A tale of two halves

What a tale of two halves. I started out very overwhelmed at work. I have so much to do, and so very little time to do it in. I thank God that we were able to make payroll this month. That gives us another month to scrounge up money. I think we’ll make it, but this is all part of what God spoke into my heart. I know He will make a way. I need to be out there making money, but instead, I find myself trying to finish off three projects at the same time, plus run a company. It’s a challenge. So I was in a really bad mood this afternoon. I was not snapping at people, but I was expressing my displeasure and disappointment in them. Now I was kind of gentle…but when you compare that with my normal jovial, encouraging self, its like a different creature overtook my body. I did apologize to the staff if I constructively criticized them a little too harshly. They took it well. The thing that set me off was my deal for the Funniest Person in Bahrain. I saw the deal proposal and it seems like we are going backwards. I went from 100% of the gate plus 10% of the bar to 75% of the gate with no bar, to finally 50% of the gate. Well…that really made me upset. We have a winner on our hands and suddenly everyone wants a slice. Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan. So I called up a few other venues today and was amazed at the response we got. Apparently we are a hot ticket and there are lots of places that would love to host our event. Its so nice to be wanted. It puts me in a much better negotiating position. I know we have a great product…that is going to explode. I can bring a lot to the table…so Im in an extreme advantage and Im not afraid to walk away. I’ve already walked away from the negotiating table once, and it felt great. What a rush. So Im prepared to do it again. I know whatever I choose I’ll come out ahead.

So that news really had me cranky. The impending deadlines didn’t help either. Plus I was fasting today, so that made me on the edge even more. After work I went to play the Iraqi, squash. Im so glad he’s back in Bahrain. He’s really my best friend. We have so many wonderful talks about life. Its strange that a 40 year old American male can be such great friends with a 55 year old Iraqi guy. After squash we went to two venues on my appointments pitching and negotiating potential deals for the “Funniest Person in Bahrain” he was amazed at that side of the entertainment business.

After the pitch we settled in a Bahraini coffee shop. There was so much shisha there. Now shisha is an interesting thing. Essentially it is fruit flavored tobacco smoked out of a water pipe, which is a giant bong. It is incredibly popular amongst the young people. There were shisha pipes everywhere. Neither Baraq and I smoke and we were bothered by the smell of the smoke, as there must have been 30 bongs going. But it didn’t smell smokey…it smelt more like burned fruit. Not a terrible aroma, but not inviting either. From the people that smoke shisha, apparently you do get a bit of a buzz. Now I have never done drugs, but from what Im told, shisha is like the in between of smoking a cigarette and marijuana. Apparently you smoke…but you don’t inhale. I just had a nice meal, and some great conversation with my now old friend. I really like Baraq’s wife Mayada too. She was living in England while Baraq and I lived in Saudi Arabia. They were separated for 3-4 years as she was waiting to get her British citizenship. Another interesting thing is that Baraq and Mayada are cousins. Its quite normal in the Middle East for cousins to marry. I think one of the reasons is the lack of dating. In Saudi Arabia it is forbidden for men and women who are not related to be alone together. It is a punishable and jailable offense. Many more conservative muslim countries also hold a similar stance. So if a young person can’t get to know a person of the opposite sex in a dating way, they will be much more familiar with their extended family members because they spent so much time together as they were raised. Its interesting that Baraq, who left Iraq when he was 19 as Saddam came to power in 1979, then lived for 20 years in the U.K. He always introduces himself as English, not from the U.K. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. I have to negotiate with my friend about the venue for Funniest Person. We are friends…but I have to look out for the company’s interest. It might get a little uncomfortable. But Im getting more and more comfortable in uncomfortable situations.