December 3, 2003
I lost my virginity last night. More on that in a minute.

Got a new angle to Classic Gunfights. Did Hollywood Ever Get It Right? Ran the first one in the December issue on the Pinkerton-Younger roadfight. Ran the dialogue from The Long Riders and then graded it on historical accuracy. I’m doing the same thing for the Sheriff Brady killing in Lincoln, using the same scene as depicted in Young Guns. Gus brought in his copy of the movie and we downloaded it onto my computer, so I could start and stop the scene as I typed in the dialogue. Oh, technology! I used to have to sit in front of the tv with a legal pad. Stop and start the VCR, going too far, not going back far enough, scribbling notes down the sides, etc. We also printed out several key scenes for me to illustrate. All in all a very cool deal.

Went into town to get my coumadin level checked at 11. From there I went over to El Conquistador for lunch. Had the Special: Salsa Ranchero and iced tea. Mighty good ($12 cash, includes tip). Then from there up to Desert Ridge and Aaron Bros. for some art supplies ($96 biz account).

Signed another 50 books to fill out orders (we’ve already pre-sold about 75 books). Had an executive pow-wow at 1:30. Went over circ growth. Bob Brink is planning on controlled growth thru 2004 that will put us in a very solid position. Rolland also wants us to go back to doing 12 issues a year. We have so much stuff we could easily do it, editorially wise, but it’s a function of sales. And speaking of which, Sue H. is motivating everyone in the sales department (she got in the Earl Nightingale tapes and had several posted this morning for all to see). I am predicting she is going to outsell everyone. It all comes back to the JC Penny quote (which I couldn’t find, mentioned it in here, and a reader, Dale Overton, googled JC Penny, easily found it, E-mailed me, and here it is) “Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a person who will make history. Give me a person with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.”

Yesterday when the Westerns Channel called and said the shoot was on, I went out into the production area and did my little dance (a little Pony, with a touch of the Ska, Surf, the Jerk and a pinch of the Watusi). Abby looked at me oddly and said, “Is that some version of the Macarena?”

Yes, I lost my E-bay virginity. I had to buy several postcards of Kingman. I have never bought anything online before, but J.Rae sent me these fabulous links and the next thing you know I bid on one (a postcard) of the Bell Motel (built in the 40s and sat right across from my dad’s Flying A station, and of course Punchy and Salty lived there), another of Spring Street (the road to the Court House) and an aerial view of Kingman Airbase with all the dead B-17s parked wing to wing (my dad was stationed there in 1944 and met my mom; 10,000 GIs and 300 local girls, talk about Surf City, “30 guys for every girl. . .’), and a postcard of downtown Kingman on Route 66 with Desert Drugs in the foreground (where I bought my first True West magazine).

"Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time."
—Doctor Ruth