving 'joke' awards out for humorous events that transpired over the previous year. I can't think of anything I've done either good or bad over the past year to deserve anything, so I guess I'll be just as shocked as anyone else. A few people have suggested to me some things that may be deserving of awards, but I just don't see it.

Like I said, unless they are giving out awards for mopping or emptying the dishwasher (or if I've repressed an incredibly embarrassing moment!), I'm stymied as to what is going on here. I guess I'll post an update later to let ya'll know what is going on.