People in glass houses Pt 1

                                                       People in glass houses
                                                   Pt 1
`There once was a king in an ancient far away land Populuia, for the land was vast and the people numerous. King Ator (the cunning) had the most opulent of palaces.  One day the King’s prophets came to him with a prophecy of conquest and glory.  They told the king, “If you conquer the 10 neighboring kingdoms, you will unify the land and have the people worship you as their sovereign lord.  To keep the peace, you should marry the most beautiful daughters of the lords of those kingdoms to ensure the unity of the subsequent birthright of the subjects of all the 10 lands. The idea of 10 wives pleased the King, and the King raised an army to make the prophecy come to pass.
 When he surveyed the kingdoms, he noted that though they had commerce with each other as the lands had different strengths that were worthy of coveting. All of those lands were sovereign kingdoms to themselves and did not trust their neighbors.  The country that was chosen 1st was an Aquaria, a nation with fruitful fields, and a small defensive army. The King sent spies to the land first to find the needs of the farmers of the land, to find a weakness to exploit, and finally, an avenue for conquest. It seemed that the nation needed cultivating equipment of iron.  The area had no mineral deposits nor forges to make plows. They used only wooden implements to till the soil and plant the crops for harvest. The King of Populuia had iron ore in abundance. With men cunning in the ways of iron and steel.  The Populian swords were folded from an ingot of steel thousands of times. Then quenched in the mineral-rich waters that were found in Populia and were sharp enough to sever the head from a beast in one swing.  It is said that those found guilty of the most heinous crimes were relieved when they knew a Populian sword would be used by the executioner as the condemned would feel no pain as the blade passed from side to side without slowing for bone of sinew. The Populian King offered a trade pact with the King of Agraria, with his farming implements in exchange for 5% of the crop that was harvested from Agraria. However, there were not to be iron crafting forges in Agraria. The riddle of steel was to remain forever in Populuia.   The Agrarians were at 1st hesitant for a deal, so the King loaned the farming implements for one year for the Agrarians to taste the benefits of a full alliance with Populuia.
    The year passed, and the crop increased 100-fold. The alliance with the Agrarians was complete. Populian men and families moved to Agraria and built places of worship and commerce and became an integral part of the Agrarian culture. That, however, was an elaborate ruse to weaken agrarian culture, which worshipped the land whose gods were from the pillars of the earth. As opposed to the gods of the sky that were worshipped in Populuia.  The Populians gave their worship to the of the birds of the air. With the emphasis on the birds of prey. With their ability to soar and attack without warning soundlessly from above. At the start of this plan of conquest, the King installed his 18-year-old son as the Prince of the realm. He was trained in the arts of combat from an early age and was sent to the mysterious island realms to learn the mystic skills of bladed and exotic hand to hand combat. The son returned as a captain of the army and trainer of recruits in the combat arts. The Prince also brought back trainers in the combat arts that he learned in the island realm. By the time Prince Ator the 2nd was twenty years old, he had a standing army of 180 thousand. With 10,000 archers, 8000 horses and 12000 heavy mounted infantry, and 12000 operators of siege engines and primitive artillery, the rest were foot soldiers and support elements.
           The plan was instigated to bring the lands into conflict. King Ator (the cunning)  met with a delegation from Populuia on the prospect of future trade deals. However, the delegation consisted of a few of his imbedded people that insulted the Populian deities, and fighting ensued.  The King was outraged at this betrayal. Then immediately sent the Prince and his army to the border to ask that the offenders be turned over for punishment. Several Populian delegates were killed in the fighting. The embedded Populian agents left evidence that pointed to the royal family. King Ator met privately with the King of Agraria with an offer. Abdicate the throne, allow one of your daughters to marry the Prince, and become a province of Populuia. You will remain as sovereign of your land subject only to My Royal household retain the management of your lands, and an Invasion of your territory will be unnecessary. However, we will raise divisions of an army that will wear the colors of Populuia and will be stationed throughout your land to keep the peace. What the King did not say was that troops from Agraria would become part of the expeditionary force. And would be not be returning to their home country for as long as the conquest was ongoing. All the troops that were to be stationed in Agraria would be from Populuia or were immigrants to Agraria from Populuia.  In one fell swoop, Populuia conquered Agraria with little loss of life.
           King Ator celebrated his victory with a gala party.  In this newly constructed crystal palace, the living and administrative areas were made of crystal. This crystal was darkened by mixing natural elements to change the color of the glass to clear to any shade required, even black. The rest of the palace was crystal clear. The ballroom was had a blue hue that matched the regal robes that the Prince and the King wore. The King’s bride wore a lighter shade of blue to denote her royal standing. The party was amazing. There were minstrels from the adjacent lands. And administrators from the same nations that were amazed at the diplomatic acumen of King Ator taking possession of Agraria without bloodshed and with its infrastructure still intact.
There was a hint of a problem tiny, almost invisible cracks were in the throne chamber, the chamber for the thrones from the conquered kingdom. It had just arrived and was gently placed in the room just above the ballroom so the revelers can see the thrones of the defeated kings. The cracked crystal pane was reinforced then replaced with stronger panes of crystal the next day.
There was a meeting in the administrative area with King Ator, his son Ator II and their most trusted generals about the next throne to take. The Prince said, “The King of future nations won’t fall for the same trick. This time we will have to fight.  I know this said the King. We must double the army and raise their pay. Give the pay raises to the Agrarians 1st as a reward for faithful service. This will ensure their loyalty in the upcoming campaign.
                                                                 End of part 1

My Friend

 “Was a naturally Heroic SOB.”

I mourn For my friend, knowing him was a highlight of my life. I have a few good friends. He was the "I can call at 3 AM and know he would be there kind of friend". That is a more select group.  Those friends that are in this Group are far fewer in number. This is as it should be. One's trusted confidants should be a select group of the most successful and loyal counselors. I came to him with some of my most important decisions. One of these decisions was on what should I do now that I have met after meeting the woman that eventually became my wife.  The advice I received from the pair Derek and his bride led directly to me being the patriarch of my new family and all the grandchildren that have followed.

 I did not know Derek the way I did upon his return from his initial victory from a disease that took him out of the workplace, for I think a year.  Before that, he was one of those scientific types that worked on the main floor at Test Group.  I got to know him as a member of the "irreverent three." And our carpool to and from Test Group until I departed for El Paso for another job. What I learned from Derek is to be a genuine person. I looked at his family, and I found a cohesive family and dedicated to one another. His relationship with his wife was one to be emulated. When I say cohesive, I mean they were a single unit consisting of 4 members (and the pets of course) I saw them choose each other when outside pressures were applied to their relationship, as is in the case of every successful family relationship.  In a way, it was good that I got to know him later, as he introduced me to the beauty that is Patron tequila in all its various flavors.

 I never felt unwelcome when I was with them, as their place was a place of refuge, an oasis of good times, and fun. He was the glue to the tailgate scene at NMSU before his departure, and it wasn't the same after his relocation to his new home. It was like losing the center of the rotating space station with the distinct habitats all drifting in their own directions after his families' departure.  For a good part of the time, I was an emotional mess, so his presence was a calming one and an example of what normal looked and felt like. On the day I married, my wife Wanda Derek and Terri were there as part of the celebration.

It should be noted that we had to delay the start of the festivities as there was an NFL Playoff game playing in the background. That being said, He was a tangible example of what was possible and achievable in a relationship.  We had a staff meeting of the irreverent 3 regularly, In fact, two families of the irreverent 3 -1 still meet quarterly, and we sent a pic to Derek for his inclusion to the Group.

What I know this for certain.  He was not content with the status quo. He never gave up, no matter the circumstances. He always looked for a solution, no matter the problem or the issue. I will remember that always. There was one other quality that I noticed with him. He was a scientific type that was at home with Mathematics as he was just hanging out with his friends.  A Brilliant man that had the very uncommon trait of common sense.  In truth, the scientific community at Test Group had a significant number of people, both officer, and civilian, with that quality. Since I saw him almost every day, he stood out from the crowd of other excellent people that I had the privilege of associating with during my time at the Group.

       It regularly seemed my trash cans moved by themselves directly behind my vehicle as I departed for work in the morning to date that phenomena have yet to be explained, I believe it was the work of Gremlins.  When questioned, no one in my carpool seemed to know that could have moved those cans directly behind my car. I guess that will remain an unexplained mystery.

I have never cried as much as I have this last weekend. The news stopped me in the middle of what I was doing. I have been in pretty much in a funk to this date.  Since when have I started crying at a red light when Free Bird came over my radio?  It was Sunday. This event has caused me to reexamine my life once again. To discover what it is to be a friend and to lead a family.  What it is like to be a professional while keeping the essential things in their correct places in one's life.

The passing of this man has divinely touched me. I have known loss; in fact, I lost a good friend while I was at Test Group, and it shook me tremendously.  It is factually incorrect to say this was a loss for it was not (not even close). As we are finite beings with a definite time to be here. From my perspective, he was fully involved in the game all the way until the final buzzer sounded. 

            For His family, I will state. If I am in the area and you need assistance. I will do what I can to help. All one has to do it call, and I will be there. The things that I have learned from him I will take with me to my next locale and will instruct the ones that I love to know if the lessons of being humble and never giving up that I have learned from Derek and Terri.