Before becoming a writer....

Back in the day, Rick was the Military Advisor of Stealth Technology. In Washington state, Rick developed a unique way to transport "just one more" solider per vehicle payload without the enemy detecting the increased personnel movement. Unfortunately, a newbie hit the wrong button and Rick was propelled to what we today call, Nevada. After walking for a month and living on cactus*, Rick was able to rejoin his Company and continue cooking. Truly, one of America's greatest Military stories that has ever been told through the generations. God Bless America!

* Cactus has been a long time source of nutrition for Rick. "I like the texture, not the taste."

on a further note

I'd just like to say that I rocked that dissertation! It was accepted "with distinction" which, in essence, means that there's no accounting for some people's taste, but it went above and beyond people's expectations. People were all like, "Really? Him?"

A heavy drinking session, the likes of which we will hopefully not see again for a long long time followed with much jocularity.