My brother has conned me out of $1000.00. I'm pissed off at him, and amused. I don't think he intentionally took the $1000.00-- I gave him the money for something else. I am sure he intended to do the right thing, but somewhere along the line, bills and alcohol got in the way.

The full story.

About a year and a half ago My brother asked me if I wanted a bear skin rug. He was hunting and had killed a bear. If I would pay for the tanning, $500 down, $500 at pickup, then I could get the rug.

I said yes and sent my brother the first $500.00.

Last fall, about a year later, I asked my brother where my rug was. He said he called the tanner and it was ready to pick up. All I had to do was send him another $500.00. I sent him that and asked him to courier the rug to me.

The rug never arrived. I asked my mom to look into it. Mom visited me last week and is now spending a week with my brother his wife and and their kids.

Mom called me this morning. She said my brother didn't have the rug. She is not even certain that the bear ever made it to the tanner.

I am vdissapointed, but I'm not suprized or angry. I'm trying to figure out who to out-think my brother. The possibility of revenge, or justice, kind of amuses me.

Oh yeah. This slipped my mind.

RO and I had a threesome last night.

When I got home, I half jokingly suggested that RO and I have a threesome with the neighbor, Bates. I really just wanted to invite Bates over for dinner, but I let my mouth rattle on too long.

Bates wasn't available, but RO found a guy on Bear411, a guy he'd been chatting with for a while.

The guy came over and we did it. It was fun, but unemotional.

We cuddled. We kissed. It felt a little dirty, but not in a good way. I don't think RO was overjoyed with the way it turned out as well.

"You are not being proactive with your health."
"It's not my fault that I'm not being proactive. It's the doctor's"

RO's arm still is not healthy. He broke it last December. It was in a cast for weeks, but he never went easy on it-- frequently lifting and moving furniture at the store.

His arm was still in pain so he went to the doctor yesterday. One of the bones has not yet healed. He is annoyed that the doctor didn't give him more detailed instructions on what he could and could not do with his arm.

I know that after four weeks the doctor clearly told RO that RO shouldn't even be wiggling his fingers. That didn't stop RO from lifting furniture.

It irriates me that RO doesn't take his health more seriously. Too many things are more important than his arm.

I talked to RedBricks on Sunday. I like him. I wish I could spend more time with him.

Mom is gone. She has left to spend a week with my brother in Alberta. I enjoyed her visit very much, but I'm glad to get my routine back to normal.

RO fawned over my mom the whole time. I almost felt like I was a neglectful son.

RO, Mom and I saw "Late Nite Catechism." Basically a very smart nun talks with, educates and insults her audience. It's very funny.

I've been learning a bit about our family history. Mom was born in the Netherlands during World War Two. She left when she was five, so she doesn't remember much.

I've often wondered about my family's war stories. Very little is said about it. No one fought during the war, which is a good thing since the Netherlands was one of the first countries to fall to the Nazis and we would have fought for Germany.

Rather than join the Nazis, my grandfather hid. Mom said he spent his time in the attic, knitting or spinning wool. One time, one of my uncles fell into a dike and was drowning. My grandfather ran from the attic and rescued him. It was one of the few times he came out from hiding.

Nazi sympathizers frequently ran into bad luck. Their barns or homes would catch on fire and no one would be around to help.

After the war many sympathizers were quietly forgiven. For example, a neighboring family, had half a dozen sons all old enough to fight. This family couldn't possibly hide all their children from the Nazis since the alternative was to starve to death. Of course some of them had to fight. That family was forgiven since their burdon was larger. Such is Dutch practicality.

Two of my uncles managed to kill a pig without making the pig squeal. They butchered the pig and salted the meat then hid the meat under the potatoes. My uncles both would have been under twelve years old.

One of my uncles was too underweight. For a period the Germans sent him to a children's camp in Denmark where the food was better.

I love Coconut Lemon Grass Soup. It tastes better the next day.

My mother is in town for a week. She had a long flight out-- bad weather delayed her takeoff by a day.

But, all is well now. RO loves fawning over her. RO spent hours setting up her bedroom. Make sure the bed was made just so, with linen spray in the right spots, feature mattress topper plumped just so, new floral and polished artwork.

Yesterday I took mom shopping. She is Canadian and the Canadian dollar is strong now, so everything is a bargin.

I also cooked a good meal for her. She eats very plain-- meat, potatoes and boiled veggies every day-- so I worry a little when I cook fancy for her. I made coconut and lemon grass soup with chicken and mushrooms. Fortunatly she liked it. I think her plain diet is mostly because of my dad and that she would eat more adventurusly if it weren't for him.

Yeserday was the store's anniversary sale. It was a great success. In fact, we sold more yesterday than we did in all of January.

How did we manage that? Mass mailings, expensive signs and steep discounts. So from a profit standpoint yesterday was probably a wash. Still, it gives us a good chuck of cash that we can use to ride out the quiet winter months. It also gives the store a sense of drama. People will yak and yak about the great sale at the beautiful store, where they served wine, and people waited in line for an hour to buy things at 40% off.

We had one bad customer. She was very admiment about not paying the sales tax. Her reason was that she was shipping the gift to another state. We charged her the sales tax anways-- this took much arguing. About an hour later she called us up and accused her of ripping her off. This resulted in a long windy arguement over the phone. We still won't refund her the tax.

I'm not sure the story won't end there.

An old FB left his business card on our front porch. I saw it first and pointed it out to RO who picked it up. On the back was written "Drink?" as the FB was as much a drinking buddy as anything.

It took me a few moments to remember who it was. And I think RO is a bit suspicious. I'm not sure what's going to happen here. Maybe I'll call him up and introduce him to RO. He's a nice guy and RO and I could use more friends.

Yesterday the managers at my day job did the mid year reviews-- we call it a calibration. We try to compare all the employees at a level with each other to see who is the strongest, the weakest, who deserves a promotion, and who diserves the boot.

It's very stressfull. I can't help but feeling that I am also beeing judged.

"Why isn't so-and-so shining? They have so many opportunities and a green field. Yet they are just doing a bit above average." That's a hard question to respond to.

It is competative. We all can't be above average. There are only so many dollars to go around and everytime you give one employee a bonus, you are taking away from another.

Should we give a few employees big bonuses and everyone else one nothing? This would show the star performers that we really value their work. It would also send out the message that we only value star performers and that if you want a little more, you should leave our team.

Should we give a little bit to everyone? Then what's the point of working hard? The stars are less interested, but on a team of sixty people, we all can't be stars.

Of course the answer is a balance between the two, a balance achieved through hours of debate.

I talked to my Toronot friends. They are so mid-30's and married.

One couple is about to have twins

Another's fifth child is on the way.

MD's mother in law is moving in. They bought a new house to make sure everyone has enough room.

C2 sent us "I am Legend" It's a half decent movie. Essentially a virus takes over the world, killing everyone except a handfull of immune people.

The pacing of the move is excellent. There are plot holes, but the story develops fast enough that you don't have time to think about them.

Why would a virus turn everyone into identical pasty white super fast and super strong zombies? Where are the kids? The obese? The short?

Somehow a kid and a slight woman can haul a bleeding and injured Will Smith into the safe house, at night, without the zombies noticing. A day later, the zombies find the safe house by smelling the left over blood.

All the bridges to Manhatten were blown up. How did the kid and the woman get onto, and off of, the island in that big SUV?

The store had a very bad day-- two huge refunds. RO felt very bad.

In some ways the refunds are good for our relationship. He understands that our sex my not be as hot as vacation sex with strangers, but, when things go bad, I'm still there.

Of course it would come back to haunt us. Mark had such a good time playing around in Vegas that he told me there is no passion in our relatinship. He thinks I'm only with him because I'm trapped-- I'm the major invester in the store, and if he leaves, if the store tanks, then I'm the one that gets screwed.

Yes, the store does affect our relationship, but not in the way fears. It's just more stress and more responsibility in my life. I now understand why mixing business with relationships is bad. I can't look at RO without somepart of the business popping into my mind.

"Any thing you can do, you and a bean counter can do more profitably!"

This is a silly milestone, but I feel like noting it anyways. For the first time in my life, I am writing a document, a manul & specification that the public will see and use, that has subheadings seven levels deep.

You know, sections as in.
Section 1. Introduction
Section 1.1 Overview
Section 1.1.1 External Assumptions

I keep imagining some pour soul actually trying to read and discuss this document.

"Hey, take a look at section 2.2.2.1.1.2.1.2. I'll admit I was a little bored after reading section 2.2.2.1.1.1.1.3, but section 2.2.2.1.1.2.1.2 really livened things up! "

I feel as if I have no soul. I don't care at all about this document or the people who read it. If it gives readers as much pain reading it as I feel writing it, then that's fine by me.

Contractual obligation writing at its finest.

RO is back from Vegas. He joked. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except for the cigarette smoke." About a year ago Washington State banned smoking in bars and restaurants. I'm suprized how spoiled it has made us. RO and Boone complained that everything in Las Vegas smells like an ashtray.

Now, RO did play around in Vegas. He told me about it when he got back. He met a couple of guys there on vacation and they had a threesome.

I hope this is out of our system. I do not want to be one of those couples that's always out and looking for sex. It's so tiring and such a waste of time. I've got more importand things to do. And it feels shallow as well.

We'll see.

Oh yeah. Bates is about 50yo. gray hair and fit, about 5'10'' and one the thin side.

I am eating peanut butter on angel food cake. It is amazingly good. It also points to how frivolusly I am spending my time while RO is away.

Bates came over last night. We had a good dinner together. RO called half way through and we chatted for a while. RO gave Bates permission to have sex with me.

Bates and I did have sex. Not immediatly. At first we talked about how my relationship was important to me, and his relationship was important to him, and how sex could not affect our friendship. Then we had sex.

It was nice but not grand.

After Bates left, I called RO and told him. RO was very relieved. Now he believes I am open enough to tell him when I play around. He also believes my judgement is good enough that won't go to bathhouses or truck stops.

I'm not going to capitalize on this new found openness. I suspect RO will have his own little fling. But, after that everything can quiet down.

Anyways, it's time for some more peanut butter on angle food cake. RO gets back tomorrow. So I have to become the good and hard working husband again.