Surely I’ve waited long enough.

Training for secret agent status is not without its trials and tribulations. One day you’re in deep cover trying to infiltrate a Scandinavian arms deal, the next you’re gambling away blood and treasure at the Baccarat table. It’s about getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

So, a few months ago I decided it was time to prove my resolve. I needed to do something out of character; so against the grain that my mettle would be tested. I decided to delay gratification.

Patience, surely the lowest rung on the ladder of virtue, has never been a strong suit.

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I shot a handgun once before with some high school buddies and haven’t touched one since. At the time I couldn’t believe how easy it was to stroll into a gun range (if memory serves we were in Everett) and rent a few handguns for an hour. No one even asked me if I had ever fired a gun before.

My last formal class room, ironically enough, was a post grad product management program at Berkeley. Looking around the class room today, I don’t see anyone I would consider likely Berkeley alumni. My lasting image of the Berkeley campus was a student protest of the construction of a new football stadium. The new stadium required a few trees be cut down and that’s a Lindberg baby headline at Berkely. One student was living in a tree, complete with a pulley system for food and waste, for 100 plus days. Youth. Continue Reading