Empty Chairs At Empty Tables

Our first meeting took place at approximately 1:30 PM Pacific Time, or 10:30 PM in Rome, Italy.

We gathered in the conference room, unsure where to sit, how to behave, or what to say. Rothpan seem most affected by the disappearance of our fearless leader, wearing clothes in the wrong places.

For a moment, the chair at the head of the table remained empty. Emotions ran deep, as the image so clearly resonated with this weekend's edition of "Meet the Press." After a few desperate moments, Matthew Wickline allayed some tension by taking the foreman's chair. And the room exhaled.

Eventually, routine set in. We watched a DVD "stringout" of some sketches. We laughed, probably a bit more timidly than usual. I could see in the eyes of my colleagues that we were all waiting for Bowman's familiar voice to echo through the conference room with a simple "Lose the last line" or "Yeah, you don't need that."

Instead, only a lucky few in Rome, Italy will be lucky enough to hear that familiar baritone.

Assholes.