| 
			
			 Dud sat quietly this morning at the daily meeting 
			of the World Dilemma Think Tank … that’s Dud and the guys, of 
			course. 
 Herb had brought some new jokes with him as a way of pumping new 
			adrenaline into our winter conversational doldrums. They weren’t all 
			THAT good, but we all laughed, and Dud smiled a little.
 
 “You’re quiet this morning, Dud,” said Steve. “Everything okay?”
 
 “Oh sure,” he said, smiling. “Just wondering about what goes on in a 
			guy’s mind when he’s on special assignment.”
 
 “You’re on special assignment for who now?”
 
 
			
			 
			
			“Not me, Doc,” Dud said. “I was just wondering what thoughts a man 
			might have if he volunteered to be a truck driver on special 
			assignment in eastern Europe.”
 
 Ahhhh….. the book again. The oft-rewritten, oft-rejected novel.
 
 “That’s right. So what would make a guy take his 18 wheeler to 
			somewhere Dracula used to live and drive it around on government 
			orders until the assignment is complete?”
 [to top of second 
            column] | 
            
			 “What’s the assignment?”
 “I don’t know yet. The truck driver is still waiting for his 
			assignment to come through.”
 “So …” Doc tries to be kind 
			…”the truck driver takes his own 18-wheeler to eastern Europe and 
			drives around with an old girlfriend who happens to be a duchess and 
			lives in a castle, but he doesn’t know why he’s there?”
 “Well … pretty much. Sounds strange when you put it like that.”
 
 “In this book you’re writing,” Steve asked, “is the government 
			buying the diesel for him to drive around?”
 
 “Haven’t worked that out yet, either, Steve.”
 
 Writing a book can be a real chore.
 [Text from file received from 
			Slim Randles] 
			Brought to you by our radio show, “Home Country with Slim Randles.” 
			Let us know if you like it. I know you know how to find it. |