During the past couple of weeks, Co-worker Buddy and I have been mindless pawns involved in a complex game played by my supervisor and the company Head Honcho. I can't count the number of times where my hopes of going down to Baton Rouge was elevated to the heavens or plummeted to the depths of the Underworld. We've been putting a series of computer modeling seminars for various state agencies that we've done work for or have the potential to work for in the future. We figure by educating them on what we do and what they will be doing gives us an added edge when it comes to future proposals. Plus it's a low-key method to market our company and services while providing information to our clients in return. Essentially by doing so, it makes us look like the leading expert in our field.

In one corner is my charismatic, often tongue-in-cheek boss who wants our potential clients to see that our company is more than just him running the show in Louisiana. He wants our prospective clients to see that there are other technically skilled people in the company who are able to make crack decisions such as Co-worker Buddy and myself. In the opposite corner of the ring is our frugal, profit-oriented company Prez who seems only concerned about the bottom line. And stuck in the middle against our will is Co-worker Buddy and myself.

In my opinion, all of us bring a variety of experience and backgrounds to the table, and even though it's Boss Man giving the presentation, we all have valuable insights to give. Plus Mr. Boss isn't picture perfect, often forgetting vital points that need to be made when caught up in the heat of the moment and his own strutting-around puffery. It's an added advantage to have extras like us around to keep him on track.

And considering people who are Professional Level 3's and above (such as Co-worker Buddy) have a goal of marketing $100,000+ every year, I don't understand why the Company Prez has such a difficult time letting Co-worker Buddy and myself go down to Louisiana to assist my boss in presenting the modeling seminar. How does he expect us to market or even learn to market if we aren't given opportunities to do so?

I can see the position our company Prez is in. If there aren't people doing billable work, then the company isn't making any money. And if he can get away with just having Boss Man down there rather than Boss Man and us two underlings, that's what he would prefer. In any case, while Boss Man & the Prez battled out who would get to go on these various trips, Co-worker Buddy and I took a back seat to the fireworks.

On one day we were told that we would both be going. On another day, neither of us would be going. And yet another day one of us would be going. If there's one thing I've learned from the way my boss does things, it's never to count on anything until you're actually at the airport boarding the plane, because with him, plans can change as often as a young girl's emotions.

At least the meetings were very successful in my honest opinion. I guess if we get some work out of these seminars, then the Company Prez might be more forgiving. And if not, I suppose I won't lose too much sleep over it because being pawns, everything is out of our control.

* * * * *

And to end this entry, I'd like to share a David Letterman "top 10 list" that we came up with and take a lot of pride in. If you don't understand, don't worry, we don't understand half the stuff we said either.

TOP TEN SIGNS YOUR MODELERS DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING

# 10. Elle McPherson, Cindy Crawford, and Tyra Banks are listed in their Statement of Qualifications..
# 9. They think CWPPRA is that antibiotic you’re supposed to take if you’ve been exposed to Anthrax.
# 8. They search for bug reports at www.Terminix.com.
# 7. They first look to find the SWMM model in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
# 6. When asked how the “geometry” is going, they respond: “Not bad, but we’re having a little trouble with Algebra.”
# 5. You discover an item buried in their cost proposal for “model cement.”
# 4. When you ask how their “runs” are going, they say “It’s under control, thanks to Kaopectate.”
# 3. Their supervisor, overhearing something about “the model bombing”, alerts the Department of Homeland Security.
# 2. They think Manning’s ‘n’ is a Bed and Breakfast somewhere near New Orleans.
# 1. Their company slogan is “We know H-2-Zero.”

Almost a year ago today: The Day After