Digging Up Some "Dirt"

Las Vegas is a weird place to begin with and certainly ranks at the bottom of my favorite places to visit. One taxi driver greeted me with a hearty "Welcome to Hell!" when he picked me up from the airport. How true!

Years ago, Heidelberg used to send me here and there to "save" digital equipment that was failing. That is what brought me to Las Vegas one day for a meeting with a local printer. I was flying out at 1pm so it was imperative that the meeting start earlier. However, the client didn't want to meet until 10am, saying that they didn't get into the office in the morning until 9:30. Okay, I think I see problem #1 already, I thought to myself. When we finally sat down, their one and only sales rep was not in attendance. Forty-five minutes later he came sauntering in. He was, as it turned out, problem #2.

Visually, he was a train wreck. Dressed in his best tee shirt and looking like he'd been out all night, "David" walked in, sat down in a heap, and delivered one of the best lines I have ever heard: "Sorry I'm late. I am selling my house and I had to dig something up out of the backyard."

Okay, WHAT? If he was kidding, it's a great line. If he was serious, that explains why he looks like Charles Manson. Either way, he now had my complete attention!


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