Desperate employee eats six-year-old Lean Cuisine in office freezer

old meal(CHICAGO)–In an apparent move of desperation, Junior Account Executive Tyler Gertz ate a six-year-old Lean Cuisine he found in the breakroom freezer and lived, Office Manager Wendy Peeler disclosed Tuesday on the company intranet site.

“When I discovered what (Tyler) did, I almost threw up my Starbucks very hot, non-fat, no whip with an extra shot grande chai latte,” Peeler said. “He may as well have eaten a cryogenically frozen chicken.”

Two sources confirmed the grilled chicken primavera Lean Cuisine box was marked with the name of Karen Mance, who left for another job in 2009.

Personnel records show Gertz is three months on the job and making an annual salary of $22,000. No details of his gastrointestinal fortitude were available.

The Justin Bieber-resembling Gertz claimed he was “literally starving” from pulling an all-nighter for a client project and consuming 11 cups of coffee in a 22-hour period.

“Look, I didn’t have any f***ing time to run to the deli a block away,” Gertz said. “I had spotted a corner of that frozen box a couple weeks ago behind someone’s half-eaten Ben and Jerry’s and was pleasantly surprised it was still there at lunch time today.”

Gertz described the grilled chicken primavera as edible, though the asparagus and broccoli “tasted like a**.”

The smell from the microwave made several interns gag violently, it was reported.

PR is not lobbying

JCOPELobbying is “the act of attempting to influence business and government leaders to create legislation or conduct an activity that will help a particular organization,” according to businessdictionary.com. Public relations may share the same goals and clients as lobbying, but PR is not lobbying.

It’s disheartening that the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) wants to extend state lobbying regulations to include aspects of public relations. That’s why I’m glad the Public Relations Society of America, the PR Council and the Arthur W. Page Society have teamed up to fight this.

Read more about this joint effort.

I look forward to learning local PRSA chapters can get involved.