[Hooper]

I once worked for a very large company. I was promoted to general manager simply because of the skills I had obtained over a number of years. The position was exhausting. At a later date the company decided that a pager was needed for the companies general managers. After a 60 hour work week I was then strapped to a pager. To make a very long story somewhat shorter. The pager was beeping at all hours of the night and morning. At an early hour one morning the pager decided to do it's normal duty and inform me that my sleep was not very important. Not happening previously, I flew out of bed in a rage of madness, proceeded to thoroughly thrash the pager through the house until it no longer beeped. It must have been thrown and kicked quite a few times for there were a few marks and a dent in the wall that I later discovered. Soon after this brief moment took place I found myself sleeping a few hours more. At the usual "Up and at em" time I proceeded to go to work. Upon entering my place of business I was informed by the companies marketing president that I indeed had an important meeting to attend and that this meeting was of utmost importance to me. I still cannot to this day say that I didn't see it coming but I proceeded to the conference room where the marketing president, vice president and another corporate executive that flew in earlier "Just for me" waited.

I then realized just how important I must be. I mean, here they are. President, vice president and someone from the corporate office who hopped a plane to meet with me. I was nervous but firm with my thoughts pertaining to the pager matter after a 60 hour work week.

I was the life of the meeting. The meeting was just for me. They proceeded to go around the meeting table probing me for the information as to why I decided to not answer when duty called. I gave them several reasons for the situation but found that they didn't see quite "eye to eye" with me on my answers. I was given notice of the importance of the calls and that the my duties had gone undone. At the end of my corporate interrogation I was told that I no longer held the position that I had. I asked if they were firing me. They said that they were demoting me. I told them to go screw themselves and walked out . Later I won a lengthy case over the unemployement compensation.

I would do the same thing again. Not once, but anytime the opportunity warranted. I took the experience and turned it into an asset. Today I am much better off than what I was. I don't have to work a 60hour work week to make the money I once made there. And I refuse to wear a pager for anyone.

I was once responsible for millions of dollars. Responsible for a portion of the companies assets, responsible for employees, and responsible for the Profit and Loss associated with such. Today I am responsible for less, but I haven't found the need to have the fit of madness I once had.

Best wishes,