They say every picture holds a story.  Boy does this one!

This was a bittersweet moment.  On this day I was out with Darryl and my son Declan posting SpyProductions signs around the state. 

We ventured into an area I used to think of as a second home.  Back in 1996 and 1997 I worked at Magpage.  The owners were complete jerks.  No one liked them in the local business community, but everyone liked their money.  I for one just thought you needed to get to know them better, but I saw the slimy side of them in the end.

They tricked me into signing a non-compete for a promise of a piece of the company.  Then soon after that they fired me like many others that worked for them.  With me they took a particularly nasty path.  They took that bogus non-compete I only signed because I was led to believe we were completing the deal to assign me my small part of ownership and they sued me to keep me from working in the Internet and in the state of Delaware!  They even cost me a 70k per year job offer with a major company in PA when the CLR (Cheif Legal Resources) asked me in my final and third job interview if I had any litigation going on regarding employment. 

In the end it took my 4 calendar years and thousands of personal income to get these jerks off my back.  Finally after their attorney died and my attorney also died did I go to the to courts and ask them to please just throw it out. 

Soon after the owners of Magpage sold their company and moved out west.  Good riddance I felt.  But my greatest hope that they would wrap themselves around a telephone pole and my throw a party never came to be.  The closest I've come is dancing on their company grave.  This building was once a nice snuff mill converted into office space. Extra wide hardwood beams and exposed wood in the ceiling was a sight to behold. 

The area was flooded about two years ago and all the tenants moved out when the foundation and flooring were destroyed.  All that is left is the graffiti from vandals.  Even the brick sidewalks were broken up and completely destroyed.

So here I stood on Magpage's grave and I somehow outlasted them in business.  The sad part is they got out of town with millions of dollars and a lot of that money I helped them earn and part was promised to me.  They almost cost me custody of my son, they cost me more tears and pain than I could ever explain and I've never quite met such evil in all my life.  If this is all the satisfaction I ever get then I'll take it, but I've since learned my friendship doesn't come cheap and trust is a commodity very few will earn from me.

For anyone thinking I'm talking sour grapes, I can only say I can think of no less than seven employees they fired for little to no reason.  They took glee in hurting other businesses and all I wanted was to grow that company.  No, I'm talking sour grapes, I was flat out screwed.  Standing on their grave is my best payback.