When I requested a transfer from L.A., Calif. to Indio, Calif., it seemed like the end of the world to most of my friends. I didn't actually LIVE in Indio, I bought a home in Palm Desert, fifteen minutes from Palm Springs and halfway between the two.

My job as an insurance adjuster for a major company involved approximately one third of my time being spent in the office and the other two thirds "In the field". "In office" time involved reading memos, dictating reports, diagraming accident scenes, taking witness statements by phone and a whole slew of other things.

"In the field" time involved picking up police reports, taking photos of accident scenes, meeting with attorneys in their offices, meeting people in their homes to settle claims and various and sundry other stuff.

I didn't get much in the way of a training period. It was just "Here's the caseload of the guy that quit. You're an experienced adjuster from the big city, deal with it".

I'd been in the Indio office for about a month when I first heard another adjuster tell one of our secretaries "If my wife or the boss calls, I've gone to Thermal" as he walked out the door. As the weeks passed and the temperature continued to rise, I heard this parting comment more and more often. "If anybody wants me, I'll be in Thermal".

If you happen to be one of those people who notices such things, Thermal is often listed among the hottest places in America during the summer. On many days, it IS the hottest. One day, I was returning from the Mexican border where I had settled a claim and it suddenly registered in my mind that I had passed a sign with the word Thermal written on it. Not seeing another car for miles ahead or behind me, I slowed and made a "U" turn and went back to the sign.

When I reached the sign, I slowed and pulled into a small store with an old gasoline pump under a shaded, over hanging porch. I parked, walked inside the store and approached an old man sitting behind the counter. In my usual clueless way, I asked "Hi, where's the rest of the town?" He didn't even look up from his newspaper. "This is it, mister. This is Thermal." I walked back outside and looked around. No houses. Not another building for as far as the eye could see. Just heat waves dancing over the baked earth in the distance.

Back in Indio, I decided to stop for a beer before driving on home. I was still in the doorway, letting my eyes adjust to the darkened interior of the bar when I heard a familiar voice "Hey, Loyal........over here." Sitting in a back booth were one secretary and three adjusters from my office. The one beer turned into three before I finally drove home that afternoon.

That afternoon, I learned that "Gone to Thermal" was a euphemism for "I'm outta here, cover for me." Thermal was no particular place nor was it always a neighborhood bar. It might be a son's baseball game or a daughter's track meet. It might even be a wife's shopping trip. Most of mine were family picnics or pool parties. One might "Leave for Thermal" at three PM on a Wednesday or at noon on a Friday.

I've had a number of jobs over the years since that one in Indio. Some were of the "In the field" variety. Some involved time clocks. More than once, I've left fellow workers with a confused look on their faces when I would pick up my briefcase, walk to the door and call back over my shoulder "See you guys. I gotta go to Thermal."

Now, like most everyone else, I have a job that doesn't allow me to leave till the big and little hands are properly aligned on the time clock. More often than not, it's long after that when I actually finish my duties.

Now and again, there are days when I'm tempted to call in sick, but don't. Days when the weather is beautiful and the fish are calling. One of these days, I'm gonna get up enough nerve to call my hospital and say "Sick? Nah! I ain't sick......I just gotta go someplace, it's really important. Where? Well.........it's Thermal. If I don't make it to Thermal today, somethin' awful might happen. A postcard. Sure, I'll send ya a postcard when I get there. Hey! Thanks a lot, see ya!"

Am I the only person that sometimes feels this way?

Just curious........