"The broad smile returned to her face, and she giggled, a grating, mechanical sound, like a hinge starting to lose its lubrication. “You’re a funny man, Mr. Carlton! Very funny man.”
12// Futures
Characters from the Scientist's past return, as their story, and by extension his, continues.
11// HOA
The following is a (completely fictional, of course) excerpt from a monthly e-newsletter put out by the HOA of The Meadows, a cozy little neighborhood not too far from where we all live. The time period is "The Future," but how far thus is debatable. Notes from the Desk of the President: A hearty "thank … Continue reading 11// HOA
10// Derby
The Scientist drove slowly down a street surrounding the track, traveling at an unreasonable 3 miles-per-hour with the other unfortunate commuters who were just trying to get to the interstate and on with their weekends. He let out an unrestrained "dang it" under his breath, the closest thing to a real curse his Church of Christ … Continue reading 10// Derby
9// Niceties
The meeting request from the sales manager said that The Scientist was "cordially" invited to a work-related dinner later that week. While most would consider it a pleasant thing to be invited to ANY dinner, he supposed, and while the restaurant the company was springing for was fairly upscale (or so he had heard - he … Continue reading 9// Niceties
8// Survival
It was one of those stories which The Scientist knew he would never tell, one which he barely wanted to recall to himself, and he was quite certain that no one else had witnessed it; but the fact that it WAS a story which COULD be told - more precisely an actual event that had … Continue reading 8// Survival
Author’s Note //2
I'm still not overly comfortable with the whole "Hey, here's something else to sign up for!" thing, but as the email list for the secondratescientist.com grows, I'm seeing more inherent value in this type of thing. I realize we live in a time of skepticism or even downright, good-old American anger when it comes to giving … Continue reading Author’s Note //2
7// Concealment
The Scientist stared at the sign outside of the ballroom which announced, in small plastic lettering, "Conceal Carry Conference. Registration Inside". Guns, he thought. The concept of owning a gun was somewhat strange to him, as it was simply not something he had grown up around, at least not directly; thus he had never really … Continue reading 7// Concealment
6// Grudges
December 1968 - Merritt Island, Florida The West Break Room was empty, save for Senior Aerospace Engineers McMilty and Dumas, who sat alone at one of the rectangular white tables. Each man was dressed in the standard black pants and white short-sleeved button-down shirt favored by the scientific professional of the day. Their thin black … Continue reading 6// Grudges
5// Locations
Previously, the Scientist found himself, perhaps irrationally, perturbed at work, lamenting the new reality of packaging, dreading the bulk of the correspondence which he owed, but looking forward to a certain "interaction" he felt the need to make. Below is a transcript of that interaction. (Click here to see a TOC of previous chapters) From … Continue reading 5// Locations
Author’s Note //1
Or is it Blogger's note? "Author" sounds too formal. But I like it! The following was posted on my personal FB page. I include it here because it's somewhat of a more detailed description of the direction the blog is going presently. And, it's easier than writing something new-ish. Thanks as always for reading. Sticking … Continue reading Author’s Note //1
4// Greetings
He'd been very intrigued and even mildly disturbed, as of late, by the salutatory phrases people chose to throw around, particularly in the workplace. To some of these greetings, he had absolutely no idea how to respond properly. A recent example was the question, "What's the good word?" As in, "Happy Friday! What's the good word?" While he … Continue reading 4// Greetings
3// Highways
The following is part of an ongoing fictional series taken from the life and times of the Second-Rate Scientist. To read earlier installments, see "Previously on . . ." to the right of the page. This is all a work in progress, an attempt to practice and, hopefully, refine something I've long admired in others. … Continue reading 3// Highways
2// Boxes
When The Scientist entered his office, two packages were sitting on the floor in front of the desk. Each was, he would think later, about the size of a Cocker Spaniel, although he couldn't begin to say why that was the comparison his mind drew; he had never been a "dog person," and wasn't sure … Continue reading 2// Boxes
1// Merging
We've all gone crazy lately. ~Elton John He was repeating the tired cliché to himself again, as he drove down the familiar and brutally cold stretch of interstate. How was it already the first day back to work after the holidays? Again? Time didn't just fly, it seemed to blast forward, barely visible, like a … Continue reading 1// Merging
