Never in my life – factoring in decades of world travel – have I seen so many friendly, happy people all in one place as I have during Mardi Gras. It’s easy to believe if you consider the New Orleans carnival season as a multi-month citywide party. Everyone around you has the same agenda and intentions; have fun. From little kids to old people everybody is energized. Smiles everywhere you look, polite people at every turn. Just like the song says – shiny happy people.
If the world can learn to exist in this state of bliss on an ongoing basis all of humanity’s problems are solved. Peace on earth and everything else.
Yes I enjoyed some of the best food, checked out the hottest tourist stops and did some shopping. All the pictures you could ever want are posted on Instagram.
I love New Orleans and must return to explore and experience the city completely.
For years the running joke of my career path has been “I haven’t had a job in about 25 years” and/or “I walked away from the C Suite and never looked back.” when I stepped away as Co-Founder and COO of Excaliber Internet Corp in 2001 (or was it 2002?). Imagine my surprise when I found myself elected to be the treasurer and next president of an international non-profit organization by unanimous vote of the board of directors of Spiritual Science. I’m a lifetime member and I’ve been a member for about thirty years but fell out of touch some years ago. One of the highlights of my life was spending the day with its founder Al Manning, an LA CPA who went on to a broader, deeper life as a maverick in the metaphysical world. I was saddened to learn of Al’s passing and felt no need or desire to have anything to do with the organization anymore.
I didn’t apply for the job and nor did I “audition” for it. Anybody who knows me at all knows full well I don’t want a job and I don’t do auditions. I’m a feral entrepreneur.
So how did I end up being the current treasurer (CFO) and its next president (CEO) come November 1, 2025?
Opportunity knocked on my door.
This awesome responsibility was simply offered to me by its current president and chairman of the board. After a conference call with the board of directors everybody concurred it was to be me.
Done deal.
My return to the executive ranks was as smooth as a duck back to the water. While I left the structured corporate world many many moons ago, I never stopped being a leader. In my brief tenure so far I’ve spearheaded multiple initiatives that are all bearing fruit and are ahead of schedule. My biggest challenge is actually a personal one; refreshing myself as to the responsibilities and requirements expected from a man of my stature beyond deliverables and deadlines.
Some who know me may see this turn of events as natural, maybe even predictable. Others might be scratching their heads.
To all I quote…
There is no such thing as magic, though there is such a thing as knowledge of the hidden ways of Nature. – H. Rider Haggard
Magic’s just science that we don’t understand yet. – Arthur C. Clarke
It’s magic but it works like science! – Al G. Manning
The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. – Mark Twain
Just over a day? Three months so far and counting.LOL!
Old friends and enemies (current ones too?) might construe my maintaining a personal website as the height of hubris. That’s understandable. Younger me was quite arrogant and egotistical and easily externalized it. Younger me did indeed maintain a personal website in the 90s. No blog though. Just some personal “all about me” stuff. Then social media happened. The Globe, MySpace, etc. made it unnecessary for geeks like me to bother with website updates anymore; we just posted online just like the unwashed masses. What a time saver!
Then I landed in Facebook and Instagram jail back in October 2024 for reasons unknown after 12 or so years of good behavior. Inexplicably, my access to Instagram was restored within a couple of weeks. Everything was fine everywhere else but something was missing; long-form expression. Hence this website.
Over the years I loaded Facebook with my thoughts and feelings documenting every high and low… triumph and tragedy…life and death…
I was often prolific and sometimes profound.
All of that very possibly gone forever. Fool me once, shame on me.. I won’t be fooled twice.
With Zuckerberg (and the other techno oligarchs) kissing Trump’s ring and Zuck’s related “kinder, gentler” Facebook I – just like President Trump – might be allowed back on Facebook.
And – just like Trump – I might choose not to return.
I’ll be republishing old history here but I won’t revise it. There’s a special place in hell for revisionists.
All due credit to Josh Levine of Josh.com for the idea of running this site. Josh is an old acquaintance from the Excelsior days who never bought in to social media and always marched to the beat of a different drummer.
