About my friend Sami and Me…

 About my friend Sami and Me…

Old friends have been calling me lately, and I don’t really know why.

This time it was Sami. We talked for a while, and I kept asking him about his life, but he replied that my life was much more interesting than his—that he still "works for the man." The little he shared about himself was actually the best part: he’s a grandfather now, spent some time in Miami to meet his grandchild, and is looking for ways to spend more time there.

I met Sami many years ago when he was in charge of machine maintenance for all Bally Total Fitness locations nationwide. I built a custom program for him, and he gave me an engraved plaque to thank me—the only time in my life I’ve ever received something like that. We became good friends after that. When Bally went out of business, he moved to GE, and now he’s at a new job.

We joke about how every time we hear about a shooting, the first thing we think is, "I hope it wasn't an (Arab or Mexican)..."

Even though he was born in the US, he still isn't a typical gringo. His parents left him and his siblings a house in Cairo. When he got back from his trip, the first thing he said was, "Remember how they claim they don't profile?... THEY DO."

Sami loves Mexico so much that he bought a beautiful apartment in Tulum. We talk all the time about going together one day...

As for me... well, that was the main chunk of our conversation.

• Frijolitos currently has 500 users, which basically means zero. People started asking me about adding betting features. Even though I figured the answer was no, I asked Claude if we could integrate betting into Frijolitos. The answer was "kind of." Casinos use third-party games for gambling; as Claude explained, you don’t go to the casino, the casino comes to your server. I describe it as having a casino frame with Frijolitos acting as the paint. It’s no easy task, and that’s why...

• I paused PassOnThat—my "no scrolling, just swiping" app running on Android, iOS, and Firestick—just while I was expanding it to Roku, Apple TV, and Google TV.

• I slowed down communication with Hong Kong to pitch the Mensa Gathering Schedule.

• I put a hold on contacting regional newspapers to offer my columns.

• I stopped working on my appointment app for hairdressers and barbers, even though it's almost finished.

• I stopped promoting Días que cuentan, a free app for members of 12-step programs.

• I almost completely stopped painting.

• And the book hasn't even been started yet.

On top of that I am waiting for the second meeting with Mensa pitching MensaPicks … long story 

And on top of that…. I AM HAPPY