There was some trouble with the parent company. Those who’d been charged with turning deals returned with bad news. They presented at a major meeting of bigwigs and for some reason I was there too. Would there be layoffs? This question hung in the air but the mood in the large room was strangely buoyant, even whimsical. The topic turned to Minnesota Vikings players from the old days. Someone called me out for not contributing, though I had earlier. I cited a quarterback named Tony Podnous.