Backing the horses out of the trailer, Tanya led them around, giving them a chance to stretch their legs and survey their new surroundings while Joel checked in at the office and got directions to their stabling area. The good news was that the stalls they were assigned were still in the state of Oklahoma. But just barely. After stabling the horses and unloading their gear, Tanya and Joel headed to the arena. As they arrived, they realized that they were just in time to watch the evening’s performance. So that night, after a long three days of hauling their two horses across the country, they settled back to get the feel of the arena as they ate hot dogs, drank soft drinks, and watched the cutting and working cow horse classes.When it was all done they realized that they were tired and needed to find their hotel in a hurry. After one last check on their horses, which seemed to have taken to their new surroundings quite nicely, Joel and Tanya drove over to the hotel to claim their room for the next few days. Tanya insisted to Joel that he could have the bedroom, and she would take the couch. Reluctantly, Joel accepted Tanya’s firm offer. After unpacking, they fell asleep to dreams of victory in the show ring.
or not – it all depends on the environment. I suspect that you haven’t thought your way through it – and I’m not trying to be rude, or difficult. Usually, when people come in and ask for something that’s completely outside their understanding, they, probably, aren’t asking for the right thing. I’d like to suggest that I come down and make a presentation to your company, on what I think you’re looking for.” “You think so?” “Yes. You don’t seem sure about why you want it, and you’re not sure about the environment it will be in. I suspect that no matter what I paint you won’t be happy. Painting what is in someone else’s mind is almost impossible. So, would you do me the courtesy of letting me come down and make a presentation, and see if that is what you want?” “Certainly.” A few weeks later, Ken walked into the formidable skyscraper in downtown Toronto and gave the board members his analysis. They wanted a large painting for the foyer. Fine – he could supply that, but it wouldn’t be as large as the Reichmann painting. And, it would be the first of several canvases. A smaller one would hang in the boardroom, and several others would hang throughout the premises. The preliminary sketches and drawings would be framed and hung as well. The paintings would tell a story that would be repeated in a booklet. A six-minute film would also tell the story, and it would play on a large screen television in the reception area. When a client arrived for a meeting, he would sit and watch the movie. “Now, they have something interesting,” Ken said. “This is something they have not anticipated seeing, and they realize that you are a lot more than just what you do. When you meet the client, you tour them around and show them all the works, and then you sit down and get down to business. By now, they realize that you are interesting people. You have things going on other than making money. When your business is concluded you hand the client a copy of the book – signed by me and your CEO – as something to take away and remind them of the meeting.” Ken suggested they take a holiday during the month of August and turn their offices over to him. When they returned the space would be transformed – not just because the paintings would be hung. What good were paintings if the background didn’t complement them? He proposed changing the furniture to set off his work and painting the walls in appropriate colours. Everything had to work – it had to be of a piece. The cost, he said, was irrelevant – the accountants would write the whole thing off. He thanked them, told them he had to return to his painting, and left. During the next few days several of the board members visited his studio. A couple of weeks later they accepted his fee of four hundred eighty thousand dollars.
You Didn’t Know About our religious beliefs, the fool Julian said, “I read, I understood, I disagreed.” As if he, the idiot, had eliminated us with his ‘disagreement.’ But such clever statements don’t carry any weight with us Christians. We at once responded, “You read, but you understood nothing, because if you had, you wouldn’t have disagreed.”
Denial Hesitant moonlight entered to sit on the night table outline of her conflagrated body lain on the deserted bed autumn breeze a shameless raider sneaked through the half open window to observe her two thighs softly rubbing against each other two fingers travelled over her wet mound involuntary conspiring wind and window shutter created the sorrowful creak that brought her to consciousness heart pulse bounced off the gleaming mirror to fall dead onto the carpet crying unfair life even this dreamy pleasure you denied me.
Manolis Aligizakis 