Revenge of the Magi

I locked eyes with Eric Robichaud at a movie theater on Saturday for the first time since we stood across from each other in a courthouse room back in 2003. Eric is a former employer who sued me and my long-time friend, Sean Follick, when we incorporated our own business, Magi New Media, in 2002.

[ SIDE NOTE: START ]

Just because I hadn't seen Eric in the flesh since 2003 doesn't mean I didn't attempt to communicate with him.

In 2005, there was a billboard with Eric's likeness over I-195 promoting Cox Small Business Solutions. Upon seeing said billboard, I sent Mr. Robichaud a congratulatory note on Magi New Media letterhead that read:

Eric,

I saw your big as life picture over I-195. Congratulations on your continued success.

It seems appropriate that Cox has a dick for a spokesman.

Best Regards,
-- terrence

True story.

[ SIDE NOTE: END ]

It's incredible the amount of genuine hate I still have for this man after all these years.

Eric, Sean and I started as colleagues. Eric was the CEO of a successful, family-owned development company in Woonsocket, RI. Sean served as the Sales Manager while I filled the role of Production Manager. After nearly 3 years of working together we developed, what I thought to be, a reasonably strong friendship along with mutual professional successes. But things started to fall apart when Eric began a tryst with one of Mediaweave's newly hired Sales Associates.

[ SIDE NOTE II: START ]

I use the phrase "Sales Associate" loosely. Tonya didn't close one deal during our shared tenure at Mediaweave.

Except, of course, the one with CEO Robichaud's libido resulting in his divorce and, ultimately, the demise of his company.

[ SIDE NOTE II: END ]

After Tonya infiltrated our ranks, everything changed. Eric, the workaholic, started being late. Then he started to miss meetings. Eventually, he stopped coming to the office all together. Then he was served papers for divorce by his angry wife, Becky, who was Mediaweave's bookkeeper.

In the midst of this mess, Eric moved in with Sean to cut personal costs. Then he started dancing. Shortly thereafter, Eric and Tonya bought a house together and guess who had to help move them? The three of us had countless conversations discussing the state of the company, possible solutions, and a plan for sustained success despite Eric's domestic turmoils.

Then it happened: 9/11.

The post 9/11 economy was difficult, to say the least, and Mediaweave's business suffered. The tipping point came in the from of an employee coup when it was learned Eric was plugging his losses by withholding payments into employee benefit packages. Sean and I knew the business would not survive this type of activity and we needed to do something. And that something manifested itself in the form of Magi New Media.



The plan for Magi -- the wise men from the east -- was to help Sean and I bridge our careers during the collapse, and hopeful resurrection, of Mediaweave. Ultimately, our plan was to use Mediaweave as our main contractor for client jobs secured through Magi. We even sat with Eric to disclose our intentions and he welcomed both our honesty and commitment to not "fully abondon" our current posts with his company.

Sean and I were escorted from our desks and off the premises 2 days later.

Our friendship with Eric, now fractured and irreparably damaged, Sean and I did the only thing we could do: focus on building Magi New Media. We developed our web site. We found 2 investors who would support us with their small business know-how and office space. We even closed a few deals and were getting meetings with "potentials."

Then it happened: Eric sued us.

The thing is, Eric didn't have a case. He sued us for violating non-compete agreements that Sean and I never signed. And the reason we didn't sign them? They didn't exist. Eric's goal was as transparent as is was simple: to drain our limited start-up capital.

He succeeded.

The depositions, legal fees and monetary settlement that my partners and I accepted in order to end the proceedings so we could focus on growing our new business reduced start-up capital by 1/4.

[ SIDE NOTE III: START ]

Magi survived the courtroom drama and was a moderate success. But, ultimately, the services we offered were viewed as a "luxury" in the post 9/11 world we all inhabited and, despite the high quality work Magi was producing, we closed our doors after about 2 1/2 years of operation. Sean and I lost sleep, money, time, hair, energy & years of friendship following the failure of Magi.

Shit, I nearly lost my life.

The stresses associated with our company -- even though it was formed with the best of intentions -- proved to be more than either of us could bear.

[ SIDE NOTE III: END ]

They say living well is the best revenge.

I guess looking him in the eye while he realized who I was and watching him signal to his children to turn around and walk the other way ended Saturday's episode. But, regardless of the small satisfaction allowed by the end of our recent encounter, I would still welcome the opportunity of 10 minutes alone with Mr. Robichaud in a room without cameras.

And not in a gay way.

The Home (Base) Stretch

As some of you already know, I'm participating in the Run To Home Base on Sunday, May 23rd. The race is a 5.6 mile run through Boston finishing at home plate in Fenway Park.

Each registrant is required to raise $1000 before May 16th to donate to Massachusetts General's Home Base Program. A program, by the way, that has personal significance and is committed to serving the needs of veterans with combat stress disorders and/or traumatic brain injury.

This is only time I've ever used this forum to ask for your help, dear readers. (And, to be honest, I still don't feel very comfortable doing it.)

I know funds are tight for everyone right now but if you're a regular reader and I've made you giggle -- even once -- please consider helping me reach my $1000 goal.

According to my incorrect status page, I currently stand at $625. (The reason it's wrong is because I sent a check totaling $215 made up of all the cash donations I received. So I'm really at $840.)

That leaves me $160 short, dear readers. $160. I need $160 by May 16th.

DONATION INFO:

I'd like to offer some much deserved gratitude to all those who have already donated: "Thank You!" Without you I wouldn't be so close.

But I'd also like to ask all of my readers who haven't donated, while typing on my knees, to ponder clicking on the link below and throwing 10 bucks my way to help me reach this goal instead of buying me a few beers next time you see me.

If you'd like to help CLICK HERE.

Or you can copy and paste the following link into your browser:
www.runtohomebase.org/runtohomebase/TerrenceJoyce

Our future hangovers will be thankful, too.

Quick Thinking: Slow & Steady

As I continue to make a concerted effort to heed the words of Brand Nubian -- both in the words I speak and the manner in which I speak them -- I've realized that Aesop was right on the money with The Tortoise and the Hare.

Slow and steady does, indeed, win the race.

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(Not So) Quick Thinking
----------------------------

-- Nothing brings me back to my childhood in Idaho faster than the nostalgic smell of manure from state crews fertilizing highway medians.

-- Scrumptious!

-- After watching Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between Cleveland and Boston it's clear LeBron's injury is both real and severe.

-- The Cavs have no chance of beating the Celtics without their healthy "King."

-- Speaking of kings, will someone please make Drama King Favre go away.

-- I don't watch too much hockey, but the playoff run by the Bruins suggests they played the greatest game of possum of all time during the regular season.

-- Regular, my ass.

-- Office life would be a little bit better if "Casual Fridays" were replaced with "Novelty Cowboy Hat Fridays."

-- Giddyup!

-- Quote of the Week comes from Dustin Pedroia while defending another slow start by teammate David Ortiz: "He's one of our teammates. It could have been me who hit into a double play. It happens to everybody. He's had 60 at-bats. A couple of years ago I had 60 at-bats and I was hitting .170 and everybody was ready to kill me, too. What happened? Laser show. Relax."

-- And with one media outburst, Petey just became my favorite baseball player of all time.

-- Despite the urge I have to put him on my shoulder and make him say, "God bless us, every one."

-- Tiny...TIMMAAAAAAHHHH!

-- Memo to All the People Who Have Ever Told Me I'm Full of Shit: The average person carries anywhere between 5 and 25 pounds of feces in their large intestine at any given point depending on the individual's diet and weight.

-- So it appears that you, too, are full of shit.

-- Yes. You.

-- Jackie MacMullan is money on WEEI's Dale & Holley show every Tuesday.

-- Be careful, Dale. "Jackie & Holley" has a nice ring to it.

-- I'm thinking I may need to reassess my love for sports if being tazed is fandom's new badge of honor.

-- Don't be an idiot by running onto the field, bro!

-- Lawrence Taylor's behavior is part of an alarming trend highlighting the worst qualities of today's former entitled athlete.

-- It was probably the 16-year-old girl's fault though, right E-Boog?

-- Where are Big Ben's corrupt body guard's when you need them?

-- Cautionary Tale of the Week is sponsored by embattled Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau who's life seems to be trending from cooking "Shaw Dinners" at Magee's Diner to becoming the Mayor of Central Falls to, potentially, a line chef in a federal prison.

-- That silence you hear is the absence of your former friends and confidants.

-- Run, Governor hopeful Lynch. RUN!

-- Good luck with the investigation, Chuckie.

Quick Thinking: Speaking Impaired

I wish life came with a closed-captioned button. Not so much to understand every language. (Which, by the way, would be awesome!) But more so that people could understand me.

My tendency to speak quickly leaves some people confused by both what words I've spoken and, more importantly, what I meant by said words. I've made efforts to slow my speech in the past to no avail. The speed of my thoughts -- the sole influence -- is difficult to impede.

Does anyone know a good mental construction company that specializes in speed bumps?

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Quick Thinking
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-- It's time for Bill Belichick to be forced into early retirement.

-- That's right, I said it.

-- Life Lesson of the Week was learnt by yours truly while fighting a brutal stomach bug last week: "sharting" is, in fact, the ass' version of premature ejaculation.

-- Same fail. Different hole.

-- And not nearly as easy to clean up.

-- Terry Francona will lose a lot of sleep shuffling his line up this season.

-- Speaking of Tito, am I the only one who thinks he resembled Shia LaBeouf during his playing days?



-- Ben Roethlisberger's behavior is part of an alarming trend highlighting the worst qualities of today's entitled athlete.

-- "No" means no, Ben.

-- None of us can be 100% sure a crime took place in that bathroom but the resignation of Sgt. Jerry Blash, the officer who took the first report from Roethlisberger's recent accuser, one day before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation released official case documents is the proverbial smoke.

-- And where there's smoke...

-- Where's Super Mr. Superhero when you need him?

-- Equally alarming is the intelligence level, or lack thereof, of every Ben loving bumpkin who can't take their "fan" hat off when faced with his history of abusive behavior towards women.

-- I'm beginning to realize that my comfort level with being alone is more unique than I originally thought.

-- And it's ever increasing.

-- I wish The Most Interesting Man in the World was my life coach.

-- You know times are changing when digital heartbreak has become the norm.

-- Or when youth sports teams are given "recognition awards" instead of trophies.

-- Coddling the psyche of children playing sports by making everyone a "winner" is far too short sighted, y'all.

-- Just when you thought Reese's Peanut Butter Cups monopolized the greatest marriage of two flavors the Food Kingdom has ever seen, along comes Baconnaise!

-- Your heard me. Baconnaise.

-- I'm not joking.

Quick Thinking: Allure Got My Tongue

My train of thought was almost permanently derailed after seeing my top celebrity crush, Emmanuelle Chriqui, in Allure magazine's annual "nude" issue today. Lucky for me, I escaped serious bodily injury.



My ability to string together any insightful or meaningful sentences this week, however, was not so fortunate.

The Rebirth of Quick

Evolution is vital for survival, dear readers. Even the written lunacy of sports + thoughts, which at first glance may seem inanimate and incapable of change, must evolve to continue and thrive in its literary environment.

Nothing exists in a vacuum.

So we're starting today's column with a small programming note in an attempt to embrace the idea that evolution is, in fact, innate -- regardless of the medium in which something exists.

Programming Note: "The Morning After" tltle will be replaced.

At the advice of my trusted council, some may even call it a fellowship, I've decided to scrap the "Morning After" title in favor of simply calling my weekly column "Quick Thinking." The Morning After moniker isn't dead and will still appear from time-to-time in a different context.

In all honesty, the "Q.T." style has always been my vision, my goal...my baby.

And no one pushes baby out of the headline.

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Quick Thinking
-----------------

-- I don't know who the man behind the man behind the man is, but I don't like him.

-- I'll take Roseanne Barr singing The Star-Spangled Banner over Steven Tyler singing God Bless America any day of the week.

-- You might want to step into the 21st Century and look into Auto Tune, Mr. Tyler.

-- Oh, and speaking of what century we're in: It's 2010 AD, Steven. Not 210 BC. Giving your daughter a tongue kiss on national TV is frowned upon.

-- And really creepy.

-- Unless, of course, you're Woody Allen.

-- I am the antithesis of each individual showcased on TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive.

-- Hearing Rem Dawg doing color commentary full-time for the Red Sox again comforts me like a warm blanket.

-- Seeing Heidi Watney between innings, on the other hand, makes that same warm blanket a little bit wet.

-- HAY-OOOOOOOOO!

-- The landscape of modern day hip-hop as we know it would not be the same without the influential brilliance of Gil Scott-Heron.

-- Idiot Award of the Week goes to two unknown fools for commenting on some young lady's Facebook post about the weather with weak come-ons:



-- Guess "Nice shoes, wanna screw?" doesn't work like it used to.

-- C'mon, guys. Do better.

-- Having the bank to sign Hall of Famer Peter Gammons should give you an idea of how much revenue NESN generates for the Red Sox.

-- Everyone likes the taste of a cash cow, y'all.

-- There's no truth to the rumor that FEMA will hand out Zoo Towels to help boost state morale during the aftermath of Rhode Island's Great Flood of 2010.

-- I hope I get the monkey one.

-- Celebrity Look A Like of the Week goes to Donovan McNabb for looking like Sergeant Mertaugh from those Lethal Weapon movies during his introductory press conference for the Redskins.


-- Beats having Riggs' mullet, Mr. McNabb.

-- Also known as "My Haircut" circa 1989.

-- Curse you, Ultra Super Hold AquaNet.

-- Curse you.

The Morning After: Don't Pull My Finger

After much deliberation I've decided when I'm blessed with children I will never creep them out by having them "pull my finger" before I play the personal ass horn.

Which I happen to be very proficient at.

Nor will I tell them a "mouse with a trumpet ran by" following one of my concertos in flatulent minor. Instead, I'm going to create a mythical creature to assist them in understanding sounds of the body much like Sesame Street has done to promote literacy. And I'm pretty sure I'll name this creature Gastro the Ass Monster.

In the same way Wally personifies the iconic outfield wall at Fenway Park, Gastro will help my children personify the "toots" that are released from their "bums" with a cute & fuzzy smiling monster.

[SIDE NOTE: START]

I picture Gastro as a taller, skinnier version of Elmo. I'm thinking it'll be brown, too. But not like a "shit brown." More like a soft raw sienna. Gastro will have one eye, no nose and no mouth. What he will have, however, is a blow hole where his belly button would be along with really short limbs. It'll also be wearing a jetpack. Gastro the Ass Monster is built for speed! Oh, and it'll be wearing a helmet.

Safety first, right?

[SIDE NOTE: END]

So my plan is to provide my offspring with insight into their bodily functions by introducing them to Gastro the Ass Monster.

Seems full proof to me.

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Quick Thinking
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-- I would be praying for Donovan McNabb to don the silver and black next year if I were a Raiders fan.

-- Too bad there's a trickle-down idiocy epidemic in Raider Nation.

-- Ricky Martin announced this week that he's "proud to be a fortunate homosexual man."

-- [Insert joke here]

-- I respect his integrity, though. I mean, it's not like he's trying to sell a book, steal headlines or jump start a fizzling career.

-- April Fools' Day jokes are never as funny as you think they'll be.

-- The "Tim Tebow Watch" is exhausting.

-- In Case You Missed It Memo of the Week: Tiger Woods is playing in the Masters which starts on Thursday, April 8th.

-- I like venison just as much as the next guy, but when is Evolution going to do Its job and rewire deer so they can jump out of the way of those headlights?

-- I hope the zeal most men display in their effort to be "first" when commenting on a web post doesn't matriculate into their bedroom practices.

-- Ski Beatz' Taxi, featuring Mos Def & Whosane, is as good as it gets.

-- The biblical undercurrents surrounding Opening Day are undeniable.

-- Doug Gottlieb is the Guy Smiley of NCAA Basketball.



-- Beating A Dead Horse Award of the Week goes to anyone involved in the production of Hangover 2.

-- Or should it be the "Resurrection of a One Trick Pony Award of the Week?"

-- Hangover 2 starts filming in October, by the way.

-- Is it creepy if I watch Erin Andrews on Dancing With the Stars through a peep hole?

-- Quote of the Week comes from nephew Tyge after he watched a young woman walk past us recently in Providence prompting him to observe, "See that Uncle Terry? She had the Brazilian bumps, baby. The Brazilian bumps."

-- Quote of the Week II comes from yours truly in an attempt to strategically respond to my nephew, "Why? Did she have acne?"

-- Playing dumb is the only recourse I have when faced with the stark reality of my nephew's over active libido.

-- I should probably tell him about Gastro the Ass Monster.

-- Lucy Pinder, pictured below, has been crowned "Queen of Boobs" by the British magazine Nuts.



-- I'd love to be her King.



-- Or, at the very least, her Court "Chester."

-- RIM SHOT!