The Best Part of Being a Schizophrenic

OK, so there are more than one of me in here, and sometimes we don't get along. I don't believe that it has reached a point where it's clinically dangerous, and we don't believe that it has anything to do with the stars, even though I am a Gemini, but we can often come up with several very justifiable and logical responses to a given situation, and even though it puts me at odds with myself I can, and do often support all of my positions. It may be why my wife sees me as somewhat contrarian, it's just that I can often see and present cases in conflict with her position, merely because those cases do exist. It's not really arguing, it's more like exploring the possible responses and positions to and around a given issue. Well, sorry for drifting, back to my point. Often when customers call, even new and unknown ones, and I have quoted them the package price for the trip that they have in mind, they then ask if it would be possible to obtain a lower price, a discount if you will. Some just ask in a forthright manner, others couch the request in terms of whatever fiscal and sometimes physical problems they are currently experiencing. I have no problem with this as a stand alone purchasing/shopping strategy, after all it is a good question, and when one asks such a question it is taking a fly, and as long as you are willing to accept "No" for an answer then, nothing venture nothing gained. From the customers perspective it is legitimate. Unfortunately, as previously discussed, I readily adopt multiple perspectives without really even trying to do so, and in this specific case I am stuck on the issue of balance. The thought occurred to me that upon talking to the next person requesting a quotation for a trip I should run an experiment. "Well, the list price for that trip is $1235, but you know, right now I've got a really bald tire on my car, and my wife needs to go to the doctor next week, so if you wouldn't mind paying $1,350 that would really help me out." Whattyathink? Fair and balanced, right? OK, once again you are correct, a very poor idea, won't bring it up again, thanks for being so polite when you're looking around inside my head. But............. Thanks, David

Tuna

Well, there are a certain number of you who want to be notified when glimpses of yellow fins are perceived. I am one of you. We keep our tentacles spread, trying to pick up a whiff of tuna, across our sphere of efforts, and even into the neighboring spheres (am I going off tangentially?). A couple of days back we heard of commercial guys taking a nice sized tuna at the south point, and then 2 days ago of the commercial guys out of Sargento picking a couple of tuna up north. Yesterday my clients headed north to scout these reports. One boat took 5 yellow tail in the upper 20's to high 30's. These were caught along the ridge that is the sub marine northern continuation of Cerralvo Island, using the sardines that are very plentiful at the north end of Cerralvo. The other boat up that way took only one, but, they had an excuse. While playing that lone yellow tail they hooked up to something large. The long runs and deep sulking indicated that one of the rumored yellow fin tuna had decided to come out of the closet. This began a 2 hour + fight. The rod was passed around, with increasing circular velocity as the humans began to succumb to the tunas' stamina and strength, but soon there was color. Capt. Enrique was asked to see if he could bring the beast up, and he short stoked the tuna to the surface, where it continued to proscribe its' circles on the surface, just out of gaff range. He stepped to the non pointy end of the panga and urged one of the gringos to step the pointy end and attempt to gaff the fish as it circled closely. He did indeed sink the gaff, in the head of said tuna, at which point the tuna got pissed and headed away, with the gaff and 50 yards of line. They moved the boat around to pick up the floating gaff and began to once again recover line. The now holey tuna once again approached the boat and the point of this whole effort was at hand. There was a last minute exchange of rod and reel, and I'm not sure what the exact chain of events was, as different tellers tell it differently, but suffice it to say that the reel jumped out of gear, instantly back lashing the reel, only nano seconds before Sr. Tuna, sensing a moment of weakness on the part of his opponents, warped outta there and snapped the now snafued line. Well, I've certainly participated in my share of large tuna cluster fucks, but somehow I missed this one, and so am totally qualified to ignorantly comment on this particular event. I do know that the battle with a large tuna is more than a physical one. There is clearly a component of will, and you need to pound on these guys in an effort to break theirs before yours is sweated out. Enrique estimated this particular fish was in the 160 pound range, and like all fish that get away is the source for a good story. From a broader vantage point I did notice that ears of son, Capt. Chris, were quivering as this story was being sold. Dollars to churros that he'll be out there PDQ, looking for a fish with a hole in his head. Take Care Y'all, David Note: I hear some confusion from some folks about yellow tail versus yellow fin, both of which are mentioned in the report above. The yellow tail (Seriola lalandi dorsalis) is a member of the jack family, and so is without teeth. They exist in the Pacific and Indian oceans and we catch them here in the Baja generally in the late winter and early spring. The yellow fin (Thunnus alvbacares)is a member of the tuna family and exists in all of the earths' oceans I think. While both fish are fun to catch and great to eat, they are not the same animal, or even related, other than being fishes.