Reflections of a Summer (Intern)

I was wrong this whole time.

I wasn't the baby shark in the fish tank.

I wasn't the one losing chunks day by day.

That shark was not Byron, Allen, JJ, or Bob. No, it wasn't Howard or Forrest either.

The real shark was all of us and none of us. Some days we were the baby sharks, some days we were the fish. The shark was courage, the courage to stay in a tank and allow others to bite at us - try to keep us down. The shark was the risky investment, the contrarian stock pick, the pick that the fish (the market) tried to beat. Sometimes the fish won, sometimes the shark won (but really most of the time the fish beat the shit out of the shark, but that's not the point).

And while it is so fitting as a comparison to the market, the shark is even more. The shark was Byron thinking romantically about 15 years olds. The shark was me dreaming about punching Byron in the stomach after making a mistake. The shark was Allen refusing any means of birth control. A little shark fought in all of us, and all of us fought the little shark. The shark was about being different, even if society was saying "no."

It is easy to be a fish, it is easy to just follow the others, and try to fit in.

Individuality is losing its fins, losing its ability to survive.

Individuality is ready to go back to the Pet store, for another "yes" fish.

I'm not going to let it happen, no matter how much it takes out of me; I'm taking a stand.

3 months ago I was another fish.

Now, I am the shark, I will overcome the fish.

Will you?

UPDATE on Byron's Poem:

Byron wrote that 3 weeks ago, not in the 3rd grade.

Breasts

i found an old poem of Byrons written in the 3rd grade, I thought I should share it with other byrondisciples.

I like boobs.
Some are really big,
some are invisibel.

Boobs are round
Boobs bounce around
I wish I had boobs

i wonder what boobs taste like.
I bet they make good stress balls.
They are fun.

my friends dont have boobs
makes me sad
but I think they might have lumps soon.

My mom has boobs
she is old.

Byron Saves Girl

WESTWOOD, CA - Byron has done it again.

Yes, he saved another girl from the torments of her own life.

It was just another Thursday morning. Byron headed outside to enjoy a mimosa and a cigarette, like any hard working man would do. But Byron knew something wasn't right this crisp summer morning. Harnessing all his senses, he was able to detect a crying girl from across the street. Before thinking anything of it, out of curiosity, he wondered if it was a 5 star that he could take advantage of. To his delight, Byron saw potential, and witnesses at the scene decided she was at least a 4.2 star. The mother Theresa within Byron emerged, quickly approached the girl and asked so beautifully, "why are you crying?"

They quickly struck up a conversation. It was a one sided conversation, since the other side was strategically thinking of the best way to get in the other's pants. Byron smiled and nodded, while the girl could do nothing but bitch about some boyfriend. Byron learned that her name was Sidney, and Sidney learned his name should just be "incredible." Like a true chilvarous gentleman, Byron happily gave her one of his cigarettes, probably so she should stop whining so much.

Yes, Byron saved another girl. He saved another 4.2 star for not just himself but for the world.

Forget about the fucking Fire Department, Police Department and Soldiers, Byron is a real modern day hero.

Lunch with Byron

Byron treated me to a wonderful lunch at Mongol's Mongolian BBQ.

After a long, intimate discussion of his past, his brother (Del Piero Stead), and the birds in his life, 2 girls of an unknown age walked into the 5 star restaurant. Byron, with his keen sense of smell, immediately looked toward the (automatic) sliding doors and was promptly aroused. Scared, the girls immediately looked towards him with frightened faces. As they came closer, it became apparent that they were likely in the 8th grade, maybe even the 9th grade due to their decent use of make up.

Nevertheless, Byron remained aroused, and tried to make eye contact with the girls who likely just got their braces off. As they passed, Byron looked towards me like he had just seen a wonderful piece of art. Eyes beaming, he gazed as them as they paid for their reasonably priced Mongolian BBQ.

"Nice ass huh?" Byron asked.

The girls were looking forward to getting their driver permits in a couple of years.

Byron was looking foward to taking them for a ride in a couple of hours.

As they walked by once again, they were discussing what Algebra classes they had to take in the next couple of years. Byron was merely trying to calculate what the odds are that their ages added up to his - which would satisfy the golden rule of algebra (17 + 17 = 34).

After a short discussion of the likely age of the girls, Byron left the establishment without talking to them. A couple hours later, Byron only pretends to work, wondering, what could have been.

August 13th

Byron totaled a ferrari today in the office today, the day after he didn't come to work for undisclosed reasons.

He accelerated quickly into a large dell tower computer, and the top of his shiny red ferrari fell right off.

moral of the story: byron makes tops come off quickly, unexpectedly, and in strange locations