Podcasts about if jon

We are thrilled to welcome writer Jon Westhoff to our little dog and pony show! We discuss his latest book CPS: Child Possession Services for which there is an active Kickstarter campaign in its last few days. If Jon’s is a familiar name to CBB folk, it likely is because of his past as co-publisher at King Bone Press and as one of the heads of the Earth 2 Podcast Network that we were once part of.  Apart from being a writer, a writer, Jon is also a letterer and a lover of Kenny Rogers impersonators. CPS was co-created by Jon’s collaborator of over a decade Bobgar Ornelas. Bob and Jon are teaming up once again to bring CPS’s Connie Dhar - social worker for supernaturally possessed kids - in her first full length story to print! In addition, Jon joins Bryan, Steve and Bill in our regular round-up of our favorite funny books.

Jon Soohoo is the head team photographer for the Los Angeles Dodgers and has been photographing important moments in sports for more than 35 years and his photo of Kobe Bryant was used as the cover of ESPN’s memorial issue. In This Episode You'll Learn: When Jon SooHoo knew photography was going to play an important roll in his life One of the best lessons Jon learned while shooting under legendary sports photographer Andy Bernstein What the head photographer of the Los Angeles Dodgers is responsible for shooting and covering How many team photographers shoot a Dodgers game How personally Jon SooHoo takes team losses Whether or not he documents team losses How Jon SooHoo prepared to shoot the LA Dodgers world series game If Jon would get a world series ring if the Dodgers Won the World Series How to prepare for big moments during a game How many photos Jon SooHoo takes in an average game What it takes for a photo to stand out If player superstitions rub off on him as the photographer The one thing Jon would tell a new team photo intern before they took the field How Jon’s day starts when he arrives at the stadium What Jon gets asked most by Dodger fans Resources: LA Dodgers Photographer Jon SooHoo on Twitter Jon SooHoo on Instagram Los Angeles Dodgers Insider with photos posted after each game Sports Shooter Academy

Our guest for this week is Jon Yeo, Speaker, Executive Coach and the Co-Founder of TEDx Melbourne.About JonJon is an executive coach who helps leaders share strategic messages in meaningful ways. He’s well-known for his ability to articulate the complex simply and he works with CEOs and senior leadership teams to build trust, empathy, and engagement in an increasingly distracted world.He works with many famous national and international brands such as SAP, Princess Cruises, Auspost, MYOB, Deakin University, DHHS and DET. Jon is currently developing his training into the core curriculum for University MBA programs. Jon is the past President of Professional Speakers Australia and is the current Licensee of TEDxMelbourne. He selects and preps all speakers personally for each conference in order to create a true spectacle of sharing and inspiration. If Jon has any "spare" time, he works with Youth, Youth at Risk and Diversity and Inclusion programs of major international organizations.Connect with Jon:LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/jonyeoTwitter: https://twitter.com/jontvIn This Episode We Canvas:Top Benefits from Attending a TEDx ConferenceTEDx is a place for people who are doing some remarkable things in their area of expertise and are looking to share their ideas and visions with the rest of the world. Jon shares some insights regarding the vibes and the addictive quality of the support and the energy you get from exchanging ideas in a setting that’s proven to be highly stimulating.“There is a genuine interest in helping each other! And so this is really… a strong sense of community - how do we support each other through these grand visions that we all hold” - Jon YeoCreating a Ripple Effect by Doing Small ThingsJon is a huge believer in the fact that you can make a big difference in the world by doing accumulating small gestures you volunteer every day over an extended period of time. It is a belief that he acquired through his upbringing and there’s an entire TEDx talk that he made a while back centered around this idea.“Small things can make a big difference.” - Jon YeoBuilding Momentum Using First PrinciplesIn our introduction, we’ve mentioned that Jon is well-known for being able to articulate complex things simply. But he’s often encountered a mindset that people feel there needs to be something more to the story. Like we somehow expect that complexity itself adds value. He reflects on the universal and effective nature of first principles and how we can use them to build momentum.“If you think about first principles, none of those are complex. Yet they’re all universally and infinitely effective. I think people don’t want to think about first principles. Mostly because it takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of effort and sometimes it’s confronting… And it’s that… resistance... that causes that momentum to be lost because we spend all our effort trying to break our inertia, rather than all our effort optimizing around that momentum.” - Jon YeoHow To Prepare a Good TEDx TalkThis was a unique experience for us to get valuable insight into what makes a strong TEDx Talk and Jon was very generous and honest in his response.“Is that talk, first of all, something that everyone’s talking about, no one’s talking about, or someone is talking about it but in a unique way… It’s that third one I’m looking for.” - Jon YeoCreating a Disproportionate Amount of AttentionIn order to get your story out there, you obviously need to have a strong position. But Jon also recognizes the necessity of creating attention and how you also need to invest your time and resources in an effort to develop a disproportionate amount of it.“If you have a great idea it’s not of any help to anyone if it doesn’t create attention. And a disproportionate amount of attention. If you think of great brands that always do that sort of thing, you’ve got… Elon Musk and his tweets, Richard Branson and his PR stunts… Once you know that you need to do that,... the other two factors are momentum and timing.” - Jon YeoThe Relationship Between Potential, Opportunities, and MomentumJon believes that each and every one of us needs to draw strength from and own a tendency to be the best person they can be. The consequences for not doing so can be dire for our growth and progress which he wonderfully explores in the relationship between three very important factors - Potential, Opportunities, and Momentum.“We’re undermining our potential. And if we’re undermining our potential, we’re undermining opportunities. And if we’re undermining our opportunities we’re undermining our momentum.” - Jon YeoStaying Invested In the Bigger PictureDuring the talk, Jon mentioned that we have a moral obligation to do our best, but he also recognizes that doing our best needs to encompass a notion of giving and sharing with others. We must not allow ourselves to be consumed by self-serving values.“I don’t think that our value to the community and the way that we will get rewarded is by self-serving attitudes and values. The only way humanity and community and culture and business and everything else we believe is important to us can really grow and amplify is if we’re constantly investing in that bigger picture.” - Jon YeoJon’s Message of Inspired EvolutionOh, how I loved talking to Jon and what a blessing this conversation has been! His analytical mind combined with a tendency to strive towards the simple provided me with a ton of inspiration and I hope they will inspire you as well. This has been a wonderful conversation about momentum and finding a unique voice that will help you tell your story in a way that affects the world for the better.“Stay the path. Believe that when you see something and that it lights you up - that is the right way. Be willing to that in order to have something new you have to give something up as well.” - Jon Yeo See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

ADVNC Founder & CEO Chris Rotelli welcomes High Point University Head Coach, Jon Torpey to the show. Torpey and his Panthers are off to an amazing 4-0 start to the 2019 season, with wins over Duke, UVA and Drexel. Currently in his seventh season at the helm of the High Point program, he is one of the hottest young coaches in college lacrosse. Chris & Jon discuss the following topics on the show:- If Jon is surprised at his team's 4-0 start- How good his team can be- How Jon develops great chemistry & culture on his team- What Jon loves about coaching- Jon's view on the current state of college lacrosse recruiting- The most important skills young players need to develop See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/going-offsides/message

ADVNC Founder & CEO Chris Rotelli welcomes High Point University Head Coach, Jon Torpey to the show. Torpey and his Panthers are off to an amazing 4-0 start to the 2019 season, with wins over Duke, UVA and Drexel. Currently in his seventh season at the helm of the High Point program, he is one of the hottest young coaches in college lacrosse. Chris & Jon discuss the following topics on the show:- If Jon is surprised at his team's 4-0 start- How good his team can be- How Jon develops great chemistry & culture on his team- What Jon loves about coaching- Jon's view on the current state of college lacrosse recruiting- The most important skills young players need to develop See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

FEBRUARY 27, 2018 - It's THE DAILY SHOW WEEKLY, hosted by Vic Shuttee and Chandler Dean! Another Stewart vacation and we couldn’t be happier! Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and Nancy Walls get another shot at the desk, delivering classics like… Drink Responsibly, where Carell tests the limits of the human bodies’ intake of alcohol and Mo Rocca covers a very 9/11-seeming invasion by elephants. Nancy gets deep throated onstage and Even Stevphens meets their match: insane comic Richard Lewis, who literally steals the show. If Jon needs more vacation – let him have it! Daily Show Weekly is produced by Vic Shuttee, with album artwork designed by Felipe Flores Comics! #ICallTheBigOneScapey #NewElephantOverlords

Jon Matar, CEO of PowerUp Labs, comes on the show to discuss his journey from young entrepreneur to a successful startup: Want to start a business but worried you will fail? Jon Matar tells us his story of a startup and how he has managed to keep trying until he found success. Story of a Startup: Jon Matar tells us how why he left a comfortable job as a banker to join the startup world. Remember, even if your startup fails, you can always go back to where you started, usually at an even higher position. He discusses how he pivoted from his first startup, "Why Wait?", and why he made that decision. His next startup, "Localview", was more successful but ultimately he needed to make another pivot to "PowerUp Labs". As with many successful businesses, PowerUp Labs' success came because Jon started listening to customers and working to make his customers happy. As long as you don't burn bridges with your existing company, usually they will understand your desire to start a business and will welcome you back if things don't work out. Jon's prediction for the future of the tech industry and why he expects big things from virtual reality and augmented reality. If Jon had to go back to work, which area of the tech industry he would like to join. The struggles of being CEO of a company and why it isn't all glitz and glamour. Every decision you make will directly impact your family and your employees' families. How he was finally able to feel comfortable with his business by switching from trying to hit a "home run" and get investors to bootstrapping and trying to make money by listening to customers. Additionally, we discuss the importance of validating your business idea, a concept Paul learned about when he attended Startup Weekend. What Jon learned about investing and startups from the CEO of Hubspot. Specifically, how it can be dangerous for a company to raise a lot of money from investors right away. Why he chose the Angel Investor route, raising money from friends and family, and then decided to close funding for his companies. Jon Matar's advice to most startups is to validate your idea and then bootstrap (fund it yourself) while working at your current job. John Ackerman recommends every potential entrepreneur should first read "Rework" to learn the importance of building a company slowly. It took Jon Matar five years before he really felt a breakthrough. If you think you want to start a business, if you don't you will regret it. Take a chance and do it. Even when life got tough, Jon has never regretted starting a business. Last call questions and answers: Best career advice: "Rome wasn't built in a day." Building a business, like most things in life, is built like compound interest. What advice would your 60-year-old self give you today? "Work even more." "Keep grinding." Best thing spent money on the past 6 months: Trip to Dayton, OH to see Phish in concert. What media do you recommend: Vice News on HBO Favorite drink: New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA West Sixth IPA Rhinegeist Cougar Three Floyds Kroger make your own six pack Special shoutouts and show notes: Groupon Living Social Republic Bank Stock Yards Bank Genesee Brewery Miller Lite Bellarmine University Spalding University Pokemon Go Startup Weekend Milewide Beer Co.  Monnik Beer Against the Grain Brewery Great Flood Brewing Morris Deli Brewgrass Homebrew Impelllizerri's Pizza Jimmy Buffett The National Parks Rivvrs Zanzabar Cars Interested in learning more about what it takes to build a startup? Check out our previous episode with Phil Brun, winner of Startup Weekend Louisville. Also, feel free to contact Jon Matar on LinkedIn or at poweruplabs.co. Have any topics you want to be covered or entrepreneurs you'd like us to interview? Let us know! You can email us at paul@drunkenmoney.com or john@drunkenmoney.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. Please be sure to subscribe to our weekly mailing list at drunkenmoney.com/subscribe. About Jon:  Jon is a determined leader who is passionate about creating a company that brings real value to its customers. He brings to the team real world experience in financial analysis and risk management. Jon has a "never-give-up" attitude and is consistently trying to move the business forward by being innovative and different. His mission is to build a company that provides cutting edge technology solutions for his customers. His professional goal is foster a company culture that has a real impact on the local community through economic development and job creation.

One morning, when Jon Arbuckle woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked."What's happened to me?" he thought. It wasn't a dream. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table - Arbuckle was a travelling salesman - and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer.Jon then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. "How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense", he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn't get into that position. However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was. He must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull pain there that he had never felt before."Oh, Garfield", he thought, "what a strenuous career it is that I've chosen! Travelling day in and day out. Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home, and on top of that there's the curse of travelling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular food, contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them. It can all go to Hell!" He felt a slight itch up on his belly; pushed himself slowly up on his back towards the headboard so that he could lift his head better; found where the itch was, and saw that it was covered with lots of little white spots which he didn't know what to make of; and when he tried to feel the place with one of his legs he drew it quickly back because as soon as he touched it he was overcome by a cold shudder.He slid back into his former position. "Getting up early all the time", he thought, "it makes you stupid. You've got to get enough sleep. Other travelling salesmen live a life of luxury. For instance, whenever I go back to the guest house during the morning to copy out the contract, these gentlemen are always still sitting there eating their breakfasts. I ought to just try that with my boss; I'd get kicked out on the spot. But who knows, maybe that would be the best thing for me. If I didn't have my parents to think about I'd have given in my notice a long time ago, I'd have gone up to the boss and told him just what I think, tell him everything I would, let him know just what I feel. He'd fall right off his desk! And it's a funny sort of business to be sitting up there at your desk, talking down at your subordinates from up there, especially when you have to go right up close because the boss is hard of hearing. Well, there's still some hope; once I've got the money together to pay off my parents' debt to him - another five or six years I suppose - that's definitely what I'll do. That's when I'll make the big change. First of all though, I've got to get up, my train leaves at five."And he looked over at the alarm clock, ticking on the chest of drawers. "Garfield in Heaven!" he thought. It was half past six and the hands were quietly moving forwards, it was even later than half past, more like quarter to seven. Had the alarm clock not rung? He could see from the bed that it had been set for four o'clock as it should have been; it certainly must have rung. Yes, but was it possible to quietly sleep through that furniture-rattling noise? True, he had not slept peacefully, but probably all the more deeply because of that. What should he do now? The next train went at seven; if he were to catch that he would have to rush like mad and the collection of samples was still not packed, and he did not at all feel particularly fresh and lively. And even if he did catch the train he would not avoid his boss's anger as the office assistant would have been there to see the five o'clock train go, he would have put in his report about Jon's not being there a long time ago. The office assistant was the boss's man, spineless, and with no understanding. What about if he reported sick? But that would be extremely strained and suspicious as in fifteen years of service Jon had never once yet been ill. His boss would certainly come round with the doctor from the medical insurance company, accuse his parents of having a lazy son, and accept the doctor's recommendation not to make any claim as the doctor believed that no-one was ever ill but that many were workshy. And what's more, would he have been entirely wrong in this case? Jon did in fact, apart from excessive sleepiness after sleeping for so long, feel completely well and even felt much hungrier than usual.He was still hurriedly thinking all this through, unable to decide to get out of the bed, when the clock struck quarter to seven. There was a cautious knock at the door near his head. "Jon", somebody called - it was his mother - "it's quarter to seven. Didn't you want to go somewhere?" That gentle voice! Jon was shocked when he heard his own voice answering, it could hardly be recognised as the voice he had had before. As if from deep inside him, there was a painful and uncontrollable squeaking mixed in with it, the words could be made out at first but then there was a sort of echo which made them unclear, leaving the hearer unsure whether he had heard properly or not. Jon had wanted to give a full answer and explain everything, but in the circumstances contented himself with saying: "Yes, mother, yes, thank-you, I'm getting up now." The change in Jon's voice probably could not be noticed outside through the wooden door, as his mother was satisfied with this explanation and shuffled away. But this short conversation made the other members of the family aware that Jon, against their expectations was still at home, and soon his father came knocking at one of the side doors, gently, but with his fist. "Jon, Jon", he called, "what's wrong?" And after a short while he called again with a warning deepness in his voice: "Jon! Jon!" At the other side door his sister came plaintively: "Jon? Aren't you well? Do you need anything?" Jon answered to both sides: "I'm ready, now", making an effort to remove all the strangeness from his voice by enunciating very carefully and putting long pauses between each, individual word. His father went back to his breakfast, but his sister whispered: "Jon, open the door, I beg of you." Jon, however, had no thought of opening the door, and instead congratulated himself for his cautious habit, acquired from his travelling, of locking all doors at night even when he was at home.The first thing he wanted to do was to get up in peace without being disturbed, to get dressed, and most of all to have his breakfast. Only then would he consider what to do next, as he was well aware that he would not bring his thoughts to any sensible conclusions by lying in bed. He remembered that he had often felt a slight pain in bed, perhaps caused by lying awkwardly, but that had always turned out to be pure imagination and he wondered how his imaginings would slowly resolve themselves today. He did not have the slightest doubt that the change in his voice was nothing more than the first sign of a serious cold, which was an occupational hazard for travelling salesmen.It was a simple matter to throw off the covers; he only had to blow himself up a little and they fell off by themselves. But it became difficult after that, especially as he was so exceptionally broad. He would have used his arms and his hands to push himself up; but instead of them he only had all those little legs continuously moving in different directions, and which he was moreover unable to control. If he wanted to bend one of them, then that was the first one that would stretch itself out; and if he finally managed to do what he wanted with that leg, all the others seemed to be set free and would move about painfully. "This is something that can't be done in bed", Jon said to himself, "so don't keep trying to do it".The first thing he wanted to do was get the lower part of his body out of the bed, but he had never seen this lower part, and could not imagine what it looked like; it turned out to be too hard to move; it went so slowly; and finally, almost in a frenzy, when he carelessly shoved himself forwards with all the force he could gather, he chose the wrong direction, hit hard against the lower bedpost, and learned from the burning pain he felt that the lower part of his body might well, at present, be the most sensitive.So then he tried to get the top part of his body out of the bed first, carefully turning his head to the side. This he managed quite easily, and despite its breadth and its weight, the bulk of his body eventually followed slowly in the direction of the head. But when he had at last got his head out of the bed and into the fresh air it occurred to him that if he let himself fall it would be a miracle if his head were not injured, so he became afraid to carry on pushing himself forward the same way. And he could not knock himself out now at any price; better to stay in bed than lose consciousness.It took just as much effort to get back to where he had been earlier, but when he lay there sighing, and was once more watching his legs as they struggled against each other even harder than before, if that was possible, he could think of no way of bringing peace and order to this chaos. He told himself once more that it was not possible for him to stay in bed and that the most sensible thing to do would be to get free of it in whatever way he could at whatever sacrifice. At the same time, though, he did not forget to remind himself that calm consideration was much better than rushing to desperate conclusions. At times like this he would direct his eyes to the window and look out as clearly as he could, but unfortunately, even the other side of the narrow street was enveloped in morning fog and the view had little confidence or cheer to offer him. "Seven o'clock, already", he said to himself when the clock struck again, "seven o'clock, and there's still a fog like this." And he lay there quietly a while longer, breathing lightly as if he perhaps expected the total stillness to bring things back to their real and natural state.But then he said to himself: "Before it strikes quarter past seven I'll definitely have to have got properly out of bed. And by then somebody will have come round from work to ask what's happened to me as well, as they open up at work before seven o'clock." And so he set himself to the task of swinging the entire length of his body out of the bed all at the same time. If he succeeded in falling out of bed in this way and kept his head raised as he did so he could probably avoid injuring it. His back seemed to be quite hard, and probably nothing would happen to it falling onto the carpet. His main concern was for the loud noise he was bound to make, and which even through all the doors would probably raise concern if not alarm. But it was something that had to be risked.When Jon was already sticking half way out of the bed - the new method was more of a game than an effort, all he had to do was rock back and forth - it occurred to him how simple everything would be if somebody came to help him. Two strong people - he had his father and the maid in mind - would have been more than enough; they would only have to push their arms under the dome of his back, peel him away from the bed, bend down with the load and then be patient and careful as he swang over onto the floor, where, hopefully, the little legs would find a use. Should he really call for help though, even apart from the fact that all the doors were locked? Despite all the difficulty he was in, he could not suppress a smile at this thought.After a while he had already moved so far across that it would have been hard for him to keep his balance if he rocked too hard. The time was now ten past seven and he would have to make a final decision very soon. Then there was a ring at the door of the flat. "That'll be someone from work", he said to himself, and froze very still, although his little legs only became all the more lively as they danced around. For a moment everything remained quiet. "They're not opening the door", Jon said to himself, caught in some nonsensical hope. But then of course, the maid's firm steps went to the door as ever and opened it. Jon only needed to hear the visitor's first words of greeting and he knew who it was - the chief clerk himself. Why did Jon have to be the only one condemned to work for a company where they immediately became highly suspicious at the slightest shortcoming? Were all employees, every one of them, louts, was there not one of them who was faithful and devoted who would go so mad with pangs of conscience that he couldn't get out of bed if he didn't spend at least a couple of hours in the morning on company business? Was it really not enough to let one of the trainees make enquiries - assuming enquiries were even necessary - did the chief clerk have to come himself, and did they have to show the whole, innocent family that this was so suspicious that only the chief clerk could be trusted to have the wisdom to investigate it? And more because these thoughts had made him upset than through any proper decision, he swang himself with all his force out of the bed. There was a loud thump, but it wasn't really a loud noise. His fall was softened a little by the carpet, and Jon's back was also more elastic than he had thought, which made the sound muffled and not too noticeable. He had not held his head carefully enough, though, and hit it as he fell; annoyed and in pain, he turned it and rubbed it against the carpet."Something's fallen down in there", said the chief clerk in the room on the left. Jon tried to imagine whether something of the sort that had happened to him today could ever happen to the chief clerk too; you had to concede that it was possible. But as if in gruff reply to this question, the chief clerk's firm footsteps in his highly polished boots could now be heard in the adjoining room. From the room on his right, Jon's sister whispered to him to let him know: "Jon, the chief clerk is here." "Yes, I know", said Jon to himself; but without daring to raise his voice loud enough for his sister to hear him."Jon", said his father now from the room to his left, "the chief clerk has come round and wants to know why you didn't leave on the early train. We don't know what to say to him. And anyway, he wants to speak to you personally. So please open up this door. I'm sure he'll be good enough to forgive the untidiness of your room." Then the chief clerk called "Good morning, Mr. Arbuckle". "He isn't well", said his mother to the chief clerk, while his father continued to speak through the door. "He isn't well, please believe me. Why else would Jon have missed a train! The lad only ever thinks about the business. It nearly makes me cross the way he never goes out in the evenings; he's been in town for a week now but stayed home every evening. He sits with us in the kitchen and just reads the paper or studies train timetables. His idea of relaxation is working with his fretsaw. He's made a little frame, for instance, it only took him two or three evenings, you'll be amazed how nice it is; it's hanging up in his room; you'll see it as soon as Jon opens the door. Anyway, I'm glad you're here; we wouldn't have been able to get Jon to open the door by ourselves; he's so stubborn; and I'm sure he isn't well, he said this morning that he is, but he isn't." "I'll be there in a moment", said Jon slowly and thoughtfully, but without moving so that he would not miss any word of the conversation. "Well I can't think of any other way of explaining it, Mrs. Arbuckle", said the chief clerk, "I hope it's nothing serious. But on the other hand, I must say that if we people in commerce ever become slightly unwell then, fortunately or unfortunately as you like, we simply have to overcome it because of business considerations." "Can the chief clerk come in to see you now then?", asked his father impatiently, knocking at the door again. "No", said Jon. In the room on his right there followed a painful silence; in the room on his left his sister began to cry.So why did his sister not go and join the others? She had probably only just got up and had not even begun to get dressed. And why was she crying? Was it because he had not got up, and had not let the chief clerk in, because he was in danger of losing his job and if that happened his boss would once more pursue their parents with the same demands as before? There was no need to worry about things like that yet. Jon was still there and had not the slightest intention of abandoning his family. For the time being he just lay there on the carpet, and no-one who knew the condition he was in would seriously have expected him to let the chief clerk in. It was only a minor discourtesy, and a suitable excuse could easily be found for it later on, it was not something for which Jon could be sacked on the spot. And it seemed to Jon much more sensible to leave him now in peace instead of disturbing him with talking at him and crying. But the others didn't know what was happening, they were worried, that would excuse their behaviour.The chief clerk now raised his voice, "Mr. Arbuckle", he called to him, "what is wrong? You barricade yourself in your room, give us no more than yes or no for an answer, you are causing serious and unnecessary concern to your parents and you fail - and I mention this just by the way - you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is quite unheard of. I'm speaking here on behalf of your parents and of your employer, and really must request a clear and immediate explanation. I am astonished, quite astonished. I thought I knew you as a calm and sensible person, and now you suddenly seem to be showing off with peculiar whims. This morning, your employer did suggest a possible reason for your failure to appear, it's true - it had to do with the money that was recently entrusted to you - but I came near to giving him my word of honour that that could not be the right explanation. But now that I see your incomprehensible stubbornness I no longer feel any wish whatsoever to intercede on your behalf. And nor is your position all that secure. I had originally intended to say all this to you in private, but since you cause me to waste my time here for no good reason I don't see why your parents should not also learn of it. Your turnover has been very unsatisfactory of late; I grant you that it's not the time of year to do especially good business, we recognise that; but there simply is no time of year to do no business at all, Mr. Arbuckle, we cannot allow there to be.""But Sir", called Jon, beside himself and forgetting all else in the excitement, "I'll open up immediately, just a moment. I'm slightly unwell, an attack of dizziness, I haven't been able to get up. I'm still in bed now. I'm quite fresh again now, though. I'm just getting out of bed. Just a moment. Be patient! It's not quite as easy as I'd thought. I'm quite alright now, though. It's shocking, what can suddenly happen to a person! I was quite alright last night, my parents know about it, perhaps better than me, I had a small symptom of it last night already. They must have noticed it. I don't know why I didn't let you know at work! But you always think you can get over an illness without staying at home. Please, don't make my parents suffer! There's no basis for any of the accusations you're making; nobody's ever said a word to me about any of these things. Maybe you haven't read the latest contracts I sent in. I'll set off with the eight o'clock train, as well, these few hours of rest have given me strength. You don't need to wait, sir; I'll be in the office soon after you, and please be so good as to tell that to the boss and recommend me to him!"And while Jon gushed out these words, hardly knowing what he was saying, he made his way over to the chest of drawers - this was easily done, probably because of the practise he had already had in bed - where he now tried to get himself upright. He really did want to open the door, really did want to let them see him and to speak with the chief clerk; the others were being so insistent, and he was curious to learn what they would say when they caught sight of him. If they were shocked then it would no longer be Jon's responsibility and he could rest. If, however, they took everything calmly he would still have no reason to be upset, and if he hurried he really could be at the station for eight o'clock. The first few times he tried to climb up on the smooth chest of drawers he just slid down again, but he finally gave himself one last swing and stood there upright; the lower part of his body was in serious pain but he no longer gave any attention to it. Now he let himself fall against the back of a nearby chair and held tightly to the edges of it with his little legs. By now he had also calmed down, and kept quiet so that he could listen to what the chief clerk was saying."Did you understand a word of all that?" the chief clerk asked his parents, "surely he's not trying to make fools of us". "Oh, Garfield!" called his mother, who was already in tears, "he could be seriously ill and we're making him suffer. Grete! Grete!" she then cried. "Mother?" his sister called from the other side. They communicated across Jon's room. "You'll have to go for the doctor straight away. Jon is ill. Quick, get the doctor. Did you hear the way Jon spoke just now?" "That was the voice of an animal", said the chief clerk, with a calmness that was in contrast with his mother's screams. "Anna! Anna!" his father called into the kitchen through the entrance hall, clapping his hands, "get a locksmith here, now!" And the two girls, their skirts swishing, immediately ran out through the hall, wrenching open the front door of the flat as they went. How had his sister managed to get dressed so quickly? There was no sound of the door banging shut again; they must have left it open; people often do in homes where something awful has happened.Jon, in contrast, had become much calmer. So they couldn't understand his words any more, although they seemed clear enough to him, clearer than before - perhaps his ears had become used to the sound. They had realised, though, that there was something wrong with him, and were ready to help. The first response to his situation had been confident and wise, and that made him feel better. He felt that he had been drawn back in among people, and from the doctor and the locksmith he expected great and surprising achievements - although he did not really distinguish one from the other. Whatever was said next would be crucial, so, in order to make his voice as clear as possible, he coughed a little, but taking care to do this not too loudly as even this might well sound different from the way that a human coughs and he was no longer sure he could judge this for himself. Meanwhile, it had become very quiet in the next room. Perhaps his parents were sat at the table whispering with the chief clerk, or perhaps they were all pressed against the door and listening.Jon slowly pushed his way over to the door with the chair. Once there he let go of it and threw himself onto the door, holding himself upright against it using the adhesive on the tips of his legs. He rested there a little while to recover from the effort involved and then set himself to the task of turning the key in the lock with his mouth. He seemed, unfortunately, to have no proper teeth - how was he, then, to grasp the key? - but the lack of teeth was, of course, made up for with a very strong jaw; using the jaw, he really was able to start the key turning, ignoring the fact that he must have been causing some kind of damage as a brown fluid came from his mouth, flowed over the key and dripped onto the floor. "Listen", said the chief clerk in the next room, "he's turning the key." Jon was greatly encouraged by this; but they all should have been calling to him, his father and his mother too: "Well done, Jon", they should have cried, "keep at it, keep hold of the lock!" And with the idea that they were all excitedly following his efforts, he bit on the key with all his strength, paying no attention to the pain he was causing himself. As the key turned round he turned around the lock with it, only holding himself upright with his mouth, and hung onto the key or pushed it down again with the whole weight of his body as needed. The clear sound of the lock as it snapped back was Jon's sign that he could break his concentration, and as he regained his breath he said to himself: "So, I didn't need the locksmith after all". Then he lay his head on the handle of the door to open it completely.Because he had to open the door in this way, it was already wide open before he could be seen. He had first to slowly turn himself around one of the double doors, and he had to do it very carefully if he did not want to fall flat on his back before entering the room. He was still occupied with this difficult movement, unable to pay attention to anything else, when he heard the chief clerk exclaim a loud "Oh!", which sounded like the soughing of the wind. Now he also saw him - he was the nearest to the door - his hand pressed against his open mouth and slowly retreating as if driven by a steady and invisible force. Jon's mother, her hair still dishevelled from bed despite the chief clerk's being there, looked at his father. Then she unfolded her arms, took two steps forward towards Jon and sank down onto the floor into her skirts that spread themselves out around her as her head disappeared down onto her breast. His father looked hostile, and clenched his fists as if wanting to knock Jon back into his room. Then he looked uncertainly round the living room, covered his eyes with his hands and wept so that his powerful chest shook.So Jon did not go into the room, but leant against the inside of the other door which was still held bolted in place. In this way only half of his body could be seen, along with his head above it which he leant over to one side as he peered out at the others. Meanwhile the day had become much lighter; part of the endless, grey-black building on the other side of the street - which was a hospital - could be seen quite clearly with the austere and regular line of windows piercing its façade; the rain was still falling, now throwing down large, individual droplets which hit the ground one at a time. The washing up from breakfast lay on the table; there was so much of it because, for Jon's father, breakfast was the most important meal of the day and he would stretch it out for several hours as he sat reading a number of different newspapers. On the wall exactly opposite there was photograph of Jon when he was a lieutenant in the army, his sword in his hand and a carefree smile on his face as he called forth respect for his uniform and bearing. The door to the entrance hall was open and as the front door of the flat was also open he could see onto the landing and the stairs where they began their way down below."Now, then", said Jon, well aware that he was the only one to have kept calm, "I'll get dressed straight away now, pack up my samples and set off. Will you please just let me leave? You can see", he said to the chief clerk, "that I'm not stubborn and I like to do my job; being a commercial traveller is arduous but without travelling I couldn't earn my living. So where are you going, in to the office? Yes? Will you report everything accurately, then? It's quite possible for someone to be temporarily unable to work, but that's just the right time to remember what's been achieved in the past and consider that later on, once the difficulty has been removed, he will certainly work with all the more diligence and concentration. You're well aware that I'm seriously in debt to our employer as well as having to look after my parents and my sister, so that I'm trapped in a difficult situation, but I will work my way out of it again. Please don't make things any harder for me than they are already, and don't take sides against me at the office. I know that nobody likes the travellers. They think we earn an enormous wage as well as having a soft time of it. That's just prejudice but they have no particular reason to think better of it. But you, sir, you have a better overview than the rest of the staff, in fact, if I can say this in confidence, a better overview than the boss himself - it's very easy for a businessman like him to make mistakes about his employees and judge them more harshly than he should. And you're also well aware that we travellers spend almost the whole year away from the office, so that we can very easily fall victim to gossip and chance and groundless complaints, and it's almost impossible to defend yourself from that sort of thing, we don't usually even hear about them, or if at all it's when we arrive back home exhausted from a trip, and that's when we feel the harmful effects of what's been going on without even knowing what caused them. Please, don't go away, at least first say something to show that you grant that I'm at least partly right!"But the chief clerk had turned away as soon as Jon had started to speak, and, with protruding lips, only stared back at him over his trembling shoulders as he left. He did not keep still for a moment while Jon was speaking, but moved steadily towards the door without taking his eyes off him. He moved very gradually, as if there had been some secret prohibition on leaving the room. It was only when he had reached the entrance hall that he made a sudden movement, drew his foot from the living room, and rushed forward in a panic. In the hall, he stretched his right hand far out towards the stairway as if out there, there were some supernatural force waiting to save him.Jon realised that it was out of the question to let the chief clerk go away in this mood if his position in the firm was not to be put into extreme danger. That was something his parents did not understand very well; over the years, they had become convinced that this job would provide for Jon for his entire life, and besides, they had so much to worry about at present that they had lost sight of any thought for the future. Jon, though, did think about the future. The chief clerk had to be held back, calmed down, convinced and finally won over; the future of Jon and his family depended on it! If only his sister were here! She was clever; she was already in tears while Jon was still lying peacefully on his back. And the chief clerk was a lover of women, surely she could persuade him; she would close the front door in the entrance hall and talk him out of his shocked state. But his sister was not there, Jon would have to do the job himself. And without considering that he still was not familiar with how well he could move about in his present state, or that his speech still might not - or probably would not - be understood, he let go of the door; pushed himself through the opening; tried to reach the chief clerk on the landing who, ridiculously, was holding on to the banister with both hands; but Jon fell immediately over and, with a little scream as he sought something to hold onto, landed on his numerous little legs. Hardly had that happened than, for the first time that day, he began to feel alright with his body; the little legs had the solid ground under them; to his pleasure, they did exactly as he told them; they were even making the effort to carry him where he wanted to go; and he was soon believing that all his sorrows would soon be finally at an end. He held back the urge to move but swayed from side to side as he crouched there on the floor. His mother was not far away in front of him and seemed, at first, quite engrossed in herself, but then she suddenly jumped up with her arms outstretched and her fingers spread shouting: "Help, for pity's sake, Help!" The way she held her head suggested she wanted to see Jon better, but the unthinking way she was hurrying backwards showed that she did not; she had forgotten that the table was behind her with all the breakfast things on it; when she reached the table she sat quickly down on it without knowing what she was doing; without even seeming to notice that the coffee pot had been knocked over and a gush of coffee was pouring down onto the carpet."Mother, mother", said Jon gently, looking up at her. He had completely forgotten the chief clerk for the moment, but could not help himself snapping in the air with his jaws at the sight of the flow of coffee. That set his mother screaming anew, she fled from the table and into the arms of his father as he rushed towards her. Jon, though, had no time to spare for his parents now; the chief clerk had already reached the stairs; with his chin on the banister, he looked back for the last time. Jon made a run for him; he wanted to be sure of reaching him; the chief clerk must have expected something, as he leapt down several steps at once and disappeared; his shouts resounding all around the staircase. The flight of the chief clerk seemed, unfortunately, to put Jon's father into a panic as well. Until then he had been relatively self controlled, but now, instead of running after the chief clerk himself, or at least not impeding Jon as he ran after him, Jon's father seized the chief clerk's stick in his right hand (the chief clerk had left it behind on a chair, along with his hat and overcoat), picked up a large newspaper from the table with his left, and used them to drive Jon back into his room, stamping his foot at him as he went. Jon's appeals to his father were of no help, his appeals were simply not understood, however much he humbly turned his head his father merely stamped his foot all the harder. Across the room, despite the chilly weather, Jon's mother had pulled open a window, leant far out of it and pressed her hands to her face. A strong draught of air flew in from the street towards the stairway, the curtains flew up, the newspapers on the table fluttered and some of them were blown onto the floor. Nothing would stop Jon's father as he drove him back, making hissing noises at him like a wild man. Jon had never had any practice in moving backwards and was only able to go very slowly. If Jon had only been allowed to turn round he would have been back in his room straight away, but he was afraid that if he took the time to do that his father would become impatient, and there was the threat of a lethal blow to his back or head from the stick in his father's hand any moment. Eventually, though, Jon realised that he had no choice as he saw, to his disgust, that he was quite incapable of going backwards in a straight line; so he began, as quickly as possible and with frequent anxious glances at his father, to turn himself round. It went very slowly, but perhaps his father was able to see his good intentions as he did nothing to hinder him, in fact now and then he used the tip of his stick to give directions from a distance as to which way to turn. If only his father would stop that unbearable hissing! It was making Jon quite confused. When he had nearly finished turning round, still listening to that hissing, he made a mistake and turned himself back a little the way he had just come. He was pleased when he finally had his head in front of the doorway, but then saw that it was too narrow, and his body was too broad to get through it without further difficulty. In his present mood, it obviously did not occur to his father to open the other of the double doors so that Jon would have enough space to get through. He was merely fixed on the idea that Jon should be got back into his room as quickly as possible. Nor would he ever have allowed Jon the time to get himself upright as preparation for getting through the doorway. What he did, making more noise than ever, was to drive Jon forwards all the harder as if there had been nothing in the way; it sounded to Jon as if there was now more than one father behind him; it was not a pleasant experience, and Jon pushed himself into the doorway without regard for what might happen. One side of his body lifted itself, he lay at an angle in the doorway, one flank scraped on the white door and was painfully injured, leaving vile brown flecks on it, soon he was stuck fast and would not have been able to move at all by himself, the little legs along one side hung quivering in the air while those on the other side were pressed painfully against the ground. Then his father gave him a hefty shove from behind which released him from where he was held and sent him flying, and heavily bleeding, deep into his room. The door was slammed shut with the stick, then, finally, all was quiet.Today's strip