WELL, CRUD...

I should have known better than to think John could just ease himself out of his company and into retirement. He hasn't changed his mind, but I have a feeling it's going to be anything but easy.

You see, John has these two partners. They are polar opposites of each other in every way except one - they both want more than anything in the world "to be somebody." One is a power junkie, the other needs lots of bling to make him feel valuable. All John wants is for everyone to be happy. Sometimes the company rocks along OK for a while, but then partner #1 will come up with a new idea - the thing that is finally going to make them all rich, and crown him king of the world. He goes a little nutso when he latches onto something like this, and it never ends well. Last time he got them all ensnarled in a nasty lawsuit, which they won, in theory. However, we all know the attorneys are the only ones who really win in a situation like that.

Once they made it over that hurdle, things got back on a fairly even keel for a while. Idea Man had a new little project to obsess over, causing him to neglect the bread and butter side of their business, but at least it kept him out of John's hair. Gradually though, I think he began to realize that this one was never going to pan out either, and that John was really serious about retiring soon, because he seemed to be making a fast spiral down from his usual manic perch. Then along comes the call from BP, saying "Hey John. How about coming to lend us a hand for a few days?"

In no time at all Idea Man was back on his perch. This was it, man! The thing that would get him on the cover of Forbes, and make them all bazillionaires! He knows he's run out of time, too, so he's not gonna give up on this one. It's now, or never.

My gut tells me this is not going to end well. At all. Their attorney is feeling mighty chipper though!