Re: RC: This Sport as a Sport

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/6/00 3:38:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
patpeters1@juno.com writes:

<< Most of us ‘lurkers’ really do appreciate the hound as well as the hare. 
 We are listening and absorbing.  Don’t hold back!  Please keep arguing
 with great passion.  It is essential to progress.
     
 PS…  Tom, I would have jumped at that job post if I were younger than my
 46 years, and if I were willing to give up my Cabernet with Saturday
 dinner <bg>.  The discipline and the learning opportunity would have
 been…  well, you know.      
 All the same, would love to see you at work one of these days. >>


Pat,

I know, and I agree with everything you said. But, you're seeing me at work 
already. Oh, I write the occasional book, and the occasional ad--but what I 
do all day long is, via telephone, email or database, exchange information. I 
don't work for a living--people pay me for learning from you. That's the 
honest to God truth. They pay me to think about their problems and solve 
them--and if that means getting into a big wrestling match with Sarah or 
Susan, or any of a couple dozen others--in order that I get a better 
perspective, that's what I do. I try to give back as much as I take away, but 
that's tough--there's way too much to know. 

A typical sale at my company starts with "Hey, Tom, my horse is doing such 
and such and the vet says this--what do you think?" A half hour later, the 
conversation ends with, "Thanks--oh, by the way, why don't you send me six 
buckets of such and such."  

Some people pay me to do literature searches--another learning enterprise for 
me. Others pay for consulting services that deal with exercise and nutrition 
"Here's where we're trying to go, here's what we did yesterday and today, 
here's what happened, what do we do tomorrow?" That kind of thing--sometimes 
in big fat spreadsheets looking at dozens of horses. Real boring--to watch. 
Lots of fun to do. But it's all happening in my brain--my damned body is a 
shipwreck. Those trips to Abu Dhabi were near-death experiences. Peru was 
another such--but necessary. 

Otherwise, it's 5 telephone lines going constantly (2 computer-dedicated) and 
6 computers lit up around the clock (one dedicated to games and midi-music 
making--favorite game is Homeworld at 2 AM in the morning). My wife and a 
single employee do all the rest of the work--shipping, receiving, accounting. 
I just read, write, talk on the phone and get into fist fights with Heidi and 
Kat. I've had four calls during the writing of this reply. Keeps me hopping.

Don't forget, you can always call--(360) 837-3700. No charge, unless we get 
all tangled up with a bunch of horses. I'm almost always here, till 2 AM in 
the morning.

Tom