The long and twisting road that goes on forever, and the party never ends?
Morning dash to the airport, morning flight to El Paso, evening looks to be interesting. I just hope they fixed their damn wireless so I can do more than just fetch up e-mail.
When I checked the weather, it looked like a shorts-only trip. When I checked, just as the scope rolled over, and just as a cool front blew through, I had to do that last minute repack thing – empty out the suitcase, pack jeans and a jacket, pressed shirts and a tie. Socks. Need to remember socks, too. I haven’t won boots in a long time. I don’t think I’ve worn long pants since last winter.
Unrelated:
I can’t resist, I finally found a place for excellence in election coverage.
More unrelated:
I had two, rather nice “customer service” issues, which goes back to that “revenue stream” I keep looking for. One was a reading and the card kept getting declined, and it was for a Libra birthday, so I went ahead with the reading despite a declined credit card because I knew the client was good for the money. Turns out, there was typo, and it was no one’s fault, at least the way I see it.
Then, an order cycled through, and since I process all chart orders by hand, I took one look, and recognized the name, flipped back through the files, and noted that this person had ordered a year-long report, just a few months ago. Instead of messing around, I just called and asked. I mean, I’m not opposed to charging someone twice, if they really want to give me the money, but I’d be upset if I got billed twice. Turns out the earlier order never arrived – imagine that – details at the time lead me to suspect that in the first place – and I just fired off the original order again.
It wasn’t free, but since that person never got it the first time, and as a subscriber, I try and be extra nice, it worked out well. It’s like getting paid for some service and then delivering that service a few months later.
Reflections in the water’s surface
It’s sort of like looking at a very still body of water, and seeing yourself, or, at least, seeing reflections of your self, mirrored back. Sometimes, it’s just a silhouette.
In the last couple of days, one afternoon, between horoscopes and readings, I was standing at the edge of the river, on the Shady Acre’s little dock. I had on my usual, these days, black cargo shorts, a phone in one pocket, digital camera, and not much else.
Fishing pole in hand, looking through polarized sunglasses, I was stalking the mighty “trash mouth” bass. Me and the fish, that afternoon, we weren’t seeing eye-to-eye. So I was standing, peering, casting, observing, and just generally being myself. Wearing shorts, not much else. Isn’t that what everyone wears on a fall afternoon, between writing and reading?
Neighbor passes along the footpath, waves a hello, and I glance up, and I can’t help but notice a stunning female companion. I go back to fishing.
“Hi Kramer, I know you, you did a reading for me, at New Age Books, some years ago,” says the stunning companion. She said her name.
“Leo, right?” Then I suggested a year or two for her birth year. Kind of like a car model, you know? Or maybe a wine. Chateau Leo.
“No, it was like, in ’96 or so,” she replied, mistaking my guess, which was accurate, “and you said I was hell on relationships. Which was true. Look: you’re fishing. You were that fishing something.”
They were busy with other things, so I went on back to fishing. Interesting the comments I make that folks remember. Interesting, too, the tiny parts of her chart that I can remember. Like sign. She ran some kind of an astrology-based business for a few years, I think. I don’t know, for sure. She didn’t care to elaborate, but I took it that it was in her past.
I like writing, as I get to start in one direction and meander off in another, completely out-of-control. That one Leo – remember I only saw her from a distance – all I saw was a shapely figure and a Leo mane of blond hair – reminded me of an interview with another Austin astrologer. The basic question was how much money could a consulting astrologer make? Not a lot. But that’s why there are several revenue streams. Advertising, pretty bleak, but worth a few cents, subscriptions – good enough for proof-of-concept, and books, plus personal consultations, travel shows, and website sales, still, it’s not a lot, but then, I have a fairly meager existence – and I like it that way.
The consistency seems to pay off, that’s for sure.
The final reflection was a reading the other evening. Got off to a rather late start, but the longer I interacted with this client, the weirder it got for me. Born the same year, with certain “astrology signatures” which are very familiar. Almost too familiar. While the details varied greatly, the timing was so similar, the same issues, similar problems, and in some cases, similar solutions. Then the person folded one leg under, while sitting. Like I do, frequently. That spooked me.
It was like looking at an image of myself. In the wan light of the bar’s patio, as the evening cooled off, I had to wonder how I appeared, and now I know. At least, I have a better clue.