The Story So Far

The Being and Nothingness Cam Team—the philosophy studies-educated Tom, Sia, and Phaye—were bold when answered a bizarre and boarderline scary newspaper ad to get their jobs with the B & N C Project. Each Team member has failed, however, to meet Gina’s deadline to submit a mini-biography of another Team member. Gina is frustrated wonders if she should take disciplinary action.

The Team believes that it is possible that two Nothingness Cams of the B&NC project may be functioning. Sia, looking at the image from what the Team has tentatively dubbed Being Cam 1, thought she saw a shark and claimed that the camera was in the Mariana Trench. When Tom told her that was impossible, he and Sia got into a long argument on a variety of subjects, beginning with Sia’s possible shaky general education.

Sia spilled coffee on her keyboard and was frightened, knowing she would have to deal with the consequences of breaking the computer rules established by Dirk, the cranky computer guy. Dirk is a scrupulously honest man who is around the office more hours a week than is necessary. He likes to make trips to the Stop ‘n’ Rob for office snacks.

The hole that the prairie dogs had gnawed through Gina’s home office floor is gone (as are the prairie dogs) and there is now a hole in the floor in her work office. Phaye came in to work and found a capuchin monkey asleep in a wicker basket. He is an unusually calm—though not housebroken-- monkey. The Team named him Space. Phaye posted “Monkey Found” notices everywhere.

After taste testing, Project staff could not agree with one another that coffee and bananas eaten together taste like cigarettes. Sia is smoking clove cigarettes as well as regular cigarettes. It's revolting.

There is no response to the “Monkey Found” flyers, so Space the capuchin is staying in the office. Phaye is sleeping over in the office to look after him and, as Space’s energy level increased and he became more like a normal monkey, he bit Phaye.

Phaye overstepped her assigned responsibilities by posting views from one Nothingness cam and from two Being Cams, and by posting a description of her problems with Space the monkey.

Gina has realized that she has to get an accountant and/or financial advisor to help her with managing the grant which funds the Being & Nothingness Cam Project.