How can staffer avoid discussing her weekend at work?

DEAR AMY: I work in an administrative job for some lobbyists. Each Monday we have a meeting, and the director in charge goes around the table and asks each person what he or she did over the weekend. He does not ask generally if anyone wants to share; he asks each person individually. I have some family problems I've been dealing with, and I'm also trying to pay off some debt, so I'd rather not report in front of the group what I do each weekend.

Also, the lobbyists make a lot more money than I do, and their lives sound more exciting than mine. Without a doubt, they have better weekends than I have. Even if I weren't dealing with these other problems, I would be uncomfortable having to answer this question, and viewing some of the body language around the conference table, I think others are uncomfortable, too. I've been tempted to ask why the whole group needs to know what I do each weekend or to say, "Sorry, but I'm a private person," or something like that. Could you offer your wisdom?Anonymous

DEAR ANONYMOUS: You could assume two things: (1) Your boss doesn't really want to know exactly what you did over the weekend, and (2) your lobbyist colleagues are dissembling.

How do I know this? Because (1) I work in an office, and (2) because lobbyists spin. That's what they do.

I agree with you that it's probably best not to share details of your personal challenges at the lobbyists' staff meeting.

You could handle this by being vague enough to fake your way out of it.

If, like me, you spent the weekend eating microwave popcorn and watching a marathon of "Animals Behaving Badly," while worrying about your debt load and dysfunctional family, you say, "This weekend? I kicked back. You?"