RICK MECKLENBURG VIOLATES LINDA'S ACCOUNT WEDNESDAY MORNING AND SENDS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE:
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From: BLUE::POPE 24-AUG-1994 05:56:13.71
To: NORMENT,BARRY,WALLINGSFORD,BOWLING,WILLIAMS_M
CC: MECKLENBURG,CLAYTON,HOLCOMB
Subj: MY NAME..
I GUESS I KINDA AM LIKE THE POPE. NEITHER OF US BELIEVE IN BIRTH CONTROL. COME RIDE ME, AND RIDE ME HARD. I SWEAR YOU'LL BE CALLING GOD'S NAME IF YOU DO.
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LATER THAT MORNING, BRIAN HOLCOMB CATCHES RICK JUST BEFORE RICK CAN SEND A MESSAGE FROM BRIAN'S ACCOUNT. BRIAN AND I DECIDE THAT SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. I CONCOCT THE FOLLOWING:
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From: BLUE::HESSLER 24-AUG-1994 11:47:08.95
To: MECKLENBURG
CC: HESSLER
Subj: ACCOUNT VIOLATIONS
RICK,
AS DIFFICULT AS IT MAY BE TO SALVAGE THE SITUATION, I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU SOME PAIN WITH THIS MESSAGE---BOTH LINDA POPE AND BRIAN HOLCOMB HAVE SENT FORMAL COMPLAINTS TO LEW KOCH ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE ACCESSED OR ATTEMPTED TO ACCESS THEIR ACCOUNTS (WHICH IS A VIOLATION OF EMPLOYEE GUIDELINES). LEW APPROACHED ME BECAUSE HE HAS HEARD THAT WE ARE FRIENDLY AND OFFERED TO WAIT BEFORE HE FORWARDED THE COMPLAINTS TO MR SMITH AND CLIFF AND MARK. HE SAID THAT IF YOU WOULD MAKE A FORMAL APOLOGY FOR THE VIOLATIONS THAT HE WOULD CONSIDER THE MATTER RESOLVED. HOWEVER, HE WAS PARTICULARLY BOTHERED BY THE SEXUAL NATURE OF A MESSAGE THAT YOU SENT FROM LINDA'S ACCOUNT, AND SAID THAT IF THIS HAPPENED AGAIN HE WOULD PERSONALLY FORWARD THE MESSAGE TO MRS SMITH.
JAMES.
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AFTER THE NOON SHOW, RICK CALLS AND QUESTIONS ME ABOUT THE SITUATION...EVENTUALLY I LOST MY COMPOSURE AND STARTED GIGGLING, THEN I LAUGHED OUT LOUD AND SCREAMED WHILE STILL LAUGHING, "THEY'RE TICKLING ME! THEY'RE TICKLING ME! I GOTTA GO!" AND HUNG UP THE PHONE. WITH HIS MIC IN CUE, WE HEARD HIM SAYING HE REALLY HAD TO FIND LINDA TO APOLOGIZE, THEN HE PAGED HER---SHE DIDN'T ANSWER. I CALLED LINDA IN PRODUCTION EDIT AND TOLD HER TO ACCEPT RICK'S APOLOGY AND EXPLAIN THE JOKE, SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE A PART AND THAT SHE WAS JUST GOING TO LEAVE THE BUILDING. FINALLY, AFTER WALKING THE HALLS QUIZZING PEOPLE ON WHERE LINDA WAS, RICK DID FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON.
HIS ADMISSION OF GULLIBILTY FOLLOWS:
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From: BLUE::MECKLENBURG 24-AUG-1994 13:57:06.91
To: HESSLER,BARRY,POPE,HOLCOMB,BOWLING,CLAYTON
CC: NORMENT,MECKLENBURG
Subj: JOKE ON WED.
CONGRATULATIONS. EACH OF YOU PULLED TOGETHER IN RIPPING ME APART EARLIER TODAY. LET ME DESCRIBE THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS:
AFTER I READ JAMES' MESSAGE, I IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZED TO BRIAN. HE SEEMED PRETTY COOL ABOUT IT. WHAT I FAILED TO REALIZE AT THIS POINT.. AND I SHOULD HAVE.. WAS THAT I NEVER EVEN GOT INTO HOLCOMB'S ACCOUNT. HE CAUGHT ME BEFORE I COULD. YOU WOULD THINK THAT BY NOW I WOULD HAVE SUSPECTED SOMETHING. BUT NO.
I FRANTICALLY BEGAN SEARCHING FOR LINDA, SINCE THE MESSAGE I SENT FROM HER ACCOUNT WAS INDEED SEXUAL IN NATURE AND SHE HAD TOLD ME EARLIER THAT SHE WAS "NOT IN THE MOOD" FOR MY TOM-FOOLERLY. SO I REALLY THOUGHT SHE WAS PISSED. EVERYONE I ASKED SAID THEY HAD JUST SEEN HER. SO WHEN I NOTICED THE LADIES ROOM WAS CLOSED, I COULD HAVE SWORE IT WAS LINDA INSIDE. SO I WAITED. PAT SPURRIER CAME OUT. SHE LOOKED AT ME KIND OF FUNNY. AS IF I NORMALLY DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO FINISH TAKING A DUMP SO I CAN APOLOGIZE TO HER. GEEZ. AS PAT WALKED DOWN THE HALL, SHE LOOKED BACK AT ME AND LOOKED KIND OF NERVOUS. NORMENT FINALLY KEYED ME IN THAT LINDA WASN'T MAD. BUT I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IF I NEVER FOUND OUT TODAY, BECAUSE YOU ALL HAD ME REALLY REALLY GOING!! REVENGE IS SWEET, BUT IN THE MEANTIME I AM CONSIDERING MYSELF GOTTEN. BADLY. CONGRATULATIONS. I HOPE YOU ALL DIE A SLOW AND SOON DEATH.
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THURSDAY MORNING, I DECIDED THAT I COULD DO MORE---I HAD BRIAN FORWARD THE FOLLOWING TO RICK:
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RICK, LOOK AT THIS, I TALKED TO LEW AND HE TOLD ME THAT YOU COULD DROP BY ANY TIME TO MAKE PLANS
From: BLUE::LEW 25-AUG-1994 08:17:26.35
To: Pope, Holcomb
Subj: Cooperation
Linda, Brian H,
I understand that James Hessler used my name in a practical joke on Rick Mecklinberg yesterday. Now I don't dissapprove of goodnatured fun among co-workers, but I think James went a little too far on this one. If you would like to, I will cooperate with any retaliation you decide to undertake to teach him a lesson. Years ago he played a joke on Morrison and Morrison and I got him good. I had Morrison tell James that I had scheduled a meeting with Mr. Smith early that morning to talk about the problem. I don't know if this would work twice, I am out of the loop as far as highjinks are concerned.
Tx LK
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RICK ASKED BRIAN IF THIS WAS FOR REAL AND WENT TO TALK TO LEW...RICK FOUND LEW ON THE WAY INTO HIS OFFICE AND ASKED HIM, "SO, LEW, HOW DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?" OBVIOUSLY LEW KNEW DIDN'T UNDERSTAND RICK AND LOOKED AT HIM LIKE HE "WAS FROM MARS." RICK REALIZED THAT LEW HAD JUST GOTTEN TO WORK AND ASKED, "DID YOU JUST GET HERE?" LEW ANSWERED, "YES." RICK BLUSHED HORRIBLY AND RAN AWAY TO HIDE IN THE WEATHER OFFICE.
I RULE.
JAMES.
Christmas Parade Hijacked!
I don't remember what year it was, but sometime in the early 90's, the 31 Christmas Parade was hijacked---by Miss Merry Christmas of all people. We had set up two chairs for our hosts---Gary Dobbs and Priscilla Cowing---and partway through the morning, one of our weather graphics operators showed up dressed in a Miss Merry Christmas costume with some sort of puppet named was Poofy. I think the puppet was a sock.
Well, Miss Merry sat down in Priscilla's chair like she belonged there and we all accepted that she did. We just chalked it up to some small detail that somebody forgot to mention. Priscilla showed up and since we only had two chairs, we made Miss Merry stand behind Gary and Priscilla. Again, nobody questioned her right to be there. During the parade, she and the puppet interjected---or interrupted---freely. It just goes to show you what a little assertiveness training can get you---the role as a centerpiece in the parade broadcast! By the way, Miss Merry Christmas later became known, affectionately of course, as Poofy.