L.M. of the U.

My friend Anne commented in the Lewistown post that Mike Waterman also goes by the title "Lord Master of the Universe", which is true, but only for a couple people, and I feel I should explain here, lest you think he has delusions of omniscience, or drinks heavily, or something like that....

I met Mike at a New Clerk's Workshop in Helena, where he gave a presentation on how to code everything in school bookkeeping to about 60 terrified new clerks.  All I remember about the presentation was that he used famous T.V. bars and the only one we got was "Cheers".  The codes were like Swahili, and I must confess, are only slightly better today. I flunked the workshop, but learned to knit.  That's another story entirely...

The next time I saw him was in Miles City, where again, he was trying to impart his love for and knowledge of school finance to a room full of jaded, middle aged clerks who REALLY came to the workshop to get away from the office and go to Walmart.  And (this is my theory alone) because I think Mike flirts a little with them, and they all secretly have a crush on him.  (You must realize that 99.999998% of school clerks are female.  He stands an easy 6 foot 2 inches, and when you walk into a room of school clerks, there's always a cluster of women around him. He can't help it...there's no one else to talk to. That, and he knows the Swahili of School Finance.)

Anyway, he walked up with his 3lb OPI badge that stated his name and title...it was impressive.  I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I read the badge and asked him who he thought he was, Master of Time, Space and Dimension? and he replied that, no, actually he was Lord Master of the Universe.  And I remembered it, and have referred to him as such, ever since.

Incidentally, he has a nameplate in his office with the title emblazoned on it; a gift from grateful rural clerks that he's helped with all school accounting aspects.  We still don't know the 13 digit codes, but we have his office phone number memorized and it's our lifeline when we can't figure out the Swahili on the computer screen in front of us. 

I'm going to get in big trouble for posting the picture of L.M. of the U., but that's a chance I'm going to have to take....it's just too good not to!  This is a Spirit Week photo from last year. At least that's what he tells me.  This may be how he dresses on Casual Fridays....