Benevolent Bloodshed

Snarl! Growl! Snap! Bark!

I'm considering changing my company name and line of business. It would be Associated Hatred & Malevolence, Inc., which will specialize in euthanizing nasty and unruly clients of professional service firms, after first doing to them what they tend to do to my company when the mood strikes. My title in the rebranded firm will be Supreme Incubus. I will employ an Executive Vice Succubus to deal with the clients for which my nature may not be appropriate.

If you'd like to apply for a position with the firm, submit your resume, along with references which will attest to your experience with gallows humor, jocular homicidal rages, and facetious torture. Must be facile with all manner of weaponry, including explosives, knives, guns, nuclear arms, and flamethrowers.

Today was yet another blockbuster. I love being self-employed, sometimes. Not today, of course, but sometimes.

Dead Politicians, Live Poets

Blinking in front of video camera is becoming old hat to me. A representative of a local television station came to my office today to ask me a few questions for another station, in another Texas city. It has become routine for me. Except for-wondering whether the broadcast version will make me look like a beached whale. Not that the cameraman can control that.

Things are going haywire with some of my clients. It won't be long, if things go as they have been going, before they are unable to pay me. Not my fault, but certainly my concern. If only I could coordinate the copier lease, the telephone system contract, the office space lease, etc., I'd just slowly prepare to ease out of this mess. But things aren't so smooth. So, I guess I'll have to pursue more business, try to fix what I have, and reconsider the contracts we enter. Excuse me, but I'm going to utter a profanity: God damn mother fucker! I wish I had more control over the world. There would be fewer live polititians and more living poets.

Thanks, isabelita and Kathy, for your comments on my attempt to capture Spanish for my own private uses. Quiero vivir en un mundo hermoso. Si los deseos fueron caballos, todos nosotros tendríamos alas.

Spanish

Tonight was the first night of my 9-week (or is it 18-week) Spanish class. It's amazing how much I've forgotten, but surprising how much I remember when given the right prompts. One thing is clear: I will not be fluent by the end of the class. I will not even be incoherent. But I will be better than I am now.

Grrr...

During our random wanderings over the weekend just passed, my wife and I stumbled upon a new-construction subdivision about 45 miles north of Dallas, in a long-dormant town called Val Alstyne. It's amazing how many little communities north of Dallas are being turned into bedroom communities. Anyway, on a whim we stopped to look at a rather nice-looking four-bedroom one-story home with dry-stacked stone facade....really, a very nice-looking place. It was 2400+ square feet with a beautiful open-style living area (kitchen with the obligatory granite counter-tops, huge island kitchen, stainless appliances, giant walk-in closets, etc.). The price: $214K, a huge discount from what we expected. Anthing like it in Dallas would go for a minimum of $295K. My wife and I immediately liked the place and thought (at least I did) we should borrow the design and start construction on a similar place on our land in Falba. I'm guessing I could get the same place built for $160K or less down there...and we could have a pool and jacuzzi and massive garden, along with a big barn and tractor and...

I'm really wishing it, but not thinking it is really reasonable to pursue.

Let's see, in the real world: next Saturday, I go to The Woodlands, TX for a meeting, followed exactly a week later by a trip to San Francisco for another client event. I'll spent the first 2-3 days in SF with my sister, who lives in Berkeley. And then a week in meetings. Grrrr...

Grrr...

During our random wanderings over the weekend just passed, my wife and I stumbled upon a new-construction subdivision about 45 miles north of Dallas, in a long-dormant town called Van Alstyne. It's amazing how many little communities north of Dallas are being turned into bedroom communities. Anyway, on a whim we stopped to look at a rather nice-looking four-bedroom one-story home with dry-stacked stone facade....really, a very nice-looking place. It was 2400+ square feet with a beautiful open-style living area (kitchen with the obligatory granite counter-tops, huge island kitchen, stainless appliances, giant walk-in closets, etc.). The price: $214K, a huge discount from what we expected. Anthing like it in Dallas would go for a minimum of $295K. My wife and I immediately liked the place and thought (at least I did) we should borrow the design and start construction on a similar place on our land in Falba. I'm guessing I could get the same place built for $160K or less down there...and we could have a pool and jacuzzi and massive garden, along with a big barn and tractor and...

I'm really wishing it, but not thinking it is really reasonable to pursue.

Let's see, in the real world: next Saturday, I go to The Woodlands, TX for a meeting, followed exactly a week later by a trip to San Francisco for another client event. I'll spent the first 2-3 days in SF with my sister, who lives in Berkeley. And then a week in meetings. Grrrr...

About Time

A cool Saturday morning can give me an entirely different perspective on life. It may be that the temperature outside is in the upper 60s, or that I can hear the chirpring of birds, or the the sky is bright and clear. It may be the squirrels darting about in the trees and racing across the street, stopping to sit upright and poke their heads into the air. It may be a combination. Whatever it is, I feel good this morning. It's about time. I'll take a sip of coffee, click my cup against a kitchen cabinet, and hope it lasts.

Waterspouts and Waterspots

The news from Lake Chapala in Mexico continues to be bad. Lots of damage in San Juan Cosala but, fortunately so far, little reported loss of life. It's surprising to me that American media has completely ignored the horrific weather-related catastrophe in a Mexican village. Next time a Katrina comes around, I think they should reciprocate, instead of gathering materials together to send to help.

OK, back to my smooth...I'll be calm.

The regular work-week is over, but there's more to come. My wife, who I hoped I'd convinced not to work weekends, plans on going to the office tomorrow. This business of ours is not worth the misery it causes and the time it robs from us. I refuse to do it anymore...work on weekends...unless absolutely required. My work is falling behind and I have all the classic symptoms of burnout, but I don't care. Let all the clients just walk off. Fuck them. We'll survive if we have to work as crossing guards. This is probably not healthy. But it's too late to be healthy.

Where did my smooth go? I intended... Oh, well. Maybe it's the fact that I woke up at 4:45 am for a 5:00 am conference call (people from Pakistan to Australia to North America...it's the only time to try). So, I'm tired. Not the time to write in the blog, but I do want to capture my moods...this is one of them.

I found some real relaxation over the past few days reading and viewing Bev's blog at Burning Silo. She and her husband, Don, have spent time recently in Nova Scotia (one of my most important "want to go" places) and she has posted lots about the Bay of Fundy. Her recent post about the tidal bore was fascinating. Through Bev's blog I came across another one, bayoffundy.blogspot.com that I found incredibly fascinating.

OK. Now I'm actually sleepy. I should dream about tidal bores in the Bay of Fundy.