April 12, 2003
Daniel worked all day on new Wyatt Earp covers and E-mailed them up late in the day yesterday. Strong consensus on one but Ted G. hates it. Really hates it. I asked Dan to change a few things and he massaged it and sent it back up. Still not quite there but we are getting closer.

Went to lunch with Carole at Tuscan Cafe (she bought). Fun talking to her and finding out what is really going on in my business. Ha.

Had a doctor’s appointment at 2:45. I had convinced myself that I had throat cancer and confessed this to the doctor. He laughed and said when he was in graduate school and going through all the diseases he convinced himself he had each and every one. He asked me if I ever smoked. No. Has anyone in my family died of cancer. Yes. What kind? I don’t know but it was cancer of the something else. He gave me allergy medicine and told me to enjoy the weekend. As I drove away it felt good to know I would probably live at least through the weekend.

Worked on the-hole-in-the-wall gang shootout in Turkey Creek Canyon until around six, then Kathy picked me up and we drove down to Scottsdale to meet Wonderful Russ and Wendy for dinner at Buster’s. Russ told about his fantastic drive across the country (he bought a tricked-out BMW from an American Airlines pilot in Virginia, who’s afraid he’s going to lose his job). One of the gadgets on the vehicle is one of those computer maps that talks to you. The pilot programmed the map to take Russ from the pilot’s carpeted garage in Virginia to Russ’s house in Paradise Valley, Arizona. When Russ was in Saint Louis, the map narrator came on and said, “Get ready to bear right...” and Russ turned off an exit ramp before he heard the rest, “...in about two miles.” But then the map narrator took over and said, “To get back on the freeway turn right here, go to next intersection,” when Russ would arrive at the intersection, the narrator would continue, “look for the sign that says Butherus Way, turn right and you will see the road splits, keep to the left...” It guided him right back on the freeway in a jumbled, complicated city maze. The only problem with it, according to Russ, is that when he got to Phoenix, the map softwear didn’t know the 101 Freeway has been finished so it told him “take this exit ramp and get ready to turn left.” (under the freeway and onto Beardsley Road) But there is now a freeway cloverleaf and Hal didn’t like this and all the way down the 101 he kept saying, “turn around, you have made a wrong turn...I repeat, you have made a wrong turn...” And Russ couldn't shut him up. Scary, eh?

“I'm always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I've been.”—Pee Wee Herman