The Contract - Chapter 3

David stood there, staring at the overpriced cheese puffs at the Sinclair convenience store. He had a weak spot for chips and in an attempt to "fix" this unhealthy habit, Annie always made him pay at the pump with a credit card when they were together. However, when he filled up on the way home, he never missed a chance to come inside to buy a few bags of the "Scorchin Hot Sauce Cheese Puffs". David glanced at his watch. 7:32. Wow, he was running later then he had realized. He grabbed a bag and went to the register. The total came $54.73. Months ago, the number would have made him slightly nauseous. Now, knowing the status of his bank account, he smiled at the Sinclair employee and headed to the car. He hung the gas pump back up, crinkled up the receipt that dangled from the printer, and climbed into his Volvo. Knowing the time, he knew he better call Annie and let her know that he was nearly home. He reached for his phone on the front seat and his hand came up empty. He turned on the overhead light and looked around. David was sure he had been tossed his phone onto the passenger seat when he climbed into the car leaving the office. He fumbled around, wedging his hand between the center console and the seat. Nothing. He leaned over the front seat and peered under. Still no sign of his phone. Leaning back in his seat, he let out a big sigh and turned the key. He felt confident that he would have better luck looking when he got back to the house. He pulled out onto Highway 41 and speed toward home.

David thought back on his recent accomplishments. He was overly excited and appreciative in regards to his newfound fortune. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake a bad feeling about Grant Verneer. He and Grant had started the cellular encryption process together 3 years ago. Grant had been the one to pose the idea as well as fund the project. David had simply been the "brains" that made the project move. He was always amazed that whenever he asked Grant for additional funds, he was never denied. As more progress was made, Grant became more lavish with his money and had no intention of hiding it. The peculiar thing was that, although Grant seemed to be getting richer with the day, the project had yet to produce so much as a dime in profit. The funds were originally obtained through an Angel Investor out of Santa Monica California. A guy named Craig Lawrence, one of the few lucky beneficiaries from the dot com bubble. However, paying Grant or David had not been part of the original funding agreement. David had become suspicious that Grant was filtering funds from the project into his personal bank account. His obnoxious way of living, filled with women and alcohol, cars and vacations, was starting to wear on David. This coupled with the secrecy of how Grant was able to maintain such a lifestyle finally caused David to push Grant for answers. It had been on a Thursday morning over coffee. Grant responded with the same response he always gave, "David, you know my grandfather left me in great shape. If you need more money for the project, just let me know. Don't worry about the trivial matters of my personal life" David pried further which resulted in Grant cursing at him, causing a scene in the coffee shop, and taking off. Since that day, Grant had been around very little. Although he wasn't exactly missed, his absence was somewhat alarming to David.

David was approaching White Pine Drive when a large SUV came screeching around the corner. David jerked the steering wheel to the right and was able to avoid a head on collision but slammed into the curb as a result. There was a loud pop sound and it was quickly apparent that the impact caused an explosion in the front right tire. David threw the car in park and cursed repeatedly at the lunatic driver who David could see in his rear view mirror disappearing into the darkness. There were only 5 houses on White Pine Drive and he was determined to find out which of those neighbors was associated with this driver. David reached into his pocket for his phone to ring Annie and only then remembered it was missing. David reached back into the car and turned the engine off. He then locked the car and headed down the street to his house. He knew it was better to get home and let Annie know the situation rather then spending another 20 minutes trying to replace the popped tire. Little did David know that the SUV that nearly killed him moments before was also carrying his unconscious wife in the back seat.

The Contract - Chapter 2

Annie's hand stopped just as her fingers touched the phone. She froze. The cacophony that had just filled the room stopped just as abruptly as it had all started. Goosebumps surfaced all over her body. She gasped for air and realized she had forgot to breathe. She let her hand grasp the cell phone and then fumbled in an attempt to dial David. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Her throat went tight as she heard the call answered to the sound of a low breathing on the other end of the call. "David!", she screamed into the phone. The breathing stopped. "David where are you!?" Then she heard a snap, like the sound of a branch breaking from a tree after an ice storm. She not only heard the sound in the phone but she heard it emanate through the room. It came from the bottom of the stairs. She tried to think but she felt like a fog had just settled in over her mind. She stumbled backward against the counter and reached for some sort of weapon to wield in self defense. She grabbed the potato masher she had been using for the dinner. She flung it across the room toward the stair well. Somehow, despite her trembling arm, she managed to land the masher in the stairwell where it bounced down the wood stairs before reaching the bottom. Annie turned and found the closest knife, a 8 inch flat bladed knife she had used to dice the carrots.

She slouched to the floor, using the counter top and surrounding cabinets as a barrier between her and the stairwell. She sat there for what felt like days but in reality was probably no more then 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes the only sound she heard was her own heart beating in her chest. What if David was injured? Was he being held hostage? What if he was lying on the driveway bleeding to death? Panic surged through her body and she realized she had to move. She had to find David. She started crawling through the kitchen toward the living room at the front of the house, hoping to get a view of the driveway from the bay windows. Her heart told her to run to the windows but her brain forced her to a slow crawl. She neared the hallway where she finally stood up, back flat against the kitchen wall. She peered around the corner and nothing appeared out of place. She started down the hall and had just reached the living room when the lights behind her went off. She swirled around and before she could see what was happening felt a blow to the side of her head. She didn't know what had hit her but an excruciating pain shot through her ear and down her neck. The blow caused her to stumble and her one foot caught the edge of the step into the living room and she fell backward onto the antique coffee table. Two of the table legs snapped upon impact and the table toppled over, flinging her helpless body into the base of the sofa. Blood was now running down the side of her face from the blow to the head and she tried to regain her feet to retreat but was overcome from behind by a strong arm that wrapped around her shoulders, pressing tightly into her neck. Then the tip of a needle sank into her shoulder, just above the clavicle. It felt like warm syrup had been injected into her skin and she couldn't think. Annie's world went dark.

The Contract

Annie pulled her hand back quickly. She nearly let out an expletive but had made it a new years resolution to clean up her rough tongue, something she had learned from her coal mining father. The water heater in the house was the original when the house was built in the 1930's. It worked extremely well, too well in moments like this when warm water would be preferable over scalding hot water. Annie rinsed her hands for a minute in the cold water and then dried them on the front of her apron. She looked out the window above the sink and could see the lighthouse in the distance.

Being a girl from North Dakota, she often wondered how she had ended up in Maine. Sometimes she felt like a stranger here in New England, despite having left North Dakota over 18 years ago. It wasn't that she held a particular fondness for that flat and uninspiring state, it was simply "home". Her parents along with 2 of her 3 brother still lived on the family property near Mercer. She glanced at the clock. It was 7:18 and David should have been home by now. He usually called when he was passing the Sinclair but tonight he hadn't phoned. The Shepherd's Pie was just about done, the cheese turning a golden brown around the edges. It smelled comforting and she was proud of herself for not allowing their recent wealth to make her lazy and order out every night. David had begun work 3 years previous on a device that would allow voice encryption over cell towers at an impressive 512k. The government was informed and took interest in the chip. This led to a formal invitation to present in D.C. and after 2 weeks of negotiations, David sold the technology to the Department of Defense for 12 million dollars. The contract required David to stay involved in the transition and implementation of the technology for the ensuing 18 months. After which, David would be free and had promised to take her to Europe for the summer.

She had dreamed of floating down the canals of Venice and watching a firework show at the Eiffel Tower. It would be very unique to vacation together, just the two of them, and not have a single worry about money. She had always been so frugal, mostly a result of her low income upbringing, and now she didn't have to worry. She heard the old automatic garage door open and was relieved that David was home. She started toward the stairs to the garage when she heard her cell phone ringing from the counter. She headed back to answer it when the home phone rang. Almost instantaneously the door bell rang and a knock came at the back door. Then the sound from the garage door opening suddenly stopped. Annie froze and chills shot up her spine. Something very wrong was happening at 2564 White Pine Drive. She reached for her cell phone and as soon as she did everything went silent.

The Beginning

The morning rain had drenched the city and the lines in the sidewalk lines were still dark. The sun had since burst through the heavy clouds and the heat from the July summer day was amplified by the extra dose of humidity. I walked more carefully this morning. Yesterday I nearly lost my big toe nail in a battle of toe vs. rough concrete. My mind felt refreshed. It had been months since I had slept that long. The job at Drisden Investments had been rewarding financially but draining in most all other aspects of my life. The job finally made possible the relocation from the musty apartment on 9th Street to the more spacious and airy condo on 2nd Street and Bentley. The real benefit gleaned from working so much was that I had very little time to spend at the new pad.

It was beneficial in that the place felt lonely since Stacey moved out. Stacey was the dream girl that I had met at the Fieldhouse during my Senior year at Columbia. We happened to both be looking for a tennis partner and soon the tennis games lead to getting drinks together and after about 5 months she moved in. Now, 2 years later, my days were mundane without her. I never thought I'd miss the sound of the blow dryer at 5 A.M. but now I'd give anything to be woken up by her getting ready for the day. One could argue that the relationship decayed slowly over multiple weeks but to me it felt abrupt, like that terrible feeling of rear ending the car in front of you. It happened on a night when I came home late. Of course I was late,I had been putting in extra hours almost every night, anxious to obtain the next promotion. I found her sitting at the kitchen table. She looked different. Her hair was pulled up and she wore no makeup. To me she looked absolutely gorgeous. In fact, everytime I saw her like this it reminded me of the first day we met. Except that day she had just finished the running on the treadmill and was red in the face and wet with sweat. Stacey was also staying fit and whenever I started to think I was in really good shape, she would quickly remind me how far I had to go. Tonight, however, the care-free smile she once carried, was now replaced with a blank stare. A blank face, like a mime. I knew something was seriously wrong. I hung my laptop bag on the hook by the door and swung the door closed behind me. I think in my unease from the situation I pushed harder then was necessary and the door slammed shut with a thud. At least the door closed without applying a heavy shoulder to it and pulling up on the door handle. Then again, this place did cost $475,000 so it better have a door that will close without great physical involvement. She didn't seem to notice the bang. And then, it really was over, practically before it began. She stood up, wrapped her arms around my neck, told me she needed something new, and was gone. My heart told me to run after her but my brain was stuck. It was like the gray matter had been sloshed against my ivory skull and the result was a tidal wave of confusion. I stood still for probably 10 minutes. My feet felt cemented to the floor and my eyes were having a hard time focusing. I closed my eyes and that only made matters worse. The dizziness was overwhelming and I collapsed in a heap on the hardwood floor.

Tears didn't come. At least not that night. Nor the next in fact. I went 2 weeks before I came home, called out her name, and realized she REALLY was gone. Even that annoying Yorkie I had threatened to drop kick at least once a week now felt missing. I busied myself with other things. I took up painting again but that didn't seem to help. I rode the stationary bike until my quads would spasm. I started watching cooking shows on cable television. And then I started spending money. A lot of it. Didn't matter if it was wanted or needed, I bought it; New computer, tv, summer clothes, flip flops, etc.

That's where I was headed now in fact. To buy something. I wasn't sure what but I had a feeling that the heat would influence the decision. I was now nearing the street market that dominated Donovan Avenue from about 11th to 14th every Saturday morning. Then I heard and felt it. The crackling of brick being blown to pieces and the bits of plaster and brick being sprayed into my face. It was then I realized that the bullet had graced my ear, instantly flowing down my shoulder and arm. This would be alarming except for the realization that I had just been 2 inches away from having my head become a splatter of graffiti on the wall. After 15 years, 3 countries, and 2 different names, I had been tracked down. The impossible had been accomplished. I was back on the dart board and I had a feeling they didn't want to fail again.

To buy or Not to Buy: Part 2

Provided by Mint.com

What to Buy!?

I want these three things right now. Which should I get?

1. The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones. HERE.

2. The Smith Broadcast Prescription Eyeglasses. HERE.

3. The Lebron 8 V/2. HERE.

So, what do I choose? Comment below!

Oh The Places I Want to Go!

Places I want to travel this year(or in the very near future):

Sweden

The reason for this: I love cold Scandinavian countries. Ok, actually, I want to visit the Morace and Julie Ann clan.

Next: Belize.

The caption for this photo says, "Imagine awakening with your loved one as the sun rises over the Caribbean." Can do.

While I'm in the area, I might as well hit up El Vecino: Guatemala

But I also really want to see my friends in the Dominican Republic:

And I've never been to Maui:

And to stay a little closer to open, I want to experience the marvelous Lake Powell!

And do The Subway:

And spend a few nights in the Uinta Mountains:

Who wants to join?

STOP!

I worked 13 hours last night. Then I stopped and fixed a friend's alarm system. By that time we we had passed the 11 PM mark. I couldn't go home because of a wood floor fix. So Sam and Chelsea kindly obliged to let me crash on the couch. I was driving up 1300 S, a bit tired, but content, when next thing I knew I had sirens in my rear view mirror. I hadn't been speeding so I was excited; the thrill of finding out what menial law had been violated. Had I ran someone over? Maybe a cat or a raccoon? Had I driven too close to the curb? The middle line? And then panic: Had they finally caught onto my late night prostitution? Oh no! The officer approached. Asked me for the usual: Driver's License, proof of insurance, registration, and a Virginia Slim. I was able to provide 75% of requested items.(Will not disclose which 3) The cop then, seeing the fear in my eyes, informed me that I had been pulled over for not coming to a complete stop.

Oh dear! How could I? Once a law abiding citizen, in mere seconds I had become a hardened criminal, a menace to society, a threat to the population, a danger to the masses. The rape, drug use, theft, domestic violence, drunk driving, indecent exposure, reckless driving can go on. But the failure to fully halt at a 4 way stop on an abandoned street, this must stop. Think of the fatalities, injuries, repercussions, heartache, and loss that most likely occurred from my claimed infraction. Tears welled up in my eyes out of the shame I felt. My pulse sank to a mere 74/23 as depression and guilt overwhelmed my soul.

But wait? I had stopped. I hadn't blitzed that stop sign. There was a car I had pulled up next to. We hung out at that white line together before he went right and I proceeded straight. Hmm... So what if the cop was just upset that my car hadn't been washed in months? Maybe he had just failed for the 20th straight time on the same Angry Birds level. Maybe he was thinking about the recent streak of losses by the Jazz and Utes. Maybe he was imagining what it would have been like to be in Egypt without internet for 5 days? Maybe he had tried to order his Verizon iPhone on his dinner break and realized they were already sold out? So maybe I was the scape goat? The truly innocent citizen, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like the innocent gazelle who happened to meander down to the river to quench its thirst only to be at the wrong river bend at the wrong time and find itself feet up, head down the alligator's throat.

So I had a decision to make. Did I get out of the car and challenge the officer to a smack-down, a thumb war, or break dance competition? I quickly determined that this was a bad idea. Leaving your vehicle during a moment like this was always frowned upon and interpreted as a sign of hostility and defiance. So i abated my desire for a game of paper-rock-scissors and waited patiently. The officer returned after some delay to proudly hand me a citation. As he handed me the citation, I noticed him quickly wiping what appeared to be ketchup off his fingers and onto his fine pressed navy slacks. Wait a second? He'd been back there eating Wendy's Sea Salted Fries this whole time? My paper had dark spots from where the sodium content had soiled the starch on the ticket. Next thing I knew, he was throwing up the peace sign and parting ways with a simple, "Ten cuidado Justino, tu salvacion esta en juego." Jaw dropped and stunned, like a deer in headlights, I slide the ticket onto the floor, the shifter into drive, and eased my way back onto the road and into society, Heaven alone knowing the who the real violator in the situation was.

3G, 4G, what G do I need?

I'm a nut for technology. I love the stuff. I love following people who tweet about it. I love subscribing to blogs in my Google reader that discuss it. I spend my days troubleshooting windows based machines. At nights and on weekends I talk Mac. In all of this and being that we are 1 week from the launch of the iPhone 4 on Verizon, I felt it pertinent to write a blog post about something many people seem to be either curious or confused about: 3G vs. 4G.

First, it should be made clear that cell phone manufacturers and carriers have done us no favor in the use of the terms 3G and 4G. The use of 3's and 4's crops up nearly everywhere, so what does it all mean?

Smartphones connect to the internet. However, unlike the majority of people's computers in their homes, which connect to the internet through a DSL or Cable connection, smartphones connect to the internet through cellular towers. Cellular towers were originally used for the transmission of voice but our unprecedented need to always be connected caused a conversion to occur so that data(internet) transfer could occur as well.

For most people, and we will keep this simple, Edge(2G) was probably the first cellular internet standard you may have heard of. This is what the original iPhone used and it was PAINFULLY slow. So let's not worry too much about that.

Next came 3G (which really just means 3rd Generation). This is the technology that ALMOST everyone who has a smartphone is taking advantage of. So, to clarify some confusion, the iPhone 3G(released Summer of 2008), the iPhone 3GS(released summer of 2009) and the iPhone 4(released summer of 2010 on AT&T and February 10th of 2011 on Verizon) ALL use the 3G network. The iPhone 4 is not a 4G phone, it is simply the 4th generation OF THE iPhone.

For about a year now, we have been seeing Sprint's advertisements for "4G". Now Verizon and T-Mobile have followed suit. Expect AT&T to be right behind.

I'm going to try and give a very basic explanation here.

The biggest difference for users between 3G and 4G is going to be speed. But the main point I want to make in this article is this: Do you even know what speeds you are getting? When was the last time you used the Speedtest.net application on your Android or iPhone? The reality of it is, people just like things to work. They want to click on the Facebook App and have it show their news feed. Or they want to open the weather app and see if they need to wear a jacket. MOST users aren't cursing the air because they are getting 1 MBPS compared to 1.3 MBPS. Most users in fact probably have no idea what that means except that the 1.3 is probably faster and better. And that's OK not to know or care! If you do care, here's John Gruber's comparison of the iPhone 4 on AT&T compared to Verizon:

Ok, so back to our discussion. Yes 4G is faster. Yes Facebook will load a bit more quickly. So will you end up wanting/using/needing 4G? Yes. Do you need it right now? Probably not. Think of it as the very first of the HDTV craze. Manufacturers were selling HDTVs before we even had our cable companies broadcasting in HD.

So many Verizon customers are anxious and excited to finally get the iPhone but then they hear, "It doesn't have 4G." What!? No 4G!? Psh, must be a bunch of garbage! "Maybe I should wait!?" Wrong. Most of the cellular companies are still in the early stages of rolling out their 4G network. Verizon doesn't even have 4G in Salt Lake City, let alone Bountiful. (ok, it's at the Airport). Nor do they even have any 4G phones for sale at this time. In fact, here is where they do have 4G coverage:

Will it be here 18 months from now? Yes. Will you be ready for a new iPhone in about 18-24 months? Yes.

So if you are the type that had to have a blu ray player before everyone did, already has a 3D HDTV, and has placed your order for the Nissan Leaf, then you probably won't want to buy the iPhone 4 next Thursday. However, if you are part of the majority, the iPhone 4 is going to be an amazing phone that you will absolutely love! Even if it's not "4G" ;)

To Buy or Not to Buy

Interest rates are low. The housing market is flooded with foreclosures, short sales, and other sales. I'm 24 and working full time (58 hours is full time, right?) so I started thinking about buying a home.

Then I spoke with Spence. He's a very smart, rational human being. We discussed the pros and cons of buying a home.

Here are some of the costs associated with owning a home:

1. Mortgage Payment

2. Home Insurance

3. Property Taxes

4. Water and Sewer

5. Heat/Cooling

6. Internet and TV

7. Furniture and Appliances.

8. Lawn Care

9. Upkeep and Maintenance

10. Other

These are not reasons to NEVER buy a home, but they have definitely caused me to reconsider WHEN I will buy a home.

Leave your opinion in the comments section!