What part of the word 'NO' don't you understand?!

The things I remember...and the things I can't forget!

"Lost in Love" by Air Supply...the song "C'est Magnifique" played 22 times in a row by our roommate!...Zathrus knows; "Not the One!", "You are the One!", which is also a common phrase in music by Primeaux & Mike...buying white Haynes T-shirts in Hot Springs, AR (there was nothing else to do)...Willie Hooten & Mai Durocher & Chris Bowles & Cathy Bowman & Lisa and Mimi Clark & (D)Wayne Morris (who returned back to Iowa, leaving a couple of ex-wives [and alimony payments] in the DC area)...the Trident Int'l Xmas party whose theme, thanks to Matt, was the movie "The Nightmare before Christmas"...being on the same plane as Ted Kennedy...Watson & Mary, followed by Steve & Kathy followed by the 'unfriendly ones' at 914 Second ST...the constant "Bam! Bam! Bam!" behind our home in VA as the fire station was renovated. The completion date was January, 2001; they were still adding the final touches when we left in June...'Baker Street'...Mike getting very sick one day after receiving a flu shot...I wanna see STARZ! (This is so exciting!)...brown 'raw' sugar'...Mike W. & Dwight D. do "Santa Saturday" in New Hope, PA; Brad at home not feeling well, but not feeling ill, thanks to "better living through chemicals"...the neverending "hanky code" (red (which red) or blue (which blue), left or right??, it's up to you!) ...the Blue Ridge Factory Outlet in Martinsburg, WV...it's one of those "don't give me a bomb to carry" days...making a 'trunk' call...

Our dream car:
the PT Cruiser

"No problem, no problem, no problem; on the grid!" ...the Beta-Max & the large screen TV of Bruce & Steve...Human League...receiving Peruvian beads from the waiter at "Fry Bread Mama's"...climbing the rope bridge at Grandfather Mountain in NC...the drive from DC to Staten Island for a chiropractic conference; left very early, came home very late after seeing a car on fire on an overpass and peering through the holes of a very high bridge in NYC...the "Christmas, 1987" message on the Georgia O'Keeffe poster...'The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun!'...Mike, with the assistance from Joan Parks, hauling huge boxes of claims from the downstairs Mail Room to the upstairs Claims area...Brad designing an ad for the chiropractor office where he was employed...1992: spending 4 days in an L.A. hotel room, doing nothing...the "Fan District" in Richmond, VA...the secrecy of Kraig Bromwell...Renaissance...

1982: leaving the A/C on at 72 degrees to keep our dog comfortable during our two week vacation, and return home to a $200 plus electricity bill!...leaving the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) to head north on I-83 and driving through the underpass which was rocked by an explosion days earlier; the columns were still charred...Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye, Augustus Achiampong & Bayo Badmus...seeing the theatrical presentation of "Dreamgirls", "La Cage aux Folles", "A Chorus Line", "Phantom of the Opera" (twice), "Evita" & "Cats"...Hari Persaud, the 'Professor'...the solar powered structure outside of Frederick, MD, built in the early eighties..."Would you like coffee, or something to...smoke?"...Chicago in the rain, over & over again...attending a re-election "rally" at Dr. Robert's office for a DC candidate...being read by Brad "Lord of the Rings" and discovering "The Riddle Master of Hed" plus the Dragon world of Pern...climbing snow covered & switchback roads in the Datsun during December to the summit of Spruce Knob...driving at hellspeed on I-70 in Baltimore to be on time for the Trident Int'l. Baltimore anniversary dinner...the grist mill with the water wheel and a pond with ducks; these could be found at Mabry Mill, VA...leaving DC at 8:30 PM, with the temperature at 103 degrees...the Moses Cone Gift Shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC...waiting for Brad's plane to arrive from New York, and meeting 2 co-workers at the airport...pretending to be drug dealers when lost in Chicago, and driving deeper & deeper into unfriendly territory; at the first sight of an interstate sign, we drove as fast as possible to the entrance ramp!...'Left to my own devices, I probably could!'...Lomas AVE in Albuquerque, the street to buy cars & trucks, new & used, foreign or domestic...'Go aheaaaaad!'...

Halloween at 922 Second ST was usually busy. Lots of candy was given out. More than 150 kids would appear that evening, and disappear the following day, never to be seen until next year. During the quiet periods we would chat with the neighbors. One year we had on our leather jackets & hats. Someone asked who we were supposed to be. Our response was "Rap Singers!".

That was the best answer we could think of at the time. After Brad began the front yard garden, chairs were placed in front to protect it. Some people wanted to take short cuts and stomp through the dirt. Several years we lit candles and placed them on the steps and the sills. At times, Captain would join us, which would add that special effect.

The weather was unpredictable. One year it was warm until 8 PM, another it was very mild, another was cold, and one year had a cold rain (we stayed inside that year). On the cold nights we would sit with decaf spiked with a liqueur. It kept us warm and happy! One year we were running out of candy. Mike ran to Giant, and bartered with his neighbor on who was going to get which remaining candy in the store!

...at the Granada Hotel in Atlanta, the cast of Cirque du Soleil was staying there, and their leather jackets had the logo (if only there could have been more time to persuade them to give us two jackets, who would have missed them?...this was followed by the arrival during a wedding reception; the front desk wanted to know which of us qualified for the AARP discount?...Ivano Nelson giving Mike the Michael Jackson Off the Wall album for Christmas...the PBP Halloween parties, where the supervisors (later managers) had to answer the phones due to Open Season...the many marriages (gay) of Bob Geier...getting a jacket free at Hecht's during Christmas shopping...the DC policeman who asked the front desk if they could speak to Mike (he was enrolled with us and Mike had helped him to understand benefit payments)...the woman from the Washington Post who brought her M/N claims to Mike...We are not pleased!...Do you know what they say about men with big feet? Big socks! (what did you expect?)...

...the ingredients of the Trident Int'l DC, Inc. group drink, the 'Tidal Wave'; champagne, vodka, cranberry & pineapple juice; after 5 of these you felt no pain!...the Plain Brown Wrapper...famous phrase in the Analysis area; "Push & Pray"...'Jackie': I woke up with your lips on my imagination!...the Western Pacific airlines flight from LA to Dulles, and the bus that broke down during rush hour in the middle lane of I-66 on a very cold, windy & rainy evening...Tell him it's Gloria, from Cleveland!...All the girls named Gloria sing sweetly out of key!...Laura Brannigan...dancing in full leather attire at the Heretic in Atlanta...'Dust' on Babylon 5... hauling Daisani water from Potomac Yards to our house in carry-on luggage which we rolled until both wheels fell off, then we dragged them!...our former landlord's daughter misplacing the rent check; they paid the 'stop payment' fee and apologized...Sophia, the woman who cut our hair for many years (How are you? Good to see you, sir! Thank you, sir! You look good & you feel good!); we followed her to various sites around Crystal City, and when she moved to Landmark, so ended the journey...I Need a Man in My Life...1981: the time when PBP had three-shifts in order to process claims for over 90,000 enrollees; 2001: PBP has about 10,000 enrollees and numerous vendors who do not know how to process claims...buying throw pillows at a yard sale that were originally purchased at Harrod's in London...Ken Laslo...the vendor at PBP who tried to impress us; he gave us a diskette to view which contained a virus...the fabric store in Gastonia, NC...

Above all, I will miss my coworker, Steve Kelly. He started the same day that I did; he is also my age. The two of us had been co-workers since 1988. We have been friends, helping each other during personal problems, illnesses and the passing away of parents, in-laws & co-workers. The mornings would start with Good morning Steve; Good morning, Mike; the days would end with See you tomorrow, Mike; Have a good one, Steve!...Steve had little problem accepting Brad & I as what we were. We used to buy him souvenirs that had his name on it; this includes a sign found in Durango, CO: "STEVE'S PARKING ONLY".These items were kept in sight from the moment he received them. And this was not done to "butter up" the boss; the man was an intelligent, analytical yet kind individual. He was a calm person, until the last few month of employment. None of us were really quiet, but Steve stated exactly how he felt about the mess this company had become & the people who casued it. And he was a NY Mets fan. He traveled with his wife to Florida to watch pre-season baseball games during spring training. He also vacationed in various areas, visiting national & state parks, landmarks & buildings including the Natchez Trace (which we did in 1996, after learning from him about its beauty & historic importance). I will miss him very much. He was a dedicated, trustworthy and hard working employee who would help anyone solve their problems. Steve was a true friend, a person that I trusted without hesitation; now, he is gone, and my life is quite emptier. It was good to hear his voice on Sept. 14, 2001 after the Pentagon incident.

It was amazing how some co-worker always needed a information from Mike W. no matter where he was in the building!. The kitchen was the best location, but stairways & corridors were quite common. There was always something that Mike W. should be asked. And the inquisitor would follow Mike W. with additional questions (questions breed quicker than rabbits!) until the next person with the next "crisis" appeared! It was annoyingly amusing!

But...