The sun was bright that Sunday morning. I showered, shaved and put on my selling suit and headed to Milwaukee's Eastside to show the vacuum of the future to my dear old friends Joe and Ani. We had an 8.30am appointment. I left with plenty of time, believing that my 7 years living in Milwaukee in the 90's was enough for me to remember where Newhall street was. As I cruised down Locust toward the lake I soon found I couldn't find it. I saw a couple out walking their dog asked for assistance. The one guy wasn't sure and his partner thought that if I drove the lake I would eventually cross it. I tried that and then like a flash it hit me - I remember Newhall, that kid Josh used to live their, it's on the west side of Oakland.

I arrived about 15min late and was greeted with coffee and smiles from Joe and Ani. This time we were about to share was as much about friendship as it was about business. They sat thru the presentation and enjoyed previewing the robotic space vac but like most of my friends, were in no position to purchase one. Having arrived late, and still not being completely proficient with the presentation, I was about to cut my next appointment with J and C in Shorewood close. I bid farewell and rushed out the door.

As I arrived in Shorewood the bright warming morning sun was being overtaken by grey. I proceeded to show Jeremy and Cory the vacuum in spite of the fact that they didn't have carpet. I was running out of steam. I had been at it for about 5 hours now. They sat through the demonstration and we compared and contrasted the way David Oreck did his on tv. It was nearing 1.30pm and they had visitors arriving shortly so I wrapped it up and rushed out so I could grab a morsel of food before my 2pm appointment on 17th street. In a rush I stepped out of character and stopped at MacDonalds for one of those 'snack wraps' - I guess their 'Holiday Hand Warmer' ad campaign got to me. A young African-American boy was standing behind the drive thru menu quietly asking for spare change. I gave him a dollar, got my snack wrap and wolfed it down, not tasting its delicate spices, as I drove west.