Typical Day
Up-and-coming real estate developer Brick Blastinhoef wakes up at 10:00AM on an island just off the coast of Sydney, Australia. His brain isn't quite sure what to think, though, because 10:00AM on the island is 3:00PM yesterday in California, where Brick departed from to get here. He had a really, really long flight last night..,or yesterday morning. It's all pretty confusing.
The view from the window of Brick's humble island lodge is of a pristine beach lined with coconut trees. All Brick sees, though, is cash.
The island is just a short plane hop or boat ride from Sydney, Australia, making it the perfect getaway for big-ticket leisure lovers. A glass-bottomed boat dock here, a margarita bar there, and a couple thousand vacationers with fanny packs full of cash floating through every month, and this place could really reach its dough factory potential (which is an official term Brick uses).
Brick's been sent ahead by his company, Dozer, Flatten, and Bildanew, to scout out the island for a high-end resort location. If they could only get rid of all these trees, it'd be perfect. Maybe level out that imposing mountain in the middle of the island—it's too hot to ski here anyway.
Brick rinses off in the shower, gets dressed in his humblest business suit, and heads off to his 12:30PM lunch meeting with the mayor of the island, a simple fellow who seems a little reluctant to deal with Dozer, Flatten, and Bildanew. This is why they sent Brick—he can be very persuasive.
Arriving at the beachfront patio at 12:33PM, Brick finds Mayor Greenspan sitting at a table, upon which is a banquet of beautiful fresh foods of the island.
"Mr. Blastinhoef," Greenspan begins, greeting Brick with a warm handshake. "How nice to see you again. Please have a seat and enjoy the native fruits of our little paradise."
"Mayor Greenspan," Brick replies, "have you had a chance to look over our proposal?"
"Straight to business, this one!" Greenspan exclaims. "I have, of course, why do you think I'm treating you so nicely?"
Until now, Mayor Greenspan had not been nearly so welcoming, which is par for the course in Brick's business. A resistant seller gives his company the cold shoulder—until they receive the offer, that is. Brick hasn't ever met a person who didn't sell when Dozer, Flatten, and Bildanew set their minds to buy, and it seems like Mayor Greenspan is no exception.
"So then," Brick says between bites of a succulent boar chop, "we have a deal?"
"Ah, but what's the hurry?" Greenspan responds. "I have many questions about the specifics. I'm responsible for the interests of the people and animals who inhabit this island."
This is where Brick shines. Over the meal, Brick shows Greenspan some statistics on the expected fiscal success of native communities where resorts have been built. Investment in tourism will bring lots and lots of money and jobs to this tiny island, which appeals strongly to Mayor Greenspan and his constituents.
Finally convinced, Greenspan signs the contract. The land has already been surveyed and zoned, and now Brick and the firm's work can truly begin. It'll take years for the resort to get up to international code, and though Brick and his team haven't worked on anything quite this big before, he's confident he can pull it off while still respecting the needs of Mayor Greenspan and his fellow islanders.
By 2:00PM, Brick is on the first boat back to land, so he can get on the first flight back to California, so he can see his cat, Poofles, and more urgently, his bosses. Brick has been a rising star in the company and is glad to have proved his value yet again.
His plane touches down at LAX around 8:00PM (yesterday) and Brick takes a taxi home while phoning his bosses with the good news. Knowing he has a ton of paperwork ahead of him the next day, he forgoes dinner, opting instead to collapse immediately into bed at 9:30PM. Time traveling and resort buying—it's all in a day's work for Brick Blastinhoef.