[gmku]

My lunch dates this summer have sucked.

For several months I've been meeting a client for lunch downtown. We're sympatico, and he's a fairly regular customer, so it's both a bit of fun and my way of reminding him I need work. But this summer he's been taking me to these terrible places--he chooses because he knows the place better. We've been going to these awful country downhome cooking and BBQ places. Maybe he's trying to tell me something. It's especially bad because I only eat healthy food these days.

Plus today he brings this other guy he knows and so he and I don't talk at all about potential assignments. We go to this baptist church hall where they serve fried chicken, mashed potatoes, turkey in gravy, lemonade, that kind of thing.

I've been trying to get us to meet just over coffee like at Starbucks or something but he won't do that.

I seriously could have been more productive and had more fun just sitting by myself in a coffee house making cold call e-mails on my lap top. Great guy, great client, but I feel like I've been wasting my time and money on this lately. I think no more lunches with clients from now on.