Monday, August 18, 2008

Thanks, Atticus

I'm back on the blog trail this morning, following vacation.  Atticus did a fine job filling for me on The Chief's Corner.  His posts were thoughtful and well done, and judging from the number of comments, pretty darned popular.  I see in one of the comments that someone suspects Atticus is actually me in disguise.  That got a good laugh.  I had to ask my kids who Chris Gaines was.  I vaguely knew Garth Brooks was some kind of country singer.  Atticus obtained an anonymous gmail account, and that's the only way I've had any contact with him.  As he reported, I gave him full control over my blog (he could have deleted the entire thing).  I'm as curious as anyone as to his identity, but it remains a mystery.

Atticus has been dropping plenty of clues, though.  We know this:  he is old enough to recall Officer Don Stacy's stint as a school resource officer in the early-mid 1970s.  Assuming he was somewhere between 8 and 12 during that period, I think that would put his birth year roughly between 1961 and 1968.  We also know Atticus is male, and his intimate knowledge of the field training process is informative.  He is clearly either a current or past FTO.  He was definitely a member of the department in 1994 (Atticus, I recognize that cluster of stars reference).  He was hired by Sgt. Jim Hawkins, which helps a little.  Assuming that his career began at the age of 22-25, he was probably hired between 1984 and 1993.  Putting all this together narrows the field to around 40, but there are plenty of people meeting these criteria who think and write clearly.  So, I'm still stumped.

Back to vacation:  it was great.  Aside from the fun of Friday afternoon rush hour traffic escaping San Francisco, we had a marvelous time.  Highway 1 along the coast in northern California was an adventure, and the wine country was beautiful.  We particularly enjoyed a farmer's market in Calistoga, our drives through the Russian River and Dry Creek valleys in Sonoma County in a rented Pontiac Solstice, and a leisurely visit to Sausalito. 

While the cell phone only rang four times, the inbox contained 237 emails between August 7 and August 15--and that's not counting spam, which I filter pretty effectively.  It will take some serious work to sort those requiring my attention and action from among the deluge that I am simply copied in on.  Trouble is, you have to read each to figure that out.  My calendar this week is already bursting with appointments, and there is  no doubt an impressive stack of phone messages awaiting me when I get to my desk later this morning.  As a result, The Chief's Corner may be a bit lamer than usual for a while.

I should have had Atticus stick around for the recovery week!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chief, in one of his posts last week he mentions something about badge numbers. Means nothing to the general public but might mean something to you.

Anonymous said...

Strictly on a vacation note, how did you like the Pontiac? Was it the standard trim or the GXP?

Anonymous said...

OMG...W@hat will we do when he is gone?

Anonymous said...

May be helpfull but then again may not. I remember Stacy as an SRO at Belmont between 73 and I think 76 as we moved during that year. Dont know if he went to other elementary schools then or not. But I do remember him coming to class and letting us know that he would nolonger be coming to the school.

If I am thinking of the right person, he went to work for a sporting goods store. I am fourty and some of those days are really down in the banks of memory.

I do remember a couple of people that went on to be officers and are still working. init's AB, TA one was recently promoted. I keep in tune about him as he used to chase me west on Judson through the park poking me with toothpicks. Talk about a school yard bully making it in the ranks!

All because I was friends with his sister. I am glad he has made something of himself. He deserved it. He is still one of the nicest guys I ever got teased by.

Anonymous said...

2:26- You are cold.


Atticus

Tom Casady said...

...but are you really Atticus? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Chief,
Your comment about Friday evening traffic leaving San Fransisco brought back a memory of me in my younger and dumber stage of life.

I had been to Santa Cruz in the summer of 1969 to visit my Father. I left SC Friday (July 4th weekend) after the morning fog cleared. I was riding a 69 Harley Sportster at the time. When I left Santa Cruz I took the coast Highway to SF. Big mistake! I was on the wrong side of the Bay and I had to wait on the West side of the bridge for the big lineup of natives wanting to leave town for the weekend. Six lanes of traffic headed East moving 55 mph by the time we got to the East end of the bridge but still just inches between front and rear bumpers.

The fact that I survived says a lot about the skill of California drivers.

Gun Nut

Tom Casady said...

10:37-

Standard edition, sadly, not the GXP. It was fun. My POV is a 2004 BMW 325, and the Solstice isn't exactly up to that standard, but on the other hand it's pretty inexpensive compared to a Z4! Slinging it around the Pacific Coast highway and on the Oakville Grade was a blast.

Pros: looks great, real roadster feel, easy-to-operate top, firm suspension, plenty of horses, nice exhaust note, gas mileage seemed pretty good.

Cons: a little raw, typical GM fit and finish issues, virtually no luggage space, poor visibility even with top down (due to high sill, low windshield and huge A-pillar.)

Overall: If I was having a mid-life crisis, a nice used Solstice would be on my list of "affordable" fun cars, along with a Toyota MR2. Haven't driven a Miata yet.

Anonymous said...

Hay Chief, you can buy my Nissan Pulsar for 16,000.00 (its pics on craigs list) but if you get one this week I will let it go for 13.
Talk about Midlife crises.
6,000 miles on new engine and tranny...new seats and carpet and 40 YES 40 MPG on the interstate if you maintain speed at 65...top speed is...well I know it goes a hundred and seventeen...I got a warning and people cant believe it but I lamenated it and I crossed out the NSP troopers name so he dont get fired. When his lights came on I looked like I just brushed my teeth with preperation H

Anonymous said...

A BMW? It's good to be the Chief!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the capsule review. You should be able to squeak out another anniversary vacation in 15 years, and who knows what Avis will have on the lot by then. Meanwhile, window-shop for diamonds.

Back to the mystery. We know from his posts that Atticus wasn't born in Lincoln, but grew up here. We know where he attended primary school, and in which neighborhood he lived during at least part of that time.

Anonymous said...

I think Atticus is really Fire Chief Niles Ford.

Atticus said...

He is me and I am he. 2:26 is still cold.

Tom Casady said...

Gun nut:

What's the average life expentency of a California motorcyclist? Wow, that's an experience....

Anonymous said...

You better go for a beemer rag-top. The miata screams 'chic car'!

Tom Casady said...

8:04,

Yeah, I know, but I'm secure. I'm already being trashed for owning a 5 year old baby bimmer that cost less than a lot of pickup trucks; I can imagine the buzz if I showed up in an 2009 Z4! Can't justify it (or afford it) anyway. Wish I had my '71 Karmann Ghia convertible back....

Anonymous said...

Probably the coolest thing about the Miata is the retractable hardtop. It's vandal-resistant and really quick up/down. Not quite cruiser-tough for curb-jumping and the like, but your Public Service Officer would fit great in an LPD-motif Miata with light bars in the grille and rear spoiler.

Anonymous said...

"I'm already being trashed for owning a 5 year old baby bimmer...."

Yep, the vacation's over.