Productive day

Every single person in the company was on the call for a meeting today with an organization I hope to work with. I hope that we can sell their services, as an addition to our own, and it will make people want our services more, AND we’ll earn a commission on their services.

Everyone likes the idea.

The president of the other company is also a fired USAID employee. His ambition dazzles me, I am in awe of his vision. He is also brusque and blunt and can turn off people but I assured someone after that he is an excellent and very savvy person who has helped me multiple times. :-)

Then I met with the new summer research associate and explained in as much detail as I could think of what I’ll want so that her acceptance of the job will be based on informed consent. She is nervous, because she will be making phone calls for informational interviews, by herself. I remember being young and nervous and I told her that I completely understood and told her the reasons why she’d be ok. I said it was like flirting, you’re uncomfortable but you don’t die. 

Then early afternoon I realized Nick was about to fly away to the Democratic Republic of Congo without his business cards!!! So emergency metro run to him and gave him the fun surprise of a company mug with his name and title on it. The business card company would give me $40 off if I increased my purchase by $20 so it made sense to buy him and Stacy mugs. 

Job hunting:
Look at job description that you think you might be good for.
See thing that is hugely important to them that you don’t have, like contacts in and deep knowledge of the intelligence community or experience procuring natural gas.
Feel bad.

Business:
Do things!
Feel like you accomplished things!
Feel nervous about some things, suck it up, do them anyway, feel even more accomplishment! 

Ukraine sent hundreds of drones to Moscow. This continued disrupting flights in and out. Russia said it shot down 297. 

Zelensky said Ukraine recently destroyed 40 pieces of Russian equipment with a simultaneous strike of 400 small drones. 

Ukraine has approved a new Ukrainian anti-drone pistol. It blocks control and video signals of drones by emitting electromagnetic interference. It is small. It looks like a toy space gun, original Star Trek, not one of the later ones. 

Eleven more Ukrainian children have been returned, including two orphans and kids of Ukrainian service members. One of them was about to be conscripted. One hadn’t seen his family for three years.