Raz of the Machine

This week started off strong, with a Tahl-free Monday. He called in sick, but just as Weiss was popping open a bottle of the bubbly (Cristal, which is all he drinks, usually with a straw, straight from the naval of an underage, olive-skinned virgin from the island nation of Fiji) Tahl showed up anyway to grab a few things from his office. The sick claim came into contest a few days later when Amy and I proposed an impromptu meeting to talk about Risk Management, Fiduciary Business Analysis, and Research Analytics. Tahl agreed and we each took a seat in his office.

"Close the door," he said sternly. We complied. Tahl looked at us for a second, leaned back into his endangered ostrich-leather encased Aeron chair, and sighed. "I bought the Wii this weekend," he said.

"Very good, Tahl," I said, "Now, as for the topic of Risk Management, I feel our workpay injury quotas are simply insufficient for the coming semester, now Miss Odell has been researching some very impressive trends in Annual Insurance Memology, which I think you'll be interested in."

"I bought Wii Sports, Madden, and The Legend of Zelda," Tahl said.

"Tahl," Amy chided, "Are you listening?"

"Nintendo World had it. The guy there told me a secret: they get two shipments a day, and don't tell anyone."

Today, we were all diligently working when the sound of Tahl's booming laughter came emanating from within the glass-encased womb that is his office. "She's a good blogger!" he was saying to someone over Skype. Some low-talking followed, then a gutteral, almost animalistic roar, silence, and then "She's my SISTER!"

The staff sat upright at our desks, backs arched and ears perked in eager anticipation of the next fascinating eruption.

There were some more strange, muffled noises, a burst of laughter, and then, "I can't BELIEVE we're having this CONVERSATION!"

"Who's he talking to?" I asked Amy, leaning over.

"All right, MOM? I love you," Tahl bellowed.

"Oh," I said.

"I think he talks to her a lot," Amy offered.