"I went into the Capitol yesterday with Sparrow. We visited with many of her old friends, went out to a couple of pubs, and had the first proper night out the two of us had had in many months. It was wonderful. But at the same time, it's a shame that we had to wait so long to have this kind of fun. I know it's not the fault of the City of Angels, but I can't help but blame the city for our isolation...
"I read an interesting article in the newspaper today. It confirmed something I long suspected about corporate businesses. The people who actually run most corporations don't even try to fill the role of a normal business owner. A business owner actually cares about growing a business over the long term, and watching it mature and expand under their vision. Most corporate CEO's and controlling chairman care only about quarterly stock gains or dividend payouts. Since stock price is controlled by public perception rather than actual performance, this certainly doesn't make for a healthy managerial environment. Actual performance is superceded by how well the facts are sold to the stockholders. Big decisions favor short-sighted gain, and employees are promoted according to their ability to sell themselves to the management. "Perhaps I might be a little bitter by my most recent encounter with this kind of a company. But, as much as I've read about managers doing horrible things in the name of power, I never expected to run into that kind of behavior so soon, and especially not while I was directly involved. "It's still kind of funny how people are blown away that bastards like this can actually function successfully in the business world. Of course, this is right before they share their own horror stories about getting felt up at their desk by their manager, or having their partner scare away their clients with shockingly bad behavior.
"Perhaps me setting up my own company to manage isn't such a bad idea after all. I could take lessons from all the nasty mistakes all my friends, family and colleagues made and turn them into a business strategy and corporate environment that rises above the petty abuses of power and mistreatment that runs rife through most of Corporate America and Britain.
"Ye Gods, I'm sounding like my brother!
"It's shocking how quickly I've been meeting people here, compared to the City of Angels. My brother told me a couple of weeks ago that he had experienced the same thing moving back east. He made friends at the coffee shop around the corner from his house, just like that. I made a friend on the bleedin train into the Capitol! Back in the City of Angels, this sort of thing just didn't happen. "I've spent so many years in a place where nobody trusts anyone, I almost don't know how to take it. I guess it's true-- you can get used to anything, as long as you don't think about it.
"It also occurred to me that Sparrow and I will now once again have separate social lives. This may sound strange, but it's going to be a weird transition. We've spent every free minute together since she moved in with me last December. I've actually kind of grown to love her always being right there with me. But I know she is still going to be there, so it'll be okay. "...Heh. I'll spare you the cheesy sentimentality her family has to put up with when they see the two of us together, but I do love my wife. I did bet on the right horse."