like the witness protection program . . .

I returned from strike duty training in Monterey Park, California, Saturday. In retrospect the experience was akin to being in the witness protection program. I was transported to a place I had never been before, training for a job I had never performed, surrounded by complete strangers. It's a strange premise if you think about it. I could have totally re-invented myself for that one week, perhaps mustering the semblance of charm and gregariousness over my normal misanthropic, grumpy self. Actually the effort to sustain that for one week would be far too burdensome . . .

Although the hours were brutal, with six weeks of training condensed into one (and the extended hours of 8 am to 7 pm each day), it was refreshing. It would be fun to have the opportunity to live a different life for one week every year . . .