in the trailer’s living room

During a morning “meditation period” which sometimes looks suspiciously like nap on the couch in the trailer’s living room, I got to thinking about a recent streak of troubles. A high tech parable came to mind, drama drawn from the actual FGS Files. My “Boswell,” a friend, fan and sometimes archivist used to work at a large corporation. He was relegated to a cubicle and given a handsome salary. No work because his project was “waiting on funding.” What would any normal healthy red–blooded American child of the South, a hearty Texas boy and faithful FGS follower do? Surf. Of course, mindless hours in front of the web browser box leads to boredom, no matter how good the salary is. I gave it three months, but I underestimated the allure of the dollar signs — he lasted almost a year. He eventually was let go. The terms of his contract’s canceling, though, was accompanied by a huge amount of documentation. The company’s security knew exactly where he had pointed his web browser, had copies of all the bad jokes he had forwarded, and even kept a list of all of us he contacted. Of course, I’m sure that this was interest of company security, seeing as how it was all on company time. I don’t care what the webmaster views with his browser as long as everything I request is taken care of. But that’s the difference. FGS World HQ is really run by a timid tabby cat. We trust her for all our management decisions. It’s hard to imagine, but fresh fish entrails go a long way in swaying a decision around here.