Look After Your Eyes

8^th of November 2011

Dear (two internet personalities),

First let me say love you both. ;-)

I was catching up with (your show) when I saw the segment where you both said you needed glasses. Well, I had one of my more nerdy moments and had to ask: ‘is it nature or nurture?’

The muscles that control your eyes are just like the muscles that do other things in your body. What they can do depends on how you use them.

When you do something like read a comic book, check your email, or watch a video on your computer you're making your eyes focus close up. The muscles get better focusing up close and lose their ability to focus far away.

They say for us average folk who use are computers too much that we should stare at a point twenty feet away for twenty seconds every twenty minutes. For you two your eyes may need a lot more of a workout, but you get the idea.

Look after yourself, take care of your eyes,

Richard

Cover Letter to a Museum

I know, I know, I’m putting out a lot of cover letters here. Well, I am posting every day for you.

1^st November 2011

Dear Human Resources at (Museum),

I am responding to your ad for an Assistant Manager of Security posted online.

I have worked as a licensed Security Officer since 1998 and experienced some of the most intractable security situations imaginable. I am very used to dealing with the difficult situations that arise in security and again very familiar with many forms of security procedure.

In addition, it was this year that I earned a Bachelor’s of the Arts in Psychology from (stare College). I have a firm understanding of the human mind, the criminal element, and the potential for human error.

Payment options will depend somewhat on the working conditions and the average pay of your current security staff. I never ask more than honest work for honest pay, but every work-site has its own problems so the work involved will vary.

Thank you for your time,

Richard Leland Neal

Questions about Webcomics

I wrote this letter at some time in my life that my brain was just so burnt and battered that it should have made good eating. I’d like to think that I’ve level off some but it’s doubtful.

In any case I sent this to the wrong email address so it was never delivered but the answers are if you add an ad to your side, no, yes.

10/03/2010

This is an odd situation. I have a webcomic that I started about two years ago, but my webmaster is giving me some major problems and I'm thinking of switching to your site and I have some questions.

Question one: would I be posting comics for the privilege of posting or do I get ad revenue?

No one gets rich off webcomics, but I post a comic every day now, and if I’m doing it for the fun I think that might drop off some.

Question two: do you mind if I post comics from the other site?

I have no idea why you would, because I'll stop updating the old site but its only polite to ask.

Question three: if my comic gets popular and I can't make money off your site can I transfer it later or post a link for a new comic on your site?

Right now I have 2 comics "Max Space" and "Jonny American" I could put one up on your site and keep the other for my own site if I wanted to.

I know this is a lot to get through in one mail, but I got this thing about honesty: I believe in it. It's better to be upfront now than to have problems in the future.

Thanks,

Richard Leland Neal

Carpenter

20^th October 2011

Dear Fellows,

I’m responding to your job post for a set builder.

I built sets for theater in high school and college, but I was never paid for it.

I worked with (Instructor) at (Junior College), and he should remember me. I’ve cut wood and steel, painted, and assembled sets for college theater productions.

I understand that I’m under qualified for the job, but I can get the job done, and I know what it’s like to work under a deadline.

Thanks for your time,

Richard Leland Neal  

The Words of a Man on the Edge

I had honestly hoped my first “Letters to Cassi” post would be a letter to Cassi, but I was poking through my old files and trying to get things organized when I found this old email. 

This was a case of the world and I being very stupid, and I had thought that reason would hold out over madness but the addressee, whose name has been removed, saw me as no more than a uniform.

This was a letter that cost me a job with a company I didn’t want to work for to begin with. It was written after a period of extreme sleep deprivation from overworking. I have to say that sleep deprivation made me do a good number of stupid things, and this isn’t the worst.

Here are the words of a man on the edge.

The date is when it was mailed four years ago.

24th of April 2007

Dear (Security director),

I noted in the post orders of (Unnamed Terminal) procedures
contrary to the safety protocols of the older post orders.
We are having problems with security officers having been
assigned to the post who are unwilling or incapable of
performing the post duties. The orders we had did not
contribute to the problem.

Your belief that security personnel not having at least a high school education are capable of doing my job merely compounds the problem. Many of the security procedures stated in the old post orders had never been properly enforced. There are two reasons for this happening.

The first is an inability to establish a long-term relationship with officers willing and capable of doing the job. This is a result of poor pay and bad conditions. Note that in the five years that (Security Company) serviced your terminal they received a pay raise of fifty cents. I learned from other officers that you had a seniority raise program but that it had been canceled. The two senior security officers assigned to the post had both given two weeks notice by the time I had arrived. My supervisor after two years of working for (your company) made less than a starting dockworker. When I brought this pay issue up with (Local Security Director) he told me to talk with (My Company).

Sir, honestly, every security company gave you what you paid for, no more, no less. Why would they give you a level of service that the contract fails to warrant? As it stands, you will pay more for security as a result of changes in California law. It is only a question of do you want to end the problems you have now or let them get more out of hand? Right now the difference may be as little as a dollar an hour. Paying this will save (the terminal) thousands in the upcoming months in driver and dock worker over time. Yes, that’s right, what you are doing is costing (your company) money.

The second component to the overall breakdown of security at (this terminal) is a failure by management in supporting security officers. I had employees threaten to have me terminated when I asked them to sign in. When I reported this the employees were not reprimanded. Other officers noted this and refused to ask employees to sign in sighting that if it were an issue a reprimand would have been in order.

To resolve the security issues that you have I would need to sit down with the post orders and update your outdated procedures. Then write a proposal to enact your grossly derelict policies. Frankly, that’s not what you pay me for, and my English skills are that of a man educated in the state of California at the end of the twentieth century, rather bad.

The problems I have described are not localized to (This terminal), the state or the region. They are the problems of (your company) as reported by Line Hall drivers.

Let me put this another way: like a detective, I have question suspects and witnesses, compiled evidence, and consulted with experts. My opinion is that security within (your company) is in need of major changes.

With nearly ten years of security experience, I can tell you what those changes should be, but I have to look after myself. (My company) has made me another offer, no better than yours, but I can’t just give up my seniority in the company.

I put my life on hold in the belief that people like (Local Security Director) and yourself would listen to reason. Then you smacked me in the face by contracting a security company that doesn’t even require a high school education. Had we  retained those guards that refused to work than (the old company) might still have this contract and you would get no better or worse service.     

Time is short,

Richard Leland Neal