So You thought you had a tough job?

Much of my week has been spent thinking about trash and trinkets --you know those branded USB memory drives, cups, pens and T-shirts.

So I thought it was quite serendipitous when I ran across Gwendolyn Bound's column in the The Wall Street Journal talking about the growth of the promotional products industry

"In an industry once known mostly for the impersonal office mug or T-shirt, the breadth of today's offerings suggests that the branding frenzy covering every available visible space -- from sports stadiums and bus exteriors to water bottles and popcorn bags -- is still gathering steam. Today there are some 750,000 promotional products that U.S. businesses give away, up from 350,000 in 1995, according to the Advertising Specialty Institute, a Tevose, Pa.-based for-profit trade group that sponsored last week's event."

When this email came into my inbox I thought I had gone to promotional products heaven.  It absolutely made my week.

The subject line: FW: I hate my job   

When you have an "I Hate My Job" day, try this. On

your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go

to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal

thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson. Be very sure

you get this brand.

When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains

and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed.

Change into very comfortable Clothing and sit in your

favorite chair, open the package and remove the

thermometer.

Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so

that it will not become chipped or broken. Now the fun

part begins - Take out The literature and read it

carefully.

You will notice that in small print there is a

statement,

"Every rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is

personally tested".

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times,

"I am so glad I do not work for quality control at

Johnson and Johnson.