Wanted: A Good Catch

Lately I've been seeing a lot of fishermen.

Fishing for attention, fishing for mischief, or simply fishing for fishing's sake-- these fellows have been dropping their lures in my mailbox for weeks now.

"Hey, Tabu, are you available Thursday night? I have great local references, can't wait to hear back from you!"

"Dear Tabu, I'm staying at the Four Seasons next week, could you make a 2-hour outcall to me there on Wednesday at 8?"

Or my website appointment form arrives, filled out to the smallest detail.

So what do these proposals all have in common? They're shiny, glittering, and lovely in the rough seas of a choppy economy. But they're empty hooks.

My gentle return tug ("How nice of you to write! I would love to meet you, please send along your references!") results in nothing but silence. Whatever might have been there is gone... or, perhaps, was never there at all.

They say that the best things in life are free. I guess that somewhere, someone is really having a ball.

Just let me know when the ship really comes in.





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