There is a Chinese restaurant right around the corner from The Madow Group office. Rich and I have literally been going there every Monday for lunch for at least the past fifteen years. Yes, that is FIFTEEN years. I would think it’s pretty safe to say we are two of the best customers in the history of the restaurant.

About seven years ago, Rich and I came in for lunch and told Andy, the maitre d’ of our favorite China Moon, that we would need to use a slightly larger table that day since we were having a business meeting and hence we had a lot of material to lay out on the table and review. Andy asked us how many more people were coming and we said it’s just the two of us. He quickly snapped back with “No large table for you… you must have four people for large table.”

Now let me tell you, as great as the food is at China Moon, they certainly are not packed with a lunch crowd. I would say on average, there are three other tables occupied during lunch in what is actually a fairly large restaurant. So it was not a crowd or a space issue that we could not sit at a larger table.

So we began to question Andy about why we could not sit at a larger table. “Do you know how much it costs to clean tablecloth on large table?” he said. Actually I had no flippin’ idea, nor did I care. “TWO DOLLARS,” he said. “Do you know how much it costs to clean tablecloth on small table? ONE DOLLAR.”

“And if I give YOU a large table, EVERYONE here will want large table!”

Rich and I just looked at each other in disbelief. I then said to Andy “Look, we are probably two of the best customers in this restaurant. Why can’t you do this for us today?”

“You are good customer, not best,” he quickly fired back.

“What do you mean? Why aren’t we the best customers? We have been coming every Monday for years, and sometimes we come two or three times a week. Looking around here, it certainly doesn’t look like there are too many better customers.”

“You two are good tippers. But some customer tip 100%. They are best customer.”

At this point, Rich and I are thinking WTF? Do we give Andy the finger and just go somewhere else? Well, Kim the waitress is so nice, the food is great and Sonny Lees, our favorite place is not open on Monday. So we just bit the bullet, sat down, conducted our business and had our lunch at the small cramped table.

Now over the years, Rich and I have continued to have problems with Andy at China Moon. There have been many instances where we have asked for a larger table to do our work, and he has repeatedly refused. Actually, a couple of months ago we had a lunch meeting scheduled with Richard Train (our general manager) and Harry Marsteller (our Promail manager). So Rich and I got there first and requested a large table.

“How many people you have?” said Andy.

“We have two more coming, so that will make four.”

“Where are they? I don’t see anyone,” said Andy.

“They’re coming, I promise,” I said.

“You sit there at big table. But you BETTER have four!”

So we sat down and in a few minutes Richard Train arrived without Harry. As it turned out, Harry could not make it so we were left with only three. The entire time we ate, Andy was pacing back and forth giving us very dirty looks. We could tell he wanted to say something to us but did not. It was a very uncomfortable situation.

But Rich and I continued to go on Mondays and give this place business. Why? Convenience and habit I guess. Also, Andy is not the owner. The owner is a very nice guy who does not speak a lot of English. That’s what makes this whole situation so difficult. If Andy owned the joint, we would have been gone years ago!

A short time ago Rich and I were back with six people. Several were business associates from out of town. As soon as we walked in, we told Andy that we needed a large table. Right in front of our guests, Andy began scolding us, telling us that we tricked him last time and we would never be able to trick him again He compared us to the boy who cried wolf. He allowed us to conduct our meeting at the large table that day, but I doubt we’ll ever go back to China Moon again! Thanks for your help over the years Andy! We’ll miss you.

OK, I know I have promised to give you some great things this year that will make you healthier, happier and richer. But something has come up that is so bizarre, that I must tell you! It occurred while attending a Baltimore Ravens football game.

I normally try to stay out of the men's room during halftime since it's generally made up of wall to wall drunken loud fans. I did have to go to the men's room, but I was able to hold off until the third quarter, hoping the crowd would be a little less. So picture this... in the bathroom there were many urinals (yeah ladies, that's the stand up version of the toilet) and many people in line at each one. As I normally do, I waited patiently trying to simply mind my own business. The men's room is not the place where I try to make friends or get into converstaions.

As much as I tried to keep to myself, I couldn't help notice that a guy in the next line was holding two very large slices of pizza. Not that I really cared, but I was pretty damn curious as to how this guy was going to juggle everything once he got to the front.

The lines were moving, but kind of slowly. Five to ten minutes went by. It was almost my turn. Next thing I know, the guy with the pizzas gets to the front of his line and apparently doesn't think he can handle things so easily. So believe it or not, he turns right towards me and asks me if I would mind holding the pizzas.

Being caught off guard, I really had no response other than "Sure... I guess."

So I was holding these two damn pizzas while this guy was emptying his bladder. Seemed like forever. He must have been drinking beer the entire first half. My opportunity to get to the front came and went. I missed out.

Finally my new friend finished his business. He turned around to face me and I handed him back his pizzas. He thanked me.

Bizarre but TRUE!!!

OK, I'll be back soon with a moneymaker for you!

I am typing this blog on my brand new beautiful black MacBook. I have been into personal computing since about 1987 and this is the first Mac I have ever owned. Well, not exactly true if you count the one I have been knocking around with at my office. But so far, I gotta tell you... I love it!

Why a Mac and why now?

I'm not exactly sure.

Well, I think there are three main reasons.

First of all, I have been getting back into doing some design work. That's right, as hard as we try here, I cannot seem to find someone that I would call a great graphic designer. I've seen a lot of OK designers, but no one unbelievable has come along (except for my buddy Guillermo down in Argentina). So yes, I have been messing around with Adobe InDesign that it is installed on our Macs at the office. So it just made sense that if I were to be doing some work at home or at my Florida office, I would need a Mac with Adobe InDesign installed on it!

Secondly, getting this brand new beautiful black laptop probably had something to do with my extreme love of iPods, and the next logical step in the progression would be to own an actual Apple computer!

Thirdly, as "part owner" of Apple Computer for quite some time now (that's right... I own a few shares!), I felt as if it were my duty to buy my own products!

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the feel of this little machine. I can't put the reason into words but I love it! It's like I've entered a new stage of life!

Will I get rid of my Windows machines?

No way... I can't. I have too many of them and too much time invested in knowing them backwards and forwards! Our entire network at The Madow Group is Windows based (except for two Macs). And I have no problem with Windows.

It's just that maybe I like this new toy a little better!

Well, another year has come and gone. I hope 2006 was a good one for you and I hope 2007 will be even better. This will be a real short one today. I just wanted to tell you that I have some great things in store for you this year. If you read Dave's Weekly Feed in 2007, you will feel much better about yourself, you will be healthier, you will be richer, and you will be happier! So please stay tuned. Check back often!