Five tiny little words. It takes about three seconds to spit them out. All are single-syllable. Though terse, they have a definite capacity for evoking pride of craftsmanship, and they give voice to tacit appreciation. So why is it so hard to say them? As easy as it is to dispense positive morale and self-esteem with five simple words, you'd think people would be edifying each other like there's no tomorrow. But alas, the very visible efforts of dozens of engineers continue to go unrecognized, just as they have for the last two years.

The most capable soldiers of the army fight on the very front lines of coporate business, but ammunition runs low, and there's no one behind them to resupply. All the while, the least capable soldiers complain about their lumpy matresses, and receive new ones. Why? Because their plight is directly viewable by the battalion commanders. The battle, however, is fought and won (or lost) on the front lines.

What does it take to get a pat on the back? Or a "Keep up the good work"? Apparently, it takes more than what we are doing now, which is practically everything. Unfortunately, we're already at the physical limit of our capacity for useful work. And of course, budget cuts mean staff cuts mean burn-out.

¶ 11:28 PM