Chapter 14: Lunch with Bob

Back in his office, Dan turned to creating a prioritized To Do list for the remainder of this week. This included putting together an agenda for his first faculty meeting, developing a process for faculty evaluations, determining the competencies and preferences of his faculty as to teaching classes, developing the class schedule for the new cohort in the Computerized Office Specialist certificate program that was set to start on Monday, and beginning a review of the currency of lesson plans. A dozen other items followed, but these would be the first priority. He would start the review of the lesson plans today, and would bring in his software for spreadsheets and database management tomorrow to install on his office computer. He’d need to decide whether to create a master spreadsheet or a full-fledged database to keep faculty records and facilitate writing reports. It would be a daunting task as there was nothing at present remotely resembling meaningful current data that he could call upon and he would have to reinvent the wheel just to get the process started.

Thinking about the variety of data that he would need, the types of reports he would like to be able to create and the need to keep the data entry process as fluid and simple as possible, he resolved fairly quickly to use Lotus 1-2-3. It would provide the ability to create useful reports by using its database functions, and also allow him to look at large swaths of data on screen at any time rather than having to rely on generating reports as would be the case with dBase III. The setup process would also be much simpler with the spreadsheet program than with the more powerful but also more cumbersome database management system. So, he started to think about how data should be set up. He was also concerned about privacy issues if he were to turn over some of the data entry to the part-time secretarial support that he had been promised, so he would need to keep the most sensitive data such as annual reviews paper-based only at this point, but faculty scheduling, teaching preferences, competencies and such general information he would port over to electronic form for easy report generation. He was also determined when it came his time to move on, he would leave behind useful data and processes in place for his successor to avoid anyone else being placed in the situation in which he now found himself. He then began to sketch out what the spreadsheet should look like as he heard a knock on his door.

He looked up from his desk and saw Bob waving at him from his picture window. Lunch time. Good. He opened the door and said, “Glad to see you, Bob. I need a break. Lead the way, and take me to your favorite eatery. I’m starved.”

Bob chortled and began walking towards the elevator. The halls were empty but for a few stragglers late to class after their lunch break. “You like seafood?” Bob queried.

“Sure. I like pretty much everything” Dan replied.

“There’s a red Lobster a few blocks away. And they serve alcohol. Are you game?”

“Lead on. A beer or glass of wine sounds good, with or without shrimp and lobster,” Dan replied smiling.

They were soon on the street, walking East on Queens Boulevard, enjoying the lovely fall day. They strolled slowly as the usual din or cars, trucks and buses zipped by on the busy arterial boulevard.

“So how did your meeting at the Manhattan school go yesterday?” Bob queried.

“Pretty well, actually. I got a quick but useful orientation from Howard,” Dan said

“Yeah, he’s a bit of a dick, isn’t he?” Bob interjected, chortling.

“He’s a bit tightly wound, but he was helpful and considerate. We just have different styles.”

“Yeah, you’re not a dick,” Bob replied, chortling again.

“Dan smiled and continued, ignoring the comment. “The Melameds were a surprise. They actually gave me a pretty lengthy interview when I expected just the formality of a quick chat to put names and faces together.”

“You made quite the impression on them. Marvin told me they called him gushing about you.”

“They just liked my idea for a short course to train students on current software packages that can get them real jobs in businesses that can’t find enough people for data entry positions and general office support.”

“What do you mean?” Bob asked with some interest.

“I’d like to create a three-month program that exclusively trains students on MS-DOS basics and the leading word processing, spreadsheet and database programs for the IBM-PC and compatible computers instead of the outdated Apple IIe systems we currently have that no businesses use. Companies don’t have the time or resources to train entry level people to use the software they need to be productive, despite our company line to the contrary.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Dan. My clients would love me to send students who can actually do real work on day one instead of being unable to even load the programs they’re using. That would be huge if you could pull it off”, Bob said excitedly. “But it won’t fly if you need real resources to make it happen. The Melameds are so tight only dogs can hear them fart,” Bob added, laughing.

“I have some ideas I need to pursue. I think I may be able to get the equipment we need at very little cost, but I need to do some more research and make some calls. The Apple IIe computers we’re using in the two labs are obsolete, but there’s still a market for them. I’ve seen used apple II and IIe systems for sale at comparable prices to new IBM-PC clones from leading manufacturers, and the new generic clones like the one I put together from parts are selling for significantly less than the used Apple IIe for reasons I’ll never understand. I’m thinking that if Marvin will let me horse-trade for the computers in one of the labs, I can probably get us 20 generic PC clones with little additional cost. At least that’s something I’m going to look into further” Dan said.

“I don’t know if you can make that happen, Dan, but it would be a game changer. I’ll sure advocate for it as it would make a huge difference on my ability to place of our students with local businesses.”

“Well, I’m going to try. I know they won’t go for a significant investment, as modest as it would be, about $20, 000 at most for a new lab. But I’ll explore every low-cost option,” Dan said, quickly adding “Do you know if there are any grant monies from the state or federal government that we could apply for?”

Bob once again good naturedly chortled at the suggestion, answering “Drug dealers have a better chance of getting a grant to reduce drug dependency than proprietary for-profit schools getting federal or state grants. We’re not exactly on Santa’s nice list these days.”

“Too bad. That was one avenue I’d hoped to explore.”

“Don’t waste your time. Trust me, it’s a dead end.”

“Back to Plan A again, then. I’ll work on it in my spare time and hope to get enough information to start seriously looking at some options by next week. I really don’t like expensive programs that go on for a year and don’t provide students with the job training they need. And I intend to do something about that one way or another,” Dan said.

They walked on for another block making small talk and arrived at the local Red Lobster restaurant. It was crowded for the lunch hour rush, but they were seated at a small table within ten minutes and ordered their meals with accompanying cold beers. Both ordered the endless shrimp platter with fried popcorn shrimp and grilled shrimp, salad bar and a beer. As they ate, Dan asked, “Bob, I noticed that Marvin always seems to have a broad smile on his face. Is he really that mellow or is it an affectation?”

“Naw, he’s really pretty mellow. I think he smoked too much weed earlier in life and it just rendered him perpetually happy. You’ll also notice the far-off stare that comes with it from time to time. But he’s a good guy at heart, one of the best bosses I ever had. And don’t underestimate him. He is smart and shrewd. And he’s a straight shooter.”

“Yeah, I liked him immediately. But his perpetual beatific smile can be unnerving at times,” Dan said.

“Be assured, it’s not an act. Though who knows where he flies off to at times in the middle of a conversation. Wherever it is, it must be a very happy place,” Bob said, chuckling while reaching for another sip of his beer after soaking up some buttery shrimp residue from his beard with a paper napkin.

A half hour or so later, they had completed their meal and Dan insisted on paying the check over Bob’s objections. “I invited you last Friday, remember? No arguments. This is on me.”

“Fine,” Bob relented. “But tomorrow we’ll do this again and it will be my turn. We can take turns paying or split the bill after that, but I’d like us to do this regularly when our schedules allow,” Bob said. “One perk about our job is that we can take two hour lunches every day if we want to without a problem as long as the work gets done. Though we will have some days when any lunch at all may be impossible. Let’s try to leave room for several lunch meetings every week, though. It will be the highlight of my day,” Bob said, rising from the table and leaving a generous tip. “No argument. The tip’s on me.”

“Fine, Bob. It will be the highlight of my day as well whenever we can do it. Let’s try our best to do this regularly,” Dan said.

“Done. Tomorrow, if you’re free any time between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. I’ll treat you to my favorite diner. Huge portions, fresh food and, of course, beer and wine. A glass always makes digesting the day’s events so much more palatable.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Dan said, draining the last of his beer before following Bob towards the door.

About an hour and a half after they had left, both were back at their offices immersing themselves in their work. Both men had enjoyed their lunch and the slow walk along a teeming sidewalk with people rushing past them, talking shop and getting to know each other better. Both seemed genuinely pleased to be in each other’s company, and both knew they were on their way to becoming trusted colleagues and friends.