So I used to have this boss at Unnamed Government Agency...

He was an absolute riot. Not intentionally, you understand...his comedic ability came from the fact that thinking wasn't on his list of Top Priorities coupled with a lack of that filter most people have that keeps inappropriate content from going straight from your brain to your mouth. McSorely, Dancer and I nicknamed him "Mr. Bill" after the old SNL Play-Doh character. (There was a corresponding "Sluggo", but that's another story.)

Two McSorely stories involving Mr. Bill:

1. Unnamed Government Agency has a one-year probation during which you can be fired for any or no reason whatsoever. As you might imagine, except for the most arrogant of us, we were all a little anxious until we got our first quarterly review. Well, long before McSorely's first quarterly review, he and Mr. Bill are walking down the hallway, having left a meeting with the higher echelons, and Mr. Bill turns to McSorely and says, "You must have really impressed the front office during your interview, because I saw your résumé, and I wouldn't have hired you."

Yikesy potato, Batman!

Fortunately, it was a Lack of Filter thing, and McSorely not only made it past his probationary period, but turned out to be one of Mr. Bill's favorite peons (nothing personal, McSorely...we were all peons.)

2. We were having a meeting of our group and somehow we get on the personal topic (Mr. Bill was fond of discussing personal topics involving his family) of Mr. Bill's family's watching or reading "Swiss Family Robinson" that past weekend. McSorely, Dancer and I were often instigators in these situations, but this time another person managed to ask how to spell "kayak," as Mr. Bill had mentioned it during the anecdotal retelling. He hesitated for a moment then said, "I don't know...C-A-J-A-C-K?" McSorely turned to him very seriously and responded, "I think you're spelling "carjack," but you left out the 'r'."

Then there were the instigator episodes where we took deliberate aim at Mr. Bill's delicate failure to understand when we were yanking his chain...such as the time we decided to request a Whack-A-Mole and a pasta bar in the Batcave (my office, no surprise). Instead of telling us we were complete idiots and to shut up, he looked at us completely nonplussed and asked us what a "Whack-A-Mole" was.

Heaven help me, I miss that man!