I’M WORKING OUT at the military base, when Gerry, my project manager, barges into the lab where I’m working.
Gerry says, “You shut down this equipment, there’s a meeting back at the main office.” (If a person were reduced to just one body part, Gerry would be an anus. However, he’s the project manager for the project on which I’m working.)
“Okay, I’m shutting the equipment down.”
“Don’t give me any of that crap, just turn off the main power switch.”
“There’s a normal shutdown procedure. I’m following that procedure. Just turning off the main power switch can harm the equipment, so the manufacturer says.” (I move from place to place, shutting down things in the prescribed order and with the prescribed wait times.)
“You can damn well do what I say.”
“There’s a normal shutdown procedure. I’m following that procedure. Just turning off the main power switch can harm the equipment, so the manufacturer says. If you don’t agree with what I say, you can talk to the Lieutenant, right behind you.”
Gerry slowly turns around, suddenly realizing that he’s in trouble.
The Lieutenant smiles at Gerry and says, “This is government equipment, my responsibility. Jim will continue with normal shutdown procedure. In the meantime, we can walk down to Personnel, and get you signed out of this base, permanently.”
(I continue to move from place to place, shutting down things in the prescribed order and with the prescribed wait times. I get the system shut down and then I gather up the documents and the programming media. I then stroll down to the Librarian.)
“Hey Gracie, I’m turning back in the programming items that I checked out this morning.”
(Gracie checks items off, against the list in her book.) “You know that they just canceled the GV10 contract?”
“Not officially, although I have been expecting it, for some days.”
“I just got the word, a few minutes ago. I’m not supposed to tell you.”
