Horse Trading

I am not political. And by that I don't mean I don't care about Politics - the government kind -which I do. Nor do I mean I am politically incorrect, because sometimes I do remember all the things Mark has told me I am NOT allowed to say in public. He has worked hard to equip me with some semblance of a warning system, so that I no longer tell people how strange I think that dog in their stroller is. What I am really talking about is that I am not politically savvy.

This should not be confused with networking. I am the Queen of networking. Yet, somehow my wise choices in cultivating people who could help me, doesn't seem to extend into my actual daily life. Simply put, I know what needs to be done, why don't people just get the hell out of my way so that I can do it?

Now as you can imagine this is not always the best strategy to take. In fact, a good friend once told me that if I was any of the five Captains in Star Trek, I was Captain Sisko. In a nut shell, Picard was the Renaissance Man, Kirk the Ladies man and Sisko the man's man. In one episode he punched out Q, an omnipotent busybody, who had Picard endlessly playing cat and mouse.

At first I was upset. I was sure I was Picard. How could he say I wasn't? Then it started to dawn on me, I probably would have punched Q too. And unlike Picard I talk over people, I don't usually exercise diplomacy, at least in a meaningful way; and I certainly don't come off as strong and self righteous. Mostly, I come off as obstinate and pushy, with some flashes of OCD.

But what does all that mean? It means I am no good a horse trading. I am and have always been abrasive. I shoot from the hip, and want to drink with people who do as well. I don't hold back and I find people who do creepy in an alien life form type of way, and not in the cute ET alien way. I really hate scheming, but I have plans A through D for every occasion. Why? Because those who fail to plan plan to fail. Finally, I hate to eat crow. Yet, through a sheer force of will I continuously repeated the mantra: mmm, mmmm, mmmm I love crow! And this has helped me to step forward, be a bigger person and take responsibility when things have gone wrong. Even in those instances where I was not responsible. In those case I just image the person responsible is being eaten alive by Velociraptors.

And that is why I will always be Captain Sisko and not Captain Picard. But can that be so bad? I mean he did make it to Captain didn't he?