HOME IS THE SAILOR

Friday was a stinkin' day.  My buddy Steve, a first time salt water angler was having a great time.  First up, he handled a 40+ lb. Dorado (Mahi-Mahi) to you effete types) announcing that, "that damn fish would pull a 40 lb. Muskie thru its butt, and that's the truth, boy!"  Then he wound up on the other end of a 300+lb Blue Marlin with a 20 lb. test rig.  Steve did a hell of a job with some fabulous coaching and advice from yours truly but in the end it was too much to ask.  After 50 minutes, Steve pulled the hook and devastation set in.

"Lost my fish."

"No Mr. Steve, "  said Lucho, the world's greatest mate.  "He not your fish.  Until you bring him to the boat and look in his eye and say, 'I catch you fish,' he is nobody's fish.  He belongs to himself."

I always thought Lucho was smarter than most of the people I have met in my life.  Oh yeah, the jobs' number stank (why was everyone surprised with this economic team in place?), the stock market tanked, Hungary continued to play silly bugger as they have since 1974, and the wizz-bang economists who had been predicting a V-shaped recovery suddenly realized that it wasn't a V after all but maybe a U...maybe.   But Steve losing that fish...now there's a tragedy.

The wife and I had a wine tasting last night and I ran into a acquiantance who is the VP of Finance for North America for a well-know American company

"How's biz, Larry?"

"Good, really good.  We are encouraged."

"Really?  Short term, long term, domestic...?"

"Well certainly in the short term.  Next year is pretty cloudy."  We see opportunities, however."

"Here?"

"Nah.  Emerging markets.  I'm going to Brazil next week.  Remarkable place.  They are really rockin' and rollin."

"And here?"

"Stable but nothing to get excited about.  Things have improved but we don't think we are out of the woods yet and the new proposed legislation is various areas is a real unknown factor.  Wish I could be more optimistic about our prospects but I think it's too soon to tell."

"Hiring?"

"Not really.  It's wait and see.  Personally, I don't like the uncertainties globally but I think we'll be able to manage."  In the meantime we're just swimming slowly but steadily.  Hey, how was the fishing?"

"Great, except we lost the big one."

"Don't you always!"

...I hope we don't lose this one.  Swim free Mr. Marlin.