I've spent my two hours this morning on the concept I reported last Thursday. I've written about a quarter of my business plan for the concept and I'm still excited about it. The process of writing a business plan does tend to calm one's excitement, since it forces an objective look at the competition, the costs of launch, the prospects for success or failure, etc. But it also helps cement the legitimacy of the idea, or it can do that. I'm not going to declare victory just yet, because I have lots of homework to do, but I still believe it has enormous merit and can be something that I can launch in one market and then readily launch in markets all over the country. Onward and upward!

While I was in Houston, I had dinner with my sister and our collective niece (a brother's daughter). We ate at a Mexican place called Doneraki, a name that I've never heard before and one that does not sound at all Spanish. My sister and my niece both ordered the special, a combination of flauta, taco al carbon, quacamole, rice, and beans. I ordered tacos al pastor. They were out of tacos al pastor, so I got the special, too, and it turned out to be pretty good.

While we were eating, I learned that my niece is teaching English, but she really loves to teach math. I needed a teacher like her, someone who both likes math and likes to teach...I didn't have a teacher like that. So, I never learned math well and certainly never learned to enjoy it.

My sister and I apparently had different parents and grew up in different households...at least if our tastes in food tell the story. She's not into hot spicy stuff, I am. She's not into sushi, I am. She's not into liver and onions, I am (I know, there are those on the InterTubes who would have me poisoned for such an admission). But, we both like Mexican food, so I guess we share some genetic make-up. My sister's car was broken into recently, leading her to decide she should give it to another brother. She says the neighborhood in which she lives is getting more and more street crimes, most likely vandalism by kids. She'd rather not give the monsters the opportunity to steal her car. If I had bucketloads of money, I'd relocate her to a nicer area, complete with garage for her vehicle. Alas, I do not have bucketloads of money. But, if my concept has legs, I might one day be able to afford another place for her.

I've not gotten out for my exercise yet this morning. I'll wait until my wife gets up. Maybe I can convince her to come along.