The Seven Year Scratch

What were you doing seven years ago this week? May of 2003. What was going on in your world?

I wrote the following email seven years ago about my first evening in Austin, Texas … or more correctly Buda, Texas. Dee and I weren’t married yet and figured if we could survive a 16-hour drive from Columbia, Missouri, to Austin, Texas, we’d be in good shape.

I was there to visit some supposedly whacked out placed called Wizard Academy.

—–Original Message—–

From: Timothy Miles

Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 10:41 PM

To: ‘Ryan Patrick’; ‘Scott Cox’; ‘Tony Richards’; ‘Ron Covert’; ‘Bruce Welker’; ‘Paul Boomer’; ‘Bryan Young’;’Anna Quast’; Mark No Talent Hack Dynis

Subject: “Hi. I’m Roy.”

From a room eleven floors over Austin … Hello in there … we had a welcome-to-town barbecue the first night at some place called The Salt Lick.

We arrived through sick traffic to the middle of nowhere – greeted with imports and local microbrews. All we could eat and drink. Very nice staff – younger than I imagined who promise a long few days. Sat at dinner with a mother and daughter from Ontario – we talked hockey, SARS, Mike Myers, and tornadoes – sirens were alien to both the Canadians and the Texans. Their (Canadians, not the Texans) husband / father is a Wizard of Ads Partner. They own two radio stations up nort der.

Met him over a beer. Kind of a schlump, but I mean that in a good way. No flash or sizzle – just a real guy with a real hello. Frumpled and unassuming. Not trying to overclever anybody … just hanging out … does look like David Ogden Stiers and even passing resemblance to Mick Fleetwood. Everyone was very nice to Dee and several encouraged her to come out at the end of each day and sit in …

Out the window sits the Capitol buidling all lit up – ‘awesome’ is an overused word, but it’s pretty neat – very big. Sixth Street is very bustling and kinda the downtown / Rush Street / Sunset / Printers Alley of Austin. We’re only a couple of blocks away.

Evidently, the sessions run late into the night since we sit around and drink wine or something …

Band name from the Texas 2-lane we took to get here – The Bleeding Armadillos

‘Night Ya’ll,

tm

That was the first night of the rest of my life.

Now, seven years later, driving my son to school this afternoon I remembered it was  seven years later.

Not much has changed.

Well, except that we have two children, no day job, and I’ve had ads run in eight countries and currently make ten times what I did when I wrote that email.

Wow. I can’t believe I just typed that.

So, if you think you can’t afford a trip to this supposedly whacked out place called Wizard Academy, I suggest you think again.

It’s a business school. Only it’s not. But it is. It’s kind of hard to explain.

I think that’s why we like it so much.

But be warned: Evidently, the sessions run late into the night since you sit around and drink wine or something …

Cheers.