Feeling a bit of insomnia tonight, so I figured I'd share a little non-political late-night story for anyone who's interested...or who's been in a similar situation.
........
About 15 years ago, when I was in my mid-20's, an old high school friend called me up out of the blue. We hadn't seen each other since college, so it was great to hear from him. He said he was in town, wanted to get together that evening and catch up, etc etc.
I said sure, and assumed that it would be a casual thing--a couple of old friends going to the bar to have a few beers and celebrate old times.
When he showed up at my apartment, he was dressed in a business suit...with his wife by his side (he hadn't mentioned he was bringing her), who was also dressed to kill in a formal evening gown. Nothing wrong with that, just very unexpected and odd. Both had what I felt was a slightly disturbing look in their eyes.
They insisted on driving, which was fine too, even though I'd offered and knew the area better.
When we got to the bar, he spent a lot of time asking very personal questions about my career, goals, etc--far more in-depth than the occasion called for. "Are you happy with where your life is?"...that sort of thing.
Every time he made a point, his wife agreed emphatically, even when the topic didn't really call for it.
He was clearly winding things up for a proposition of some sort, with his wife playing backup.
At that point, I suspected what was up, and asked him flat-out:
"So, are you an Amway distributor or something?"
And sure enough, that was the deal. He confessed that he was hoping to get me involved as an Amway rep.
I'm not going to get into a debate about whether Amway is a legit operation or a ponzi scheme (it's been walking a tightrope between the two for decades). If he's making a decent living, I wish him well.
However, what I didn't appreciate was being, essentially, set up by someone who I had once considered a good friend.
And that's what it was:
--He brought his wife to back up his sales pitch and act as a distraction (she was, indeed, a beautiful lady).
--They were formally dressed to put themselves in a position of relative power vs. my casual dress.
--They insisted on driving so they'd have a captive audience.
Perhaps he really did want to get together for old times as well, but any sincerity was squashed by the hard sell.
In any event, that's the last time I saw him or his wife, and that's the reason I've never contacted him via Facebook or other social networking outlets.
Hmmm...ok, I guess this is slightly political-related, since Dick "Amway" DeVos ran against Jennifer Granholm for Michigan Governor 4 years ago.
Or the fact that DeVos and his wife, Betsy, have spent millions of dollars trying to ram through school voucher programs, to the point that the state of Ohio had to fine their PAC over $5 million for violating campaign finance laws.
Oh, yeah, and because Dick DeVos' brother-in-law, Eric Prince, just happens to be the founder and sole owner of a little company you know as Blackwater, nee "Xe".
OK, no, none of that is relevant to the point of the story. Sorry, just very late, very tired and very depressed at the moment. I hadn't thought about this story in a long time, and just felt like sharing it.