The 500 Pound Gorilla

For six out of the last seven week days, I have trekked into Boston to the Federal Courthouse to sit in on a court case that interested me, because the litigants were a major part of my work like for the previous nine years. I don't want to name names, but a very large (1/2 billion dollar) company is suing 2 tiny companies in what, after 6 days of testimony seems to be a thin case.

Did I mention hubris? New word of the week, month year? A case of hubris and f*** the stockholders whose profits are evaporing. My feeling is that even if the 500 pound gorilla gets all the bananas, the victory will be Pyrric. Now there's a word one doesn't use every day.

Naturally I saw people I knew on both sides of the equation, and I now have a deep sympathy for anyone who has to get up on the witness stand under oath and face a sharp lawyer. The people who came off best displayed absolutely no attitude, zero hubris. This is a good thing to know.

What has come out of all of this, besides a fascinating look into the case and the parties involved and even the judge, jury and the courthouse cafeteria (3 stars!) is my resolve to tackle my recollections (memoir being too serious a word) of my 25 years in informtion systems, because the case symbolizes so many things I saw from my perch in the IT cubicles and I think it will inform my writing of the last ten years of my career. This is a book (or articles) that probably can achieve publication without too much effort. Famous last words. Famous last hubris.

It has a good chance.

So now I am playing catch up, as we are off to Alaska on Saturday and I'm trying to get ready for the house sitter who will cater shamelessly to the cats and tend to the garden. Meanwhile, I see that I have enough clothes out to spend the rest of the summer, not 12 days in the northern climes. A thorough weeding needs to occurr.

And I'm two chapters from the 2nd revision of Festival Madness, which is another fun book, if you count dastardly deeds, sexual adventures and technological hijinks as fun.

So I'm not in court, not on the train with my smoothy and granola bar, a great on the run breakfast, by the way. No more South Station, hike to the courthouse, gape at the skyline and sink into the daily drama. No more 500 Pound Gorilla.

Grapeshot