The Honorable Mr. Wagner?

Ahhhhhhhhh, it feels good to be 36. I have a whole new outlook on life.

In my mind, my birthday signifies the end of the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, my daughter's birthday, and New Year's all fall within about a six week period. Then my birthday wraps things up. It is significant, in that it's the last time I can take time off from my work without feeling like a slacker.

Funny thing about being self-employed -- though I can take time off any ol' time I want to, I find myself justifying it in my own mind much more than I did when I was working for someone else. Go figure. In fact, after four years of working for myself, I have discovered an absolute truth -- if everyone treated the business they work for as their own, and individual pay was truly reflective of this attitiude -- companies would look much different. Higher productivity, happier employees, happier owners (or shareholders), perhaps more vacation time as a result of higher productivity.

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I got a note this past week from my friend Doug Wagner. Doug and I worked at Rockwell Collins together for a short time before I went to New York Life and Doug became a cog in local government. With the changes in our local government structure that I've previously written of here, Doug has moved on, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's new in his life.

I mention Doug for two reasons. First, we share an enthusiasm for fantasy baseball, and Doug has been an Iowa Farm League participant for several years ...not a successful one, I might add :-)

The second is this .... When Doug left RC, he mentioned to me across the conference table in the mayor's office that if he ever was elected to a significant public office, he would tab me to be his communications guy. I haven't seen Doug's hat being tossed into any rings yet, so I'm not holding my breath. But should I see Mr. Wagner become the Honorable Mr. Wagner in any fashion, I guess I'll have to dust off my public speaking skills and find my hipwaders.

Lifelong friends know that when I was asked as a high school sophomore what I wanted to do when I grew up, it was to be the White House press secretary (that was before I realized I had to live in Washington DC to hold that job, and that the job only lasts for four years).

So, Doug, I'm still waiting for "the call." Until then, I'll focus on my business.