The Eternal Hoodlums of the Endless Quest

Will I not ever be rid of odd dreams? Surely the old existence that we led should not exact such a horrific price. And yet, these horrors are fascinating enough that one might enjoy them too much to be afeard.

For this was the night that I dreamt a voice told me, " 'Goldwork, Inkwork, Footwork'? How Saxon of you! Why not 'Glitterati, Literati, Flitterati'?"

At this horrendous linguistic sacrilege, I awoke in a cold sweat. But it was merely a hefty supper and a cramped foot that had given rise to such thoughts. I think.

Imprimatur

The imprimatur of my colleagues in the Guild of Diplomats, those who walk under the fuliginous flag, has been given. Let it be proudly declared that

"Goldwork, Inkwork, Footwork"

shall be the motto of the Eternal Hoodlums, now and in perpetuity, worlds without end.

That said, we should get on to further business. There is so much locked up in those three words that it tempts me to pick the lock and examine what we might find.

The Cabal of Nations, its Motto, and the Eternal Hoodlums

A really odd dream was had last night. I dreamt I was an agent of the Cabal of Nations, serving a covert organization whose logo was a phosphor-green 'UN' on a black background. And its motto was 'Goldwork, Inkwork, Footwork'.

I was very impressed by this motto, it seems — so impressed that when I woke up, the badge of the organization, and its motto in particular, stayed in my memory! So I reasoned that I must have come across it somewhere in my waking life.

Of course, Google™ is supposed to be your friend in such situations. I eagerly typed the motto into my search box... and found nothing except some obscure reference to a single page on which the three terms happened to appear, in the prospectus for some distant university, and separated in three different departments' courses.

I like that motto, though. I think I will make it mine own. Or that of the Eternal Hoodlums, that other group to which I know I belong.

General Mottos: There's Always Room For One More

I remember being young and eighteen. And at that age, we gorged on buffet spreads a lot. The best was Parrots Café, in the old Marco Polo Hotel on Grange Road. You could eat anything (and sometimes, it seemed like everything) in the course of a pleasant afternoon for only ten bucks.

Our motto in those days was, "There's always room for one more." What a marvellous thought!

General Mottos: Mundus Vult Decipi

This is a Latin motto made famous by James Branch Cabell. It means, "The world wants to be deceived." I saw a lot of that today. There were some blatant lies and some not so blatant lies. And the audience loved it all.

General Mottos: Mediocrity Hates Excellence

This is too true. I see it everywhere. And you know what? Mediocrity will delude itself a hell of a lot so that it can justify this hatred and call it something else.