It's lunchtime at work.  I wanted to write at lunchtime yesterday, but didn't really get a lunchtime.  I've been playing marketer past two days, phoning up big chains to introduce Jones Soda to them.
    See, at this point I'm described as a "Business Administrator" which is only a vague attempt at describing what I do.  Our company is small:  the Prez and some traveling salespeople, and me.  So whatever a company president and sales force don't do, that's me.  I do all the secretarial work, plus taking care of the computer, plus operations of all sorts, plus coordinating with customers and suppliers, etc. ad infinitum.  I don't plan on doing the secretarial side for much longer.
    It's a kind of short-term carrot (like I even need one) to bring in as much business as I can in order to justify hiring a receptionist.  This may be an area I have lots of experience in, but there's not that much room for career advancement.  I like working with potential customers a lot more, as well as the operations stuff, like arranging for equipment and services that we need.  I like ordering materials and shipping out mail orders, hell I like lots of aspects of this job, just not the office work, the typing and data entry, that kinda thing.
    My long-term carrot of course is to make this company big and successful.  I know it's not mine, really.  I don't own even the smallest piece of it.  But from the day El Presidente called me up and said, "How do you like the name 'Dry & Thirsty'?" it's been my baby, too.  I want it to grow and thrive and become a big player.
    Today I took some digital pics with El Prez's camera, so I hope to have something to post here soon.  This is really a wonderful place to live and work, and I'd like to share it.
    I only have a few more minutes, so I'm typing quickly.
    Misha is the Huz's dog, formerly known as "The Other Dog" back when Keeps still lived with me.  Meesh isn't my favorite canine, but he's being fairly well behaved while he stays with me.  I'm the dogsitter while the Huz does some business trips.  I wasn't real thrilled when he asked me to do this for him, because the fluffball sheds all the time, regardless of season or temperature.  The fur can get maddening.
    Another annoying thing is his tendency to pee on the floor while awaiting someone to fasten his leash on first thing in the morning.  At first I thought this to be an incontinence problem due to his having to wait all night before going out to pee in the morning.  But this morning I let him out to pee early, then when we were ready to go to work, he did this again as I fastened his leash on.  Now I think I know what's going on.
    Misha is intimidated by the Huz.  This we know already, cuz the Huz is a harsh character, and Meesh has seen Keeps getting the fluff beat out of him before, so when the Huz comes at him to take him out, he gets anxious and loses a bit of water.  Used to be, when he did this, the Huz would get upset and show it.  But then he realized that this wasn't the best way to go about it, and swung far the other way, offering some cuddles when it happens, to calm the dog.  I think this has reinforced the behavior, so that now Meesh thinks he is supposed to pee a little before he goes out.  I'm not all that happy about this.
    It doesn't surprise me that he came to this conclusion, cuz this is actually an interpretation of a canine social behavior.  Sometimes a submissive dog will pee a little in the presence of an alpha type to show submission, by way of saying, "I am just a pup before you."  This kind of display is done in a squat, as a puppy would, rather than a leg-lift.
    I dunno what exactly to do to undo the behavior pattern.  I am making a point of not being assertive when leashing him up, and it does seem to help a little to leash him somewhere other than directly in front of the door.
    He loves to go places.  This is such a problem that the issue of having a door open is a big one, because he will bolt at the slightest opportunity.  Before he came here, I usually left the front door open to encourage the cool, delicious breeze into the house.  I hate to have to keep it closed.  By now, though, he's had several rides in the back of my truck.  He's decided that the best place to run upon escaping is to the bed of the truck, which is such a good thing.
    Ok, gotta go now, and make a gazillion dollars.