This is a simple law of nature, but one which is very handy:

A human will find it easy to believe what the human would like to believe.

That’s it.

In others, when presenting an idea, if you want it accepted, then express it in a way that they would like it to be true. “Now this snake oil may not make you look like Robert Redford, but it will help to bring out the handsome devil you really are inside.”

In yourself, always be chary of thinking you’ve got it right, just because you’d like it to be that way. And if you’d really, really like it to be that way, check your facts twice!

Knowing this important secret of the universe, go forth and prosper.

January 1975. I lived in a studio apartment above 3rd Avenue in San Francisco, just north of Golden Gate Park. There I started a little bookeeping business, and charged $8 per hour, big money. I called it ‘Simple Simon Bookeeping.’

It was a nice little occupation, although annoying in that people tended to call me either ‘Simon’ or ‘Simple’.

It came about in an odd way …

I had decided to become a “freelance” bookkeeper. A library book (1937) from the San Francisco library made it seem clear enough. But how to proceed?

One night about 1 am, sanding mahogany shelving I’d made for my studio apartment on Third Avenue, I was listening to the radio. The radio DJ was talking about recipes.

I called in my Texas Chili recipe, and speaking later with him told him my plan. I don’t remember why. Maybe he asked me.

It turns out, he’s got a friend named Alan, an accountant, and he suggested I go see Alan for guidance. I made an appointment, and explained my plan. My plan was to:

1) Find a client;
2) Get the records from the client;
3) Bring the records to Alan’s office;
4) Pay Alan to show me how to do the books.

Alan said he liked the plan. So that’s what I did.

I put up one handwritten poster in the stairwell at City Lights Bookstore in North Beach. What a dumb place! How ignorant to think that one poster would work!

Then, the next week, Phil Groves called me. He’d seen my poster at City Lights Bookstore. He was starting an ice-cream shop. Could I do their books?

We met at the college cafeteria, because I wanted someplace upscale. Alan had given me a list of what records to ask for, and I’d asked Phil to bring all those things.

Phil asked, “Can you do this? Can you do that?”

I nodded, “No problem. No problem.”

Phil asked, “How much?”

“Eight dollars an hour.”

He agreed.

He gave me all the records.

I went to Alan’s office. Alan showed me how to keep the books. It was simpler than the 1937 library book made out.

Then I was in the bookkeeping business.

So Simple.

That’s me.

This is a simple law of nature, but one which is very handy:

A human can comprehend approximately two numbers.

That’s it.

Don’t ever offer a bunch of numbers to a human at the same time. Try to offer only two numbers at any one time. Feel like a wild, risk-taking kind of guy? OK, offer three numbers at a time. Beyond that? A waste of time.

Knowing this important secret of the universe, go forth and prosper.

You wouldn’t know, of course, but Adrienne is very allergic to poison oak. And we live in San Anselmo, in what’s called the Valley of the Oaks. Ignorant me, I didn’t know that poison oak is related to oak trees, found around oak trees, maybe is some kind of evil-spirited oak tree, I dunno. Duh!

It appears that one of her dogs got into poison oak, and then applied liberal doses to her body. It was painful just to look at, and she was clearly itching out of her skin for about a week. But now …

It seems much improved, thank you very much.

We hired a fellow to cut it all out of the back yard. Costly. Haven’t seen him since. Hope he’s OK.

We’re moving. I’ve had it with this place. Poison oak … it’s for the birds. Strickly from hunger. Adios I say. Bring on those tall pines for us city slickers. Coming right up!

Searching a method permitting BlogBoys users to edit their AboutMe, I was hunting a php programmer. A Nucleus forum visitor pointed me toward a free script to do the job, and once downloaded and installed, it’s great and it’s terrible.

It’s great because I can copy the script anywhere into html space, then browse there, and presto I can see inside most any folder on the server. In any folder world-writable, I can copy files, make links to files, delete files, edit files. Neat.

It’s terrible because, if I can do it, anybody can do it. Getting into a previously ‘secured’ folder and stealing the credit-card number proved way easy. If I can’t throttle this boy into acting with some restraint, he’s outta here!

Adrienne brought them in when returning from dogsitty Izzy. Clearly I’m going all to hell here.