Went to go see a concert last night, but when we got to the show, it was sold out. My friend and I walked around West Hollywood to find a good place to eat, and we stumbled across a steakhouse that contained, among other things, a mechanical bull.

The novelty drew us in, but I became a fan for one simple reason: the service. The manager was making the rounds getting to know the patrons, making good conversation (which was a far cry from the bland "How is everything?" you get at Chili's), and the servers were all very attentive and polite. All of this on a Friday night in a packed steakhouse where almost everyone was stumbling around with a drink in hand.

On our way out, I pulled the manager aside and told him, as quickly as I could, "I know this job can't be easy. And I'll bet you get to hear all about things from customers when they aren't going well. But, I have to tell you that you and everyone here did a great job this evening. Thank you."

He was clearly very happy to get the compliment. I share the story not because I'm interested in demonstrating what a swell guy I am. (I have my good moments, and my bad ones, I'm sure.) I offer it because I firmly believe that if human behavior is going to change for the better, in any situation, no matter how small or large, then you praise the good and you let the bad roll off your back without uttering a syllable. Reinforce the positive! Pay no mind to the negative, it'll pass!

To those interested: I'm taking a brief hiatus from writing on here to manage the aforementioned Kickstarter project. We have a ways to go money-wise, but we've managed to get quite a few pledgers who seem to really want a Swoop the Owl. The way I see it, I'm in their debt and on the hook for making it happen, so that's getting as much of my time as I can spare right now.

To all backers: thank you! I hope not to let you down.