Mini Work Party – an Editorial
by Ari Phoutrides

During the period January 8 through January 19, a group of hardy and dedicated shipmates organized and participated in a mini work party on our ship.  The roll call – in alphabetical order – was as follows:

     Harhager, Dave
Hudak, John
     McKinney, Rich
  Walker, Sonny
Watson, Don

They were joined by our good friends Hoot Gibson and Eugene Calloway during the last few days.

Top priority went to laying new tile in the 1^st Division berthing quarters.  This was followed by replacing insulation in the Chiefs Quarters and cleaning up the 3^rd Division spaces.

Overall, I was quite impressed by the accomplishments of this small group.  However, upon closer examination, and after a verbal briefing by an undisclosed source, I am troubled by the following events that transpired during this particular work session.

            1. None of this crew saw fit to join John Hudak on a sushi binge.  I find it difficult to believe none of them were willing to share this cuisine                 with him…especially in light of the fact that he is a true connoisseur of good wines – an integral  part of the sushi experience.  John is a                 nice guy, a hard worker, and doesn’t ask for much.  It really hurt to hear that his shipmates abandoned him.

            2. There seemed to be a lack of initiative on the part of some members to find meaningful work.  This is evidenced by John working                 feverishly while Dave was nonchalantly eating a banana.

            3. Perhaps the most disturbing concern was that on two days– I repeat - two days they ceased working and played golf.  I would not want                 to deny these fine men a little recreation, however the precedent they established is frightening.  Taking into account that one day was                 probably used to plan the golf outings and one day to talk about the games afterwards, then approximately 40% of their time (4 out of 11                 days) was devoted to recreation. 

I am confident my concerns will be taken under consideration to by the appropriate parties and that the format of future work sessions will reflect a willingness to change past practices.  Certainly, these facts should be taken into consideration by Joe Folino, our ever-vigilant Treasurer - before he allocates future food funds. 

One final thought – any comments you may have concerning this editorial should be directed to Sonny Walker….he was the one taking pictures as the others worked. 

Now sit back and enjoy the scenes from this work party.