Thrilling Tales Of Science!!!

Delia Quick adjusted the velocity control lever and glanced ahead. Through the plasti-steel cockpit window loomed the fearsome black bulk of the Korgol Sky Fortress, its stony battlements bristling with countless ion guns and rocket cannons. Looks like it's time for me to hide, thought Delia. She reached to her right and flicked a red blinking switch. The EDC shuttle, Liberty, shuddered slightly as the cloaking mechanism engaged.

Delia pulled the velocity control lever down hard, igniting the ion engines. The shuttle raced forward, hurtling toward the impenetrable mass of the hulking Korgolese War Castle. Delia looked ahead again through the cockpit window, watched as the obsidian walls of the fortress grew and spread across her field of view. She was close enough now to see fleets of troop ships emerging from openings in the walls of the fortress. Delia knew that the vessels contained Korgolese shock troops, hundreds of thousands of them- an invasion force, en route to the cities on the surface far below. She knew she had but one chance to stop them from conquering her beloved Earth.

Delia nudged the steering control, turning the shuttle toward an opening in the fortress wall. She jammed the velocity control again and the Liberty screamed forward through the opening and into the path of three large troop carriers. Delia quickly jerked the steering controls and the cloaked shuttle shot past the trio of ships, missing them by mere meters.

Catching her breath, Delia peered ahead and saw that she was entering a vast hangar bay. Dozens of troop ships were in flight on all sides, and hundreds more were preparing to launch from the decks far below. Delia quickly scanned the hangar bay and found a corner that seemed relatively deserted. Adjusting speed and altitude, she brought the Liberty down and killed the engines.

Grabbing a Zap pistol, Delia Quick activated the exit ramp and snuck out of the shuttle craft. Now to find Matt Strong, she thought.

By the way, and I can't believe I keep forgetting to tell you all this...

But I talked to Thom Whitaker the other day. He's a dispatcher for Averitt Express trucking; I was transferred to him when I was looking for a quick method to get a large load of powder-coated steel back from our supplier in Chattanooga.

"Is the is the same Patrick Hardin who's married to Chauntelle?" he asked me.

I was in a hurry, plus I did not want to talk to him, but the call lasted long enough for him to tell me that Greg Addington's father died. I think he said father. Which I am very sorry about. But then, Thom asked me were we coming to the funeral. Coming to the funeral of the man that I had just found out was dead, the father of a man I barely knew 5 years ago.

Uh, no, I'm not going to the funeral.

Um, I'm wondering is our agent could have done a better job with the pictures...

Also, the back of our house does NOT look identical to the front of the house.

Also, we were kind of hoping that our realtor would find a way of omitting the ladder and exercise bike from her photo of the living room.

I think Chauntelle may be about to make Pam Blasingame cry.

How to boss people around...

In my next job, with IDG, I will be a Site Manager. As a Site Manager, I will be responsible for the oversight and management of a small staff, maybe 2 or 3 employees (Dad, correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm a little bit nervous about managing people. My management experience is extremely limited: 3-4 months as a supervisor at the RSC, approximately 7 years ago. As I recall, I wasn't all that good at it. I want to be better this time. I want to be a great manager.

So, I've been thinking about good managers. Good leaders. What makes a good leader? How can I become one?

I think patience is important, and kindness. A good ear and a good heart. The willingness to do yourself whatever it is you are asking of others. Recognizing that a manager must serve the needs of his team, and not the other way around.

Quiet strength is far superior to bluster and bombast. The ability to admit error. A sense of humor.

The capacity to inspire others to do good work.


*Jesus Christ
*Dan Hardin (just below JC; not too shabby!)
*Vernon Smith
*Paul Holtzclaw
*Debbie Long
*Andy Taylor
These are my leadership heroes. If I could be at least a little like some of these folks, I might be a halfway-decent manager.

facsimilous- adj: Of, or pertaining to, a facsimile.

Example: "Yo mama so facsimilous when she sits around the house, she really sits around the house.


Well, I have less than 5 more working days left at Young Touchstone, and I'm just not sure how I feel, exactly. I'm happy to be leaving, of course- there's no question about that. But I'm not sure how I should view my tenure with Young Touchstone. I came to work here out of necessity. I stayed because they paid for my schooling and because I found some opportunities here. I am proud of the progress I've made personally and professionally in my 5 years at Young Touchstone, but, at the same time, I can't say that I've particularly enjoyed it. At the end, what have I really accomplished? Yes, I pushed myself, yes, I learned a lot, but what else? Am I leaving anything behind that I can be proud of? As I look back, I just keep seeing things that I could have, should have, done differently.

I want my next five years to be better. I want to enjoy my work. I want to accomplish something worthwhile every day. I want to be proud of my work. I want to be proud of my life.

Home for sale...Schmoopies sold separately... 

More terrible poetry...

Probably somewhere in 1991 or 1992. I certainly hope not much later than that.




pretty well facsimilous when you stand there in your emptiness
expecting me to buy
a hundred thousand haircut boys are singing 'bout the all-good toys
they're begging me to try
mall crawlers with their dead eyes watching

mall crawlers with their dead eyes watching as you advertise
you laugh you rot our future's brains you take you make consumers

twenty pages of dialogue a night

I think she might be about to hit me with that hammer...