February 5, 2004
Mike Melrose took the sales staff and I out to Pei Wei yesterday for lunch. He bought (amazing!) and commented that anytime we have the biggest issue in the future he will buy again. Our Second Annual Travel Issue is at the printer and it’s a monster.

Got a doctor’s appointment this morning down in Phoenix. Kathy set up this session with a special-specialist. He actually treats deep vein thrombosises. Amazing. Anxious to hear what he has to say.

Worked most of yesterday on gags for Honkytonk Sue. Gus and I are moving around images of the Queen of Country Swing and trying to get at least a dozen in the can. Struggling. Got some decent stuff, but need to push it farther. No real 10s yet.

Big board meeting at 1:30 today. Everybody is in town for it. Going over the accomplishments of last year and the goals for this year. Looking forward to it. We are aggressively expanding circulation and Bob Brink keeps warning us to take it in bite sizes.

RG came into my office yesterday and said he had a nightmare that woke him up. Ad sales had come in below estimates and I fired everyone except Carole. That told me two things: he takes his three jobs very seriously (he’s the Chief Financial Officer, Editor and ad salesman), and two, he doesn’t know me very well. Don’t tell him but I’d fire myself before I fired him.

“When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.”
—Hugh White