August 6, 2003
Yesterday I talked on the phone to one of the people we met with in New York. She was nice and positive but she told me everyone else is on vacation (in fact, it turns out we were the last meeting all three had on their schedules last Friday so I can just imagine them sitting there while we did our presentation, thinking: “Hurry up, I can’t wait to get out of here.”) When I asked if there was anything else we could provide them (like maybe a script for the pilot) she said, “No. You have given us plenty to think about.” Hmmmm. Bob Brink thinks we need to be patient. I’m trying.

On a related note, Jeb Rosebrook has a meeting with a rival network on the 14th and he has asked if he can pitch the show to them. We are considering it.

When I was on the radio and making $32K a year with no contract, I got a call from a rival station asking if I would meet with them. I was a novice at these things, so, the next morning I stuck my head in my general manager’s office and said, “Hey I got a call from KDKB yesterday and I just thought you should know.” That’s all I said. By that afternoon my station had a contract on the table (literally) which doubled my salary. I wasn’t even trying to leverage them, which probably made the effect all the more effective. Ha.

Last night we had a herd of Radinas over for pizza and salad. Took the kids and the visiting Michiganders to the cave. Warned them of rattlesnakes and we stomped heavily over and back (snakes can’t hear but they can feel the vibrations and will vacate, if possible). Peaches would run up ahead, then stop every so often and act all freaked out about something just off the trail. The first two times she did it I thought it was real (and so did the out of towners), but by the 10th time I seriously think she was playing with us. Just what we need: a comedian dog.

While we were eating our AC went out and Brad R. volunteered to go up on the roof and check it out. Now it was probably at least 100 degrees out, but up the ladder he went (Carol says he loves to do this and it’s actually fun for him. I would rank it somewhere below a root canal). Brad thought it was a blown fuse, so he and Kathy drove down to Home Depot while the rest of us told lies and talked about the people who weren’t there.

About 45 minutes later, Brad came back and went up on the roof and fixed the cooler, thereby saving us at least $750 because you know the repairman would have said, “What year is this cooler? Yep. I thought so. You’re gonna need a new compressor.”).

“A man who lives with nature is used to violence and is companionable with death. There is more violence in a Mexican garden than in the meanest streets of Juarez.”
—Old Vaquero Saying