Virtual Urban Renewal

Have decided to do one of my semi-annual cleanups of the website...just whacked into it last night, and will continue to work through the weekend to try and make it more user friendly and more fascinating.

Did a little reading on ideas to refocus, so will try to apply them, including making the site more interactive and dynamic.

Scanned a book on buzz marketing...I am considering whipping up a contest for the website on personal anecdotes related to my poetry. I have received many over the years, a few with photographic evidence (that's PHOTOgraphic, not PORNOgraphic, usually). I'm also going to start distributing free copies of the eBook of INVOCATO. If you want one, contact me at freebooks@cityoflegends.com

Read a fascinating article in Forbes last night avout "getting fired at fifty"...it doesn't exactly describe what's been going on in my yech career over the last couple of years, but was close enough to be inspiring. I am more resolute than ever, and more comforted that I am not alone....thousands of men in their "career prime" are finding themselves put out to pasture, then locked out of real opportunity because of the inherent prejudice of the work force (add to this the morbid fear many middle managers have of hiring someone with more bones than them and you build a strong case for a no hire decision)...

Robert and I have pretty much decided to move forward with our own company. Yeah, I write and get from that, but I have been a cash machine for others in the past (I saved RealCom over $2million dollars during my 18 months there, just in process improvements to close fraud in telecommunication billing - The implementation of an actual test team at Globalstar and a personnel plan than downsized our extremely overpriced outside consultancy saved an estimated $450,000 overall...and I was there all over 6 months - Add to that my proposal win rate and my project management track record on FFP contracts and...well, you get the idea) The biggest problem? picking a name. Too many possibilities.

Had a nice chat with M last night...we discussed pet stories. And bats (although in my case, having actually had a pet bat once...)