For an old Army officer, it's like one last assignment.

Having grown up as a young Army officer in the Vietnam era, I had an instinctual sort of notion that you have to look very carefully and weigh very carefully what anyone says.

This is your homework assignment. From this moment on the B.S. stops. The whining stops. Be nice. Do three nice things every day. Cowboy up.

The lay reaction is well summed up by the remark of an army officer. We had met socially and were getting along very well until he asked me how I made my living. When I told him I was an anthropologist he drew away and said, "Well, you don't have to be crazy to be an anthropologist, but I guess it helps."

One of my rules is: Never listen to your old stuff.

I went to tow one guy and he said to me that a CHP officer told him it would be OK for him to trade an old sleeping bag for the tow. There are some really weird things that go on.