Made it home (and didn't need bail).

     Made it back from Blade without needing bail money.  The jackass that is ripping off Alan's design did so legally--by altering the design by at least 40%.  He made the knife about 50% smaller, so that it can't even fit in your first two fingers, even though it has three finger notches in the handle.  He just blew the picture up in his adds so that it looked like it was large enough to use, when it clearly isn't.  He also was smart enough not to put any of them on his table, because that would have started a riot.  As it was, by the end of the first day, he was hiding in the back of the booth, with a woman (I think his wife) watching the counter, because of all the flack he had gotten over the knife.  He caught hell for that all weekend, too, thanks to good people like the Jones Brothers, the folks from the Usual Suspects Network, the boys from Columbia River, and a whole lot of other folks.
     Despite that jackass, Alan had a hell of a show--he sold out of just about everything he brought.  I made the mistake of selling a bunch of his new S.P.E.W.s (Google Alan Folt's name or the CKRT website to see that knife and the three "Minimalist" designs that Columbia River Knife and Tool is producing for him) and a few other things, as well as all of Tommy's punch daggers and Ripcords and Darts and more crap than I can remember.  Somehow, that means I have to sit the table at Blade next year while Tommy and Alan sleep in the hotel the whole weekend.  No good deed goes unpunished.
     Especially when you sell more of Tommy's knives than he does (by a ten-to-one margin).
     Think I might have slept for a day straight.  Left my damn pillow at the Sheraton in Atlanta--they are mailing it back to me, though I don't know yet how much that will cost.  Had an awesome dinner with the Jones Brothers (Barry, Phillip, and Bob) at a little Italian place I can't remember the name of (best veal parmesan ever) but am damn sure going back to next year.  Also had a great dinner with some old friends, Craig and April Nolan (glad yer still kickin' dude, too bad we didn't get to see the baby).  They moved to Atlanta awhile back so we usually only get to see them at Blade.
     The end of this week is the start of Aikido Camp (the Wadokai Gasshuku 2012).  I might make a post before that, might not.  I'll be in Cheraw, SC, sweating off some of my considerably large ass, for the next seven days after that.
     I'll be back to rant at y'all then.