Making Deals With the Devil

It's funny how business deals are made and broken these days. For some time now, one of our clients has been threatening to discontinue using our services. They're a fairly big client, so it should have made us shit our pants, except that we have been quite disappointed in the way this particular company deals in business. I swear, sometimes I think they will sink in a glass of water. We have been ready for this for a while, so really, I won't be too sad to see them go. If anything, it will give us more time to focus on our current clients and to invest in growing our company (I finally get an assistant-- woohoo!!!) as we had been planning to do for the last year.

The issue at hand is money... of course. We have specialized services that they need, but are reluctatn to pay for. We have been proven tried and true time and again, so it's not like they're going into business with us blindfolded. It is evident now that they are trying to get their own staff to become versed in the services that we have been providing through them to third parties. An absolutely great plan for them to put in place, as it would dissolve their need to hire outside consultants to save their asses every time something goes haywire, but something that takes time, patience, skill and lots, and lots, and lots of experience... and, for the sake of this forum, let's say that I don't think they have the resources to achieve this succesfully. I wouldn't be upset at the situation at all if it was being handled professionally and with integrity, after all they are obviously looking to better their bottom line, so I don't blame them for wanting to scale back. However, there are ways of doing things... and then there are *WAYS* of doing things, and today someone over at their office obviously had a brain fart and decided to do things this way:

Hey Ares:

I have a new opportunity for you... Can you provide me with your proposal template, you can leave the pricing blank? I just need the detailed specifics...You can leave your company info off so I can just plug (his company) logo.

What the fuck??!!! Do we have SUCKER tatooed on our foreheads. So let me get this straight: you are selling a product you're not fully versed in to a third party, looking for the specs for said product from our proposal to try to train yourself -and your staff- in said product and leave us out of the running? Hmmmmm... isn't that like going to a bakery and asking the pastry chef for the recipe for his best selling cake, so you can make it at home? To make matters worse, they are now calling with specific questions while at the job site! Sorry, but we're not going to troubleshoot your ass and then take the legal liability. I have no words to describe just how I feel towards these people... 'slimy' I guess would be a good place to start.

I Have...

The things in bold are the things I’ve done! Copy it and publish your list. Thanks Wendi...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink *Had to celebrate my divorce!
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain *Not a big mountain... more like a hill....
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa *I've been to it, just not in it... they won't allow people in it anymore, it's too unstable.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars *At the beach... don't remember if they were stars or mosquitoes.
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment *Jury duty... I was escorted out.
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster *Great American Scream Machine (shudder)
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day *Try for 6 months while living in Italy!
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk *Too many times...
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country *Italians... so horny... so gorgeous!
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip *Rome to Coppenhagen in 3 days!
48. Gone rock climbing *Does climbing a fake rock count?
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them *Isn't that what people do at Benihana's?
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud *It was more like sand... wet sand... creep up your shorts and itch sand...
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie *Not in a major motion picture... or a publicly screened one... LOL!
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice *Overrated.. then again, I was with my boring ex...
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
89. Had a one night stand *My favorite mistake!
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking *And actually pointed AT THEM while singing.....
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone *And found out 2 weeks after the fact!
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet **What?! Are you crazy?!!
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours *No, but I was awake for 52 hours straight!
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts *with help from my husband
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life