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blizzard warnings - 13:52 , 03 October 2013 heelerless - 21:32 , 18 August 2013 Red Coat Inn in Fort McLeod - 11:38 , 23 June 2013 rushing into the waters - 09:53 , 21 June 2013 choosing a spot - 17:43 , 27 April 2013 |
dealing cards
So, clearly I am out of touch with the modern world.
The modern business world, at least.
When the three company representatives entered the room, after the introductions and handshakes all around, they immediately dealt cards to each of our places at the table.
Business cards, of course, but it looked like a Faro table with each of them dealing off the top of their personal decks and flinging a card to each of us.
And then looking expectantly...
Well, three of us started fumbling through planners to find cards to return the favor.
I didn't bother. I knew I didn't have any. Haven't carried them for years. As in, the few I have left don't have my email address on them because, well, email didn't exist when the outfit had these cards printed up for me.
Really. Literally. Not even at CERN. Not even Al Gore had heard of "email" when these cards were printed up.
The 1-800 toll free number on the bottom of the cards was new technology back then.
Oddly, though, not much else of my personal information on those cards is out of date.
Noticed the company guy next to me arranging the business cards he got from our guys to match their positions around the table. Like a seating chart to help put names on faces. Clever trick to remember.
The drive to the meeting was certainly better than I expected. Most of the forecasted winter weather was hanging onto the edge of the mountains, just a mile or two off the interstate.
Except for maybe twenty miles at the Summit.
Odd going into the state headquarters. Haven't been there for years. With all the recent retirements, I didn't know anybody at the front desk. And nobody knew me as I walked in like I belonged there.
Ran into the guy running the meeting as soon as I passed the inner doors into the front hallway stacked with boxes.
"I didn't know you were coming to this!"
Ummm, then why did you send me the emails about the meeting time and place? And the later email announcing the change of rooms? Emails that only went to people attending the meeting.
It's not anything I would need to know, unless I was expected to be here...
As it was, the fellow presenting our portion of the presentation was glad to see me, since he's new to the area, and had little to do with putting our part of the projects together.
So. The meeting.
Pleasant as meetings go. Friendly company guys, even if they are the type who throw million dollar annual budgets around.
But as one of our guys summarized after the meeting... all went well until the final 20 minutes. After almost five hours (we had sandwiches delivered for lunch) of talking about various habitat and access projects, with much enthusiasm from the company reps, they finally let the hammer fall.
You see, their company bosses in Texas probably won't be interested in funding much of this unless they have a vested interest in this part of the country.
Specifically that 2,000 well gas field they want to develop.
Ahhh ha.
And this meeting ended like so many others...
Yep. We promised to plan another meeting.