Alex kept kicking back the shots as they were presented, realizing that he had opened up quite the can of worms when he started what became a chain reaction.  His mind began to swim in the gentle currents of mild intoxication between being buzzed and drunk.  The relaxed sensation within his body was certainly a welcome feeling.  Saliva had already begun to fill his mouth at the mention of lasagna, one of his absolute favorite dishes.  "You know exactly how to spoil me.  Don't hesitate to call if you need an extra pair of hands, just be warned that there may be a significant portion of lasagna missing by the time it reaches the table if you do so."  Alex called out his gratitude to the ladies as they returned into the beach house.<br/><br/><em> "So Alex, what's new on the business front for you?"<br/><br/>"Yes, Brain, what diabolical scheme for taking over the world have you conjured up lately?"</em><br/><br/>A grin spread across his mouth with Kasper's reference to a classic Saturday morning cartoon, whether or not the geek deep within him wanted to admit it.  "Well Pinky, I personally find the word 'business' to be rather unappealing.  I think of myself as a pure engineer and am not really suited for all the extra non-engineering aspects that come with a management position.  Jason here is practically a mythical creature; the legendary extroverted engineer.  Faster than a coked-out accountant, more powerful than a belligerent client, and able to leap corporate ladders in a single bound."  He said before looking at Joseph with an amused smile.  "Definitely not my cup of tea.  I've never been good at dumbing down tech talk for commoners."<br/><br/>Alex leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.  "No, for me, patents is where the money is at.  Find a way to make a product more efficient or cost effective and you will have businesses climbing over themselves with fistfuls of money for it.  Two months ago I put an abandoned washing machine waiting for trash day in my workshop at home.  After three weeks of disassembling, analyzing, drafting, and machining I had come up with a prototype for a more efficient motor that produced more torque at a lower wattage.  The next week I smacked a patent pending title on it and submitted the design to Whirlpool.  That, my friends, is how I converted a defunct washing machine into the tricked-out brand-spanking-new BMW M6 parked in the driveway."<br/><br/>He couldn't help but feel a sense of smugness over his achievement; if there was one thing every engineer could do it was gloat over their accomplishments.  "What about you two? Oh yes!"  Alex said as he leaned forward towards Kasper offering his hand in a congratulatory handshake that locked at the thumbs; a brotherly handshake rather than one between professional colleagues.  "Congratulations on your engagement Big Man!  How it took me this long to do so personally is beyond me, clearly I must be slipping."  After sitting back in his chair again, he looked quizzically at Joseph.  "Last I heard, you had a rather important review coming up.  Any new news with that?"