In the ongoing daily struggle of business and life in general, I like to believe that every day is a good day, and some are better than others. Today wasn't one of the better days.

It started with a meeting with a very agressive potential client, the type who uses intimidation and ultimatums to gain advantage in a negotiation. I find this personally repulsive and insulting; had I not been there as a subcontractor to answer technical questions on a job, I may very well have walked out of the meeting. At the very least, had it been my negotiation to conduct, I'd have handled it very differently. After all the years I've been in this business, and given the level of work I've done and the images and successes I've created for my clients, I am baffled by the attitude of some business people that I am somehow trying to cheat them. I resent it when a client wants a cheaper price, but can't be up-front with their budget or requirements, expecting instead to manipulate me into doing the same work for less. This kind of game leaves me with a bad feeling for the whole process.