From: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
To: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Harry dear,

I need your help. I have a terrible case of writer's block and that damn contest
is almost over. It's been extended twice now and I'm doubtful Agent Catfish will
extend it again. Can you speak with her?
My story is an h/c regarding Lee and Chip in a picture that has to be in the
story. I've got most of it written but I'm stuck with the way it finishes up.
I'll send you what I have to see if you have any ideas.

Had lunch with the `firm' at Buck House yesterday after the big event. Boy, do
they know how to throw a party, even if the wedding confetti got stuck in some
of the food! And I can't help thinking how absolutely wonderful these uniforms
look over ours. Maybe you should change yours. Red is so impressive.
Especially with all that gold braid and such.

From: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
To: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Edie,
I'm sorry to hear about your writer's block, truly I am pumpkin, but I can't in
good faith ask Agent Catfish to extend her story contest for any one person.
If you spent more time writing than hobnobbing with `society' you'd have the
story finished before the deadline.

As for uniforms, our dress whites are just fine for formal events. Besides
having red uniforms, a red mini sub, a red car and a red sub (if Lee gets his
way)is a bit much.

PS: Just what is h/c? Some kind of hot water or air conditioning situation? And
what picture are you talking about? And please don't send the story to NIMR.
This is a business, and is already overloaded with paperwork.

From: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
To: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Well, excuuuse me! Won't bother you again!
PS: h/c means `hurt/comfort' some of the best type stories there are in my
humble opinion.

From: Adm. H. Nelson
Doghouse Dept., NIMR Santa Barbara, CA
To: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Dearest Edie,

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I doubt I can help you, and
unsolicited paperwork is such a bone of contention with my staff. Besides, if
you were to send this manuscript to NIMR, it could cause a fracas about using
NIMR for personal gain. What's the prize for this story anyhow?

I don't want to leave you in the lurch, however. Since Lee and Chip are in this
contest picture you mention, why not send your story to them, using their home
addresses, of course, for their suggestions.

PS: Can I come out of the doghouse now?

From: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
To: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Send the story to them? Absolutely not! I'd be so embarrassed! Harry, dear, you
have to understand that it's fan fiction and, well, unlike a lot of the
contestants who write 100 % better than me, I still write like a teenage girl.
As for the grand prize, well, it's embossed pencils and a print of a painting
Agent Catfish commissioned of a scruffy Lee.

From: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA
To: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Is that all? Pencils and a print? If that's the case, I suppose it's okay to
send what you've got to me to take a look at. But mark the thing as `personal'
so the staff will not get it lumped together with all the other cra…er…stuff we
receive from organizations requesting services.

PS. Include the contest picture, and maybe tell me where I can see this prize
print? Morton would really appreciate having something to bug Lee about.

From: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
To: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Did you have to give them the story?? I know it could have been a mistake,
after all you're so used to delegating, but be that as it may, Chip's no help.
He suggests a complete revision using computer takeover for the gist of the
story! That's not h/c. You can't cuddle a crashed computer! Well, maybe you can
if you're obsessed with your laptop like Agent Catfish. I swear she's got ports
in her fingertips that the damn thing's glued to.

From: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR, Santa Barbara, CA
To: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Sorry about the mix-up. Angie apparently referred the large envelope to Morton.
Why didn't you have `personal' on it like I advised?

From: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
To: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Oops.

From: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR, Santa Barbara, CA
To: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

Oops is right, he showed your uniform suggestion to Lee about going to red
uniforms. Seems he's all for it if it gets him out of the dress whites, and
winks at me telling me that it would make a `great matched set' if Seaview were
red.

He's embarrassed by the story though. Naturally Chip gloated that you had him
get drunk in it. He appreciates fine spirits, but he is the Captain after all.
Not the best way to win over mad scientists, aliens, monsters, and influence
ghosties and ghoulies. Heavens, sweetie, I don't mean to be cruel, but it reads
like a bad `B' movie.

Ps: As for the print, though he's indeed scruffy and out of uniform, the
primarily female admin staff members are beginning to write their own stories
in the hopes of entering Catfish's contest and winning it. I've had to take
matters into my own hands and promised if any of them win, a copy of it will be
placed in the staff lounge. That way the girls won't fight and can drool over
him during their coffee breaks without getting the paperwork damp.

From: Edith L. Nelson
London, England
To: Adm. H. Nelson
NIMR Santa Barbara, CA.
Re: A terrible case of writer's block

I took matters into my own hands as well and wrote Agent Catfish about my
writer's block. Would you believe it but she's got writer's block too about this
contest? So I told her she can extend the deadline cause it's her contest,
her rules, but I don't think she was too thrilled by the idea. After all, she
says if we don't finish on time, we can always just post the stories when
they're finished.

Still, I sure would have liked to have been in the contest and at this rate
won't be. Pencils aside, it's the principle of the thing.

PS. Going to Clarence House today to drown my sorrows (don't worry, I'm not
crashing, I was invited by a really nice looking guy I met yesterday from the
wedding party-he was in a blue uniform)

We'll be having something called a Bucks Fizz, kind of like champagne watered
down with orange juice. I guess you might call it a Mimosa.

Ps. He's a redhead too, so we'll have a lot in common to talk about, say big
brothers and such. By the way, he read my story and has lots of great ideas.
Name's Henry. But everyone calls him Harry.