Today I had little time to reflect on my back porch, as the Codgers™ wanted to meet early this morning at the coffee shop to discuss our recent efforts in field-testing our “Blog Marketing Plan.”*
The usual suspects, Carl, Harold, Fred & Medford, were all seated at their usual places by the front plate-glass window, and already had their china, not stoneware mugs of organically & shade grown, fair trade, coffee, as I walked in out of the +36ºF heat into the café.
“So,” began Medford, stirring his usual cream & sugar pollutants into his coffee, “how did yesterday’s efforts turn out?”
It was not lost on me that he had his laptop on the table—dialed in to AR—as I replied: “You know darn good and well how it’s going!”
“Seems they want us to start a business,” Fred, looking up from his ever-present morning Pioneer Press.
“Yeah,” added Carl, “Selling mugs, with our mugs on them.”
“And they want to add stuff to our already huge coffee menu,” Molly added, just a trifle testily, “as if we haven’t got enough stuff here already—have you been in the back room lately?”
“They’re just trying to help,” I responded, sipping my first coffee of this day—to get what remaining brain synapses I have firing.
“Let me get this straight,” Harold said, “Our market here totals maybe 13,000 people, and of that number we have maybe 20 who regularly comment on your posts, do you honestly believe this is a good idea?”
“I’m still looking into it,” I replied, “Realtor® Teresa is helping us—she is looking at some on-line companies that will provide the mug with logo as ordered, not in bulk.”
“OK,” Medford said, “moving on, how much longer are you going to blatantly promote this blog?”
“Blatant promotion*?” I replied, “if by that you mean pointedly asking for comments*, hoping for 5 ratings and the even rarer “golden star?” That ends with this post. We’re returning to discussing and posting on what’s important to us—the regular patrons of the coffee shop—and having fun doing it.”
Jay, Medford, Carl, Harold, Fred, and of course, Molly
Jay Merton & Medford Ambrose, the Codgers
Posted by 
Carole - I think they are undercover actors (Ben and Leo maybe?)
codger - used affectionately to refer to an eccentric but amusing old man 
OOPS—I almost forgot a promise I made on yesterday’s post! I found a Story Generator based on the old 70s TV series: “The A-Team” and filled in the blanks. The following is what was generated (with some necessary punctuation editing):
A-Team Episode Generator [From egowar.com]
Story by Jay Merton
The A-Team is hired by Medford Ambrose to go to Blogdom to rescue Jay Merton’s Realtor® from Broker Bryant, who is intent on taking control of Blogdom.
B.A. is afraid to fly, so they hit him over the head and Murdock flies them to Blogdom They arrive and go into the nearest Cyber Café where they get into a fight after asking about the client’s Realtor®. They are overwhelmed by twenty or thirty really big villagers. The little village in Blogdom is living in terror of Broker Bryant and the accompanying band of thugs.
Hannibal convinces the villagers to let them go by saying : “Whadda buncha FISBOs!”
Hannibal comes up with a plan. He has B.A. turn a range pricing and a big low-ball offer into a deadly starter mansion. Face pretends to be an appraiser, but Broker Bryant catches on and tries to kick Face. Murdoch rescues Face at the last second.
Then Hannibal goes in their front door in their deadly starter mansion. They manage to defeat all the thugs. Broker Bryant holds a gun to Hannibal’s head and escapes using the deadly starter mansion as transportation. The A-Team pursues them. Murdoch shoots out the side window. When Broker Bryant slows down to take a turn, Medford Ambrose’s Realtor® jumps out and is helped up by Hannibal. Face throws explosives, causing the deadly starter mansion to crash and flip over. Broker Bryant climbs out unharmed.
Face says: “foreclosed another one!”
The A-Team leaves Broker Bryant tied up for the authorities. And in the little village in Blogdom there is much rejoicing.
In order to get B.A. to fly home though, the A-Team has to hit him over the head, again.
[The End]
I found it amusing—and my apologies to BB for making him the bad guy—good thing for me he (and the gun-totin’ TLW) lives 1000 miles away!
Jay