"The departments haven't gone away."

  That was the man's baseline defense.  It was up against a maelstrom of What are they going to do to us?! and the twin towers of the driving questions:  What is going to happen to us? 

  What IS happening to us?

  "Well, culturally we've obviously gone to hell in a handbasket to quote my father." Another man said.  And, "I hate it when he's right."  He skipped a flat stone across the pond that had re-stilled after everyone had a group rebellion against wearing the uniform.  We were a mix of service people on a "weekend retreat".

  "Would you like to see the Brig, Sir?" 

  The president swallowed his swig of hot coffee just as a swell ran below the ship and unbeknownst to people on deck lifted and chucked anything not nailed down.  His "I would," seemed to come out of him in slow motion.  "Were you a surfer, Sir?" 

  "'Scuse me son?!" The wind was whipping rope against mast. 

  "You're a natural at this," the person didn't overly look at the coffee drenching the man's clothes.  "Least I held onto the thermos." 

  "Let's go below first and get warm." 

  "K." 

  The guy came up for air, smacked his hands against the pool's surface water which made a loud slaaaaap.  He checked the timer to see how long he'd held his breath that time.  A woman with a kitchen knife wetfoot paddled to the side of the pool.  "Tell me again," the guy had his eyes squished together as he shook his half-shaved hair side to side.  "I LOVE YOU." Then she pointed the knife in the direction of the little group of people who'd come to observe "leisure time".  And warned, "Stay away from my husband's butt." 

  Someone dramatically gasped and ducked and theatrically said, "I'm not gay." People looked around.  The guy opened his eyes and asked, "Who said that?" Looked at his wife, who was showing off an aluminum foil engagement ring on the hand not wielding the knife.  "Anymore," the ducked person finished his sentence.  People theatrically ha-ha-ha'd.  "Okay, and CUT." The director of a training video had finished a segment as another film person arrived.  All were gunning to get practice for what was being called real time working methods.