ALEX IN BLUNDERLAND: Episode 35

Tags

alchemist, beaver, bluegrass, Brad, caterwauler, drink me, eat me, fish, Fred, frog, Henry, Irishman, Joyce, Lewis Carroll, Lola, moose, Myrtle, Orwell, Pfeffer, Prima, Rand, Secunda, Tertia

Episode 35: Part 2 of “The Imposter’s Koan Drill“

The hour and the day of meeting arrived and Alex

found himself in front of the meeting room.

Everyone was there except for Brad

and the fish. Pfeffer greeted

everyone as they arrived.

After a few minutes she/it

restated the purpose

of the meeting,

“Corporate Culture.”

 

The Moose and the Beaver were looking quite

militant while attempting to reflect

their new roles in the

Radical Flea Party.

The prevailing thought was that they

had previously been skinned

and hung out to dry.

Alex and Myrtle

glanced at each

other and grinned;

not about poor

Brad and fish

but at knowing

that this would

be another

useless

meeting.

 

Pfeffer had hardly started when Brad walked in the door

with the fish bowl pressed up against his right eye.

He had the eye wide open and the fishbowl

magnified its size by a power of four.

 

“Brad” demanded Pfeffer tersely,

“what the hell are you doing?”

 

“Scaring the fish” answered Brad, quite truthfully.

 

And indeed he was; for the fish was backed up

against the opposite side of the bowl

with his pectoral fins

almost covering

his eyes.

 

“Put the fish on the table and sit down”

commanded Pfeffer.

Then under

its breath

it added,

“Idiot!”

 

“Yes Maam, – – – er – – – -,

Sir, – – -er – – –

Excellency”

stumbled

Brad.

 

Pfeffer continued “Now that we are all here I will

continue on with the subject of the meeting.

Our goal today is to ask questions

that make no sense, and then,

not answer them.

Is that clear?”

 

“I know, I know, I know” said the fish excitedly

as he leaped in and out of the water.

 

“What do you know?” asked Pfeffer.

 

The fish said proudly “I know what you meant.”

 

“I meant what I said” explained Pfeffer.

 

The fish responded with “Now that we are all here”

and was about to repeat every

last word that Pfeffer

had uttered.

 

Pfeffer grabbed her notebook and

placed it over the fish’s bowl.

The fish sank dejectedly

to the bottom and

slowly moved

his fins over

the gravel

bottom.

 

“Ain’t nuttin’ clear”

came the confident

voice of Myrtle.

 

Pfeffer went on to explain. “Our engineers do all

their work with logic and refer to their

textbooks for formulas and algorithms.

That method does not work for

defining a corporate culture.

We must find our own way

to enlightenment.

We wil do a

Koan drill.”

 

“I would prefer an example” stated the beaver.