1) "Issac's like a box. He's brown, and people can carry him around."
2) Dad is holding both Isaac and Bella, lying on the ground.
"We're just like a burrito! Isaac's the beans, and I'm the rice! And you're the bowl. Mommy can be the cheese and sour cream"
3) Playing Go Fish (with animal cards - mommy and baby are the pair):
Dad: Do you have a mouse?
Bella: Which one do you have... the baby?
Dad: Yes, the baby.
Bella: Oh, I can just imagine that baby mouse, it's so cute.
(closes eyes and smiles)
I can imagine that mouse any time and it's right there in my mind....
You know who else I can imagine and they're right there in my mind?
You and Issac. Even when I'm playing with Jenny, I can imagine you, and it's like you're there with us.
(eyes remain closed)
Dad: So... do you have the mommy Mouse then?
Bella: (long pause)
I've completed my journey, and now I think I need to tell you.....
...
No. (eyes snap open with a grin)
4) Isaac Bonus: Not to be outdone by his sister, Issac has developed a "diabolical cackle" when he is officially "up to no good". We watched him dismantle the cushions on a chair that indicated he would be climbing up to attack one of the nearby decorations... and as he did so, he had a low satisfied chuckle that burbled up into prime villainous laughter. Pamela and I were in stitches.
Later, he had got ahold of my iPhone, but I was immediately alerted by his "Mwahahahaha!" worthy of Ming the Merciless. It's just amazing to watch him being bad, and KNOWING he's being bad. Good think we still love him.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I have Returned
Well, after that teambuilding, it was really quite a rough morning for old Jimbo. Let's just say that I shall be detoxifying for a while. Nothing like my epic wipeouts of my earlier days, but I was a bit.... fuzzy.... By noon, I was back on track following two "new Starbucks" espressos and a bowl of Maggiano's spaghetti and meat balls. It worked wonders. The booth was a complete grind - all of our key contacts had come and gone, and it was just a bunch of vendors looking at other vendors, with the odd grad student or "independent businessman" dropping by to completely waste our time.
The last day of the conference was deemed optional for most of us, and I was lucky enough to have caught a late flight home Wednesday night... An exit seat in the 40th row, but at least I had legroom... even if I had to wait for 20 minutes to deplane.
The cab got me home and I was in bed by midnight. And Isaac got me up at 5:30... the look on his face when I walked in was priceless - he held me in a long hug, and kept breaking out of it to look up at me with a smile, then back into a hug, while singing "da da da da da!" Well, it wasn't going to be possible to get him back asleep after that, so I guess we were up!
Bella joined us around 7, and Pamela was up by 8, having the well deserved rest of a champion - she made it through my (almost) 6 day absence. Bella was elated to see me, and curled into a loooong hug - for minutes. I showered with the kids, helped get them dressed, and took them to school with Pamela... and then we got to go have breakfast together, which was just so nice!
No rest for the wicked... I had to go to the old client: Remember how we had that big meeting and everything was looking better? Well, in the past 30 days, they've missed every milestone they committed to, moved others out by months, and flat out decided they can't do a few. So I was called into an emergency meeting with the CIO and VPs to decide on action: Do we have another meeting? Do we throw the book at them?
We're going for the kill this time: We did diplomacy, they didn't live up to their end in any way. My favorite doctor ran into me in the hall - and he berated me for tempering his commentary in my official writeup. ("You did not quote me correctly - I said they were LIARS and that their product was INFERIOR") I reminded him that the gist of the story was intact and that the breadth of the audience meant I NEEDED to temper it... which he grudgingly agreed to. But upon hearing of the new situation, he pounced: IS THIS STRIKE THREE, JIM? TELL ME THIS IS STRIKE THREE.
Then to the new office to get my expenses for the week submitted. Ooooof. I am amazed at a simple bit of math: You go to a hotel that costs $130/night and you will usually get a king bed, free internet, a workout room, business center with printers, and a decent breakfast buffet (hot food for $10) Courtyard by Marriott are great examples. In Orlando I stayed at a "higher end" hotel very near the convention center, paid twice that much per night, and had incidental fees for internet, workout facilities, and business center use, and breakfast was always twice as expensive. So not only is the base rate higher, but they nickel and dime you... amazing.
The one saving grace was that the hotel bar stocked Lagavulin 16. Hmmm, the Chicago Courtyard had Lag too, so that's no advantage. Well, another saving grace is that I didn't actually have to pay for it, the company did (which is obviously how that hotel stays in business...)
I got to put the kids to bed tonight and it was full of cuddles. Bella and I only had time for one game of go fish, and I won by a large margin... so I thanked her profusely for ALLOWING me to win as a welcome home present, and resolved to return to sneakier ways for tomorrow's game... At least until Bella grows comfortable with the tyrannies of chance games (which Go Fish really is...)
There were a lot of great quotes from Bella today, and I'll put them in the next post.
It's great to be home.
The last day of the conference was deemed optional for most of us, and I was lucky enough to have caught a late flight home Wednesday night... An exit seat in the 40th row, but at least I had legroom... even if I had to wait for 20 minutes to deplane.
The cab got me home and I was in bed by midnight. And Isaac got me up at 5:30... the look on his face when I walked in was priceless - he held me in a long hug, and kept breaking out of it to look up at me with a smile, then back into a hug, while singing "da da da da da!" Well, it wasn't going to be possible to get him back asleep after that, so I guess we were up!
Bella joined us around 7, and Pamela was up by 8, having the well deserved rest of a champion - she made it through my (almost) 6 day absence. Bella was elated to see me, and curled into a loooong hug - for minutes. I showered with the kids, helped get them dressed, and took them to school with Pamela... and then we got to go have breakfast together, which was just so nice!
No rest for the wicked... I had to go to the old client: Remember how we had that big meeting and everything was looking better? Well, in the past 30 days, they've missed every milestone they committed to, moved others out by months, and flat out decided they can't do a few. So I was called into an emergency meeting with the CIO and VPs to decide on action: Do we have another meeting? Do we throw the book at them?
We're going for the kill this time: We did diplomacy, they didn't live up to their end in any way. My favorite doctor ran into me in the hall - and he berated me for tempering his commentary in my official writeup. ("You did not quote me correctly - I said they were LIARS and that their product was INFERIOR") I reminded him that the gist of the story was intact and that the breadth of the audience meant I NEEDED to temper it... which he grudgingly agreed to. But upon hearing of the new situation, he pounced: IS THIS STRIKE THREE, JIM? TELL ME THIS IS STRIKE THREE.
Then to the new office to get my expenses for the week submitted. Ooooof. I am amazed at a simple bit of math: You go to a hotel that costs $130/night and you will usually get a king bed, free internet, a workout room, business center with printers, and a decent breakfast buffet (hot food for $10) Courtyard by Marriott are great examples. In Orlando I stayed at a "higher end" hotel very near the convention center, paid twice that much per night, and had incidental fees for internet, workout facilities, and business center use, and breakfast was always twice as expensive. So not only is the base rate higher, but they nickel and dime you... amazing.
The one saving grace was that the hotel bar stocked Lagavulin 16. Hmmm, the Chicago Courtyard had Lag too, so that's no advantage. Well, another saving grace is that I didn't actually have to pay for it, the company did (which is obviously how that hotel stays in business...)
I got to put the kids to bed tonight and it was full of cuddles. Bella and I only had time for one game of go fish, and I won by a large margin... so I thanked her profusely for ALLOWING me to win as a welcome home present, and resolved to return to sneakier ways for tomorrow's game... At least until Bella grows comfortable with the tyrannies of chance games (which Go Fish really is...)
There were a lot of great quotes from Bella today, and I'll put them in the next post.
It's great to be home.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
We Built This City
I'm up and alive after the team building.
Yes, I was pushed up on the stage, and yes, I did a full interpretive dance to "we built this city" by Starship in front of several hundred patrons.
I think we can leave it at that, ok?
Yes, I was pushed up on the stage, and yes, I did a full interpretive dance to "we built this city" by Starship in front of several hundred patrons.
I think we can leave it at that, ok?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tales of the Conference
The limo rides ended... one of my co-VPs had a comment that resonated about the experience of doing limo rides all day treating people to Dom Perignon: "I have champagne evenly distributed through all parts of my digestive tract right now, and it does not feel good". I will agree with that.
The Oceanaire party was an absolute blast... it was all networking with key clients, but very fun. Afterward, I had every intention of going out, but accidentally fell asleep. Which was a good thing.
The BOOTH started up Monday and continued today: We've got a massive area (at least 30x40) with several sitting areas, 3 different kiosks, 2 giant projectors... it's the business. Our goals are twofold: 1) recruit people, and 2) touch base with the potential clients who may not have made it to either the limo rides or the Oceanaire party. Secret Objective 3 is to avoid at all costs the OTHER VENDORS at the conference who wander around looking for "strategic partnerships", which never ever works.
We had an incentive for people to come to the booth: Over 150 people were sent coupons for a free bottle of Dom Perignon... and when they do, we swoop. And there actually were a few very good leads generated through this.
In general, each of us VPs is hoped to get 3-5 total people we could call back on from the whole conference. And we're hoped to get 3-4 good recruits for hiring. So far, we're definitely on track to double that, which is wonderful.
After the conference (6 hours of standing, yes.) we sponsored THE big party for Monday - the big party for the industry's most scandalous "anonymous blogger" Mister HISTALK. Over 400 people showed up, and it was a killer schmoozefest. After all that, I again ALMOST went out with the gang for team building activity, but again fell prey to the SLEEPING.
Today was another long booth day (another 6 hours of foot time), and things got livened up when we ran a 2 hour "free champagne and chocolate covered strawberries" event. No the champagne was NOT dom in this case. But it drew a LOT of foot traffic - and even a lot of competitors, who we welcomed in with a friendly face.
More receptions followed in the evening - two next to eachother, one was hopping, one was pretty sparse - so I did my time in the sparse one, where I was warmly greeted by the sponsors. They're a publisher, and had their latest issue on the tables - and the "cover star" was also in attendance. So naturally I RAN over to that guy with the magazine and forced someone to take our picture, and to get his autograph. In the small gathering, this created a bit of a stir...
I was all set to capitalize on the attention when a presentation started... and after 10 minutes of this man speaking (the speech was about how he came to be in his current job - and at 10 minutes, we were at age 8), I had to escape somehow.... out the loudest doors ever made.
More "Team Building" tonight, this time to a dueling piano bar (I think) - the gals on the team are real suckers for opportunities to sing at the top of their drunken lungs, and who am I to stand in their way... even if I do have a meeting to attend at 7am?
So the general update: This is a good conference, I'm having fun, but I also need to mention the following:
1) My feet hurt.
2) I'm exhausted.
3) I miss my family
4) I cannot wait to be home.
I've talked a few times each day to home, and fortunately Pamela has had Bam there until tonight, to help cover... but for the next 48 hours, she's on her own. I will owe her big time, and will totally take full nights for a few... My work here is hard, but I know she's keeping it all going at home, which means we're BOTH burning the candle at both ends. Wish us luck!
The Oceanaire party was an absolute blast... it was all networking with key clients, but very fun. Afterward, I had every intention of going out, but accidentally fell asleep. Which was a good thing.
The BOOTH started up Monday and continued today: We've got a massive area (at least 30x40) with several sitting areas, 3 different kiosks, 2 giant projectors... it's the business. Our goals are twofold: 1) recruit people, and 2) touch base with the potential clients who may not have made it to either the limo rides or the Oceanaire party. Secret Objective 3 is to avoid at all costs the OTHER VENDORS at the conference who wander around looking for "strategic partnerships", which never ever works.
We had an incentive for people to come to the booth: Over 150 people were sent coupons for a free bottle of Dom Perignon... and when they do, we swoop. And there actually were a few very good leads generated through this.
In general, each of us VPs is hoped to get 3-5 total people we could call back on from the whole conference. And we're hoped to get 3-4 good recruits for hiring. So far, we're definitely on track to double that, which is wonderful.
After the conference (6 hours of standing, yes.) we sponsored THE big party for Monday - the big party for the industry's most scandalous "anonymous blogger" Mister HISTALK. Over 400 people showed up, and it was a killer schmoozefest. After all that, I again ALMOST went out with the gang for team building activity, but again fell prey to the SLEEPING.
Today was another long booth day (another 6 hours of foot time), and things got livened up when we ran a 2 hour "free champagne and chocolate covered strawberries" event. No the champagne was NOT dom in this case. But it drew a LOT of foot traffic - and even a lot of competitors, who we welcomed in with a friendly face.
More receptions followed in the evening - two next to eachother, one was hopping, one was pretty sparse - so I did my time in the sparse one, where I was warmly greeted by the sponsors. They're a publisher, and had their latest issue on the tables - and the "cover star" was also in attendance. So naturally I RAN over to that guy with the magazine and forced someone to take our picture, and to get his autograph. In the small gathering, this created a bit of a stir...
I was all set to capitalize on the attention when a presentation started... and after 10 minutes of this man speaking (the speech was about how he came to be in his current job - and at 10 minutes, we were at age 8), I had to escape somehow.... out the loudest doors ever made.
More "Team Building" tonight, this time to a dueling piano bar (I think) - the gals on the team are real suckers for opportunities to sing at the top of their drunken lungs, and who am I to stand in their way... even if I do have a meeting to attend at 7am?
So the general update: This is a good conference, I'm having fun, but I also need to mention the following:
1) My feet hurt.
2) I'm exhausted.
3) I miss my family
4) I cannot wait to be home.
I've talked a few times each day to home, and fortunately Pamela has had Bam there until tonight, to help cover... but for the next 48 hours, she's on her own. I will owe her big time, and will totally take full nights for a few... My work here is hard, but I know she's keeping it all going at home, which means we're BOTH burning the candle at both ends. Wish us luck!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tales from the Limo
I'm in Orlando at the big conference... And it's been pretty much nonstop craziness. The flight was smooth, and I was struck silent by an incredible view of the sunset over a mountainscape of clouds: If I had a camera, it would have been award winning... instead I'll have those images with me forever. It was truly an amazing vista.
5 of us got in on the same flight, rented a car, and got to the hotel by 9, where we were met by 3 others, who gave us Leis to welcome us in. We then trouped over to Oceanaire for a late snack, (if you can call a huge rare AHI filet and a half dozen oysters a "snack") and hit the hay at 1am.
Saturday I got up, alive, and worked out: I was trying to do BodyPump but didn't have the exact right music, so I had to improvise... but I think I got most of it done. Then a good hearty breakfast to form a solid base for what would come...
One of our excellent marketing ideas is to establish goodwill right away when people come to town: So we offer up limo rides to key clients and prospects, with Dom Perignon champagne to share on the 30 minute ride to the hotel. And naturally, you learn a bit about the clients... but it's not a hard sell by any means - the target is for them to have a favorable impression of the company.
When I saw the limos, I actually broke down in laughter: A stretch Hummer. A stretch Escalade. These giant black monsters could seat 10 comfortably, they had crazy neon effects and plush leather seats....
I did three runs (each run took over 90 minutes) - the first was two nice women from Naperville, who just loved the ride and didn't need any champagne thank you. The second run was a grueller - 5 different drop-offs! Weather had created a bottleneck and a bunch of people got in at once. That was a two bottle run, and over 2 hours. By the time I got back I was thinking about bailing and letting my third run (just one guy, getting in after 8) take a sedan by himself... but I decided to stick it out.
It was of course the best ride of the day: He was chatty, a young guy with great experience and eager to talk about the work of their company. By the end, he had actually given me a shopping list of what they're looking for!
But the resonant image for me remains the trips BACK to the airport: sitting alone in the back of a stretch hummer with empty bottles of Dom Perignon at my feet, feeling like it's the final scene of a very strange movie.
After the last of the rides, the whole gang hit Universal Citywalk, and a late steak at Emeril's (which was good, but not earth shaking - high cuisine put on an assembly line for mass consumption)
It's another day of limo rides, and we finish up at a reception at Oceanaire again. We leave in 5 minutes, so here's where I sign off, and I'll have more interesting stories from the trade show!
5 of us got in on the same flight, rented a car, and got to the hotel by 9, where we were met by 3 others, who gave us Leis to welcome us in. We then trouped over to Oceanaire for a late snack, (if you can call a huge rare AHI filet and a half dozen oysters a "snack") and hit the hay at 1am.
Saturday I got up, alive, and worked out: I was trying to do BodyPump but didn't have the exact right music, so I had to improvise... but I think I got most of it done. Then a good hearty breakfast to form a solid base for what would come...
One of our excellent marketing ideas is to establish goodwill right away when people come to town: So we offer up limo rides to key clients and prospects, with Dom Perignon champagne to share on the 30 minute ride to the hotel. And naturally, you learn a bit about the clients... but it's not a hard sell by any means - the target is for them to have a favorable impression of the company.
When I saw the limos, I actually broke down in laughter: A stretch Hummer. A stretch Escalade. These giant black monsters could seat 10 comfortably, they had crazy neon effects and plush leather seats....
I did three runs (each run took over 90 minutes) - the first was two nice women from Naperville, who just loved the ride and didn't need any champagne thank you. The second run was a grueller - 5 different drop-offs! Weather had created a bottleneck and a bunch of people got in at once. That was a two bottle run, and over 2 hours. By the time I got back I was thinking about bailing and letting my third run (just one guy, getting in after 8) take a sedan by himself... but I decided to stick it out.
It was of course the best ride of the day: He was chatty, a young guy with great experience and eager to talk about the work of their company. By the end, he had actually given me a shopping list of what they're looking for!
But the resonant image for me remains the trips BACK to the airport: sitting alone in the back of a stretch hummer with empty bottles of Dom Perignon at my feet, feeling like it's the final scene of a very strange movie.
After the last of the rides, the whole gang hit Universal Citywalk, and a late steak at Emeril's (which was good, but not earth shaking - high cuisine put on an assembly line for mass consumption)
It's another day of limo rides, and we finish up at a reception at Oceanaire again. We leave in 5 minutes, so here's where I sign off, and I'll have more interesting stories from the trade show!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Muchly Better
1) Isaac is back on Green protocol: His cold has cleared up and his lungs are clear - we're back down to preventative corticosteroids now. That was a BRUTAL couple of weeks there.
2) Bella is battling the cold now, but refuses to give in to it... she's got a duffy doze and lips so dry they're creating a red ring around her mouth, but she's still jumping around like a maniac. And insisting on Go Fish every night - 2-3 games. Last night was terrible: Despite my best efforts (asking repeatedly for cards I knew she didn't have, mostly), I still wound up winning 3 times in a row. So tonight I took a new strategy - I actually stacked the deck against me: The game has 26 letter pairs, not 13 4-tuples, so all I needed to do was put one "A" card on the bottom of the deck, and deal myself the second one from the top of the deck. That way, no matter WHAT happened in the game, there was NO way I could actually win.
And while I felt terrible about cheating, if I hadn't done this, I would have skunked her again. Please don't tell her what I did - she was SO happy to have finally won. And Bella, if you ever read this in the future, don't think ill of me for what I did.
Since I'm going out of town Friday for a week, I've been putting her to bed and having extra cuddles for the past 5 nights and counting. It has been wonderful.
3) A Kindle Note: I finished Cryptonomicon, and appreciated the book SO much more than the first time through. I credit the "Kindle Weight Loss Plan" in which several pounds of the original tome were shaved off, allowing me to savor the words without the pain of a large weight on my chest (literally).
I have begun The Quicksilver - the first (or second, if you count cryptonomicon) in Stephenson's ambitious trilogy (or quadrilogy as before). This I had previously given 200 pages before throwing it down in disgust.
As of now, I've read it for 3 nights, and a) I honestly do not remember having read this ever before, and b) I am really enjoying it. So I'm not sure exactly what to make of that. I mean, literally NO words were even vaguely familiar from my earlier reading... or "reading" as I'm tempted to refer to it.
4) The big article I was interviewed for came out today, and I was front and center on the page... I'm famous I guess! I love my press appearances. I spent the day at an all day cross-team meeting for the new company (the larger entity, not just our company), and made some good connections... and actually brought some good ideas to the process, which surprised me, because these big 150 person strategy sessions are by their very definition supposed to be completely useless... and this one WASN'T. Again, my beliefs are rocked to the core.
5) Things are gearing up for the big trade show, and one of the promotions we do is to invite key clients (or people who we WANT to be our clients) to take a free limo ride from the airport to their hotel... with the caveat that one of us VPs will be in the backseat with them - TALKING OK? JUST TALKING.
So far since I'm the new guy, I only have 5 limo rides set up on Sat and Sun... the other two have dozens... I imagine I'll have a few stories from the trade show floor... don't you think?
6) Pamela's illness was a one-day knockout and she's back on her feet... but she's gone and lost her voice today! She's so cute when she's all whispery.
2) Bella is battling the cold now, but refuses to give in to it... she's got a duffy doze and lips so dry they're creating a red ring around her mouth, but she's still jumping around like a maniac. And insisting on Go Fish every night - 2-3 games. Last night was terrible: Despite my best efforts (asking repeatedly for cards I knew she didn't have, mostly), I still wound up winning 3 times in a row. So tonight I took a new strategy - I actually stacked the deck against me: The game has 26 letter pairs, not 13 4-tuples, so all I needed to do was put one "A" card on the bottom of the deck, and deal myself the second one from the top of the deck. That way, no matter WHAT happened in the game, there was NO way I could actually win.
And while I felt terrible about cheating, if I hadn't done this, I would have skunked her again. Please don't tell her what I did - she was SO happy to have finally won. And Bella, if you ever read this in the future, don't think ill of me for what I did.
Since I'm going out of town Friday for a week, I've been putting her to bed and having extra cuddles for the past 5 nights and counting. It has been wonderful.
3) A Kindle Note: I finished Cryptonomicon, and appreciated the book SO much more than the first time through. I credit the "Kindle Weight Loss Plan" in which several pounds of the original tome were shaved off, allowing me to savor the words without the pain of a large weight on my chest (literally).
I have begun The Quicksilver - the first (or second, if you count cryptonomicon) in Stephenson's ambitious trilogy (or quadrilogy as before). This I had previously given 200 pages before throwing it down in disgust.
As of now, I've read it for 3 nights, and a) I honestly do not remember having read this ever before, and b) I am really enjoying it. So I'm not sure exactly what to make of that. I mean, literally NO words were even vaguely familiar from my earlier reading... or "reading" as I'm tempted to refer to it.
4) The big article I was interviewed for came out today, and I was front and center on the page... I'm famous I guess! I love my press appearances. I spent the day at an all day cross-team meeting for the new company (the larger entity, not just our company), and made some good connections... and actually brought some good ideas to the process, which surprised me, because these big 150 person strategy sessions are by their very definition supposed to be completely useless... and this one WASN'T. Again, my beliefs are rocked to the core.
5) Things are gearing up for the big trade show, and one of the promotions we do is to invite key clients (or people who we WANT to be our clients) to take a free limo ride from the airport to their hotel... with the caveat that one of us VPs will be in the backseat with them - TALKING OK? JUST TALKING.
So far since I'm the new guy, I only have 5 limo rides set up on Sat and Sun... the other two have dozens... I imagine I'll have a few stories from the trade show floor... don't you think?
6) Pamela's illness was a one-day knockout and she's back on her feet... but she's gone and lost her voice today! She's so cute when she's all whispery.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Deep in the fear...
Pamela definitely got hit with something: She was unwakeable through the night (and Isaac and Bella were VERY wakeable - two resettles for each, which is unheard of... and also very sleepymaking for me). When Isaac awoke, the best thing I could describe is that his head is FILLED with mucus and it's coming out wherever it finds a path: his EYES were gummy, his nose, his mouth... luckily not his ears. Bella was a bit grumpy, but we made a trip to Chipotle to get protein into her to help the mood, and she got a couple of hours of play in with Jenny too.
As the day progressed, Pamela grew more and more horizontal, until by the end of it, we were all in the basement watching episodes of the most frustrating season of Storm Chasers ever: I mean, for 3 episodes, they have absolutely NO luck running into a tornado, and they're all sniping at eachother about it. But there are some cool tornado pictures, so that makes it all ok. But in all it felt a bit like a limbo day. I was taking Airborne, drinking Emergen-C, and doing Netty Pots (nasal irrigation) all day to make sure I don't get this ick!!!
Come bedtime, Bella was crazily ramped up and took some soothing to relax... and then she puked (not sure what that's about - food disagreement? She insisted "It didn't come up from my stomach! It only came out my mouth!!!"). And the commotion woke Isaac up again... and it was a 3 alarm fire drill for a while up there. But in the end everyone's back asleep, I'm blogging just before bed as usual, but this time I'm hoping that blogging AFTER feeding Isaac I won't be called away mid-paragraph as before.
Our Yellow Alert protocol is working pretty well for the little man: His chest sounds clear for now. If the night goes well, we'll revert to the GREEN protocol (corticosteroids for a while to reduce his general inflammation). This whole asthma thing is bringing up memories of being an asthmaboy... though I don't recall it coming on THIS early for me - I think it was around 1st grade when I started with the puffers... but other people would know more than I.
A busy week ahead as we prepare at work for the big trade show that is one of the two "hail mary" plays we make: This is a huge networking and recruiting event in Orlando, and I'm going out Friday to Thursday. My days are scheduled from 8-8 daily. Ah the glamorous life.
I'm still finding my "legs" with this gig: I've been given even more clients, now on the EAST COAST (New York, Boston, Philly), but lest you think this is a lot of territory to cover, remember this:
- I'm not selling a product, I'm selling services.
- The people who need these services know exactly what they're looking for
- Once I'm known to them, it's really a case of when they need something, I've got to find it for them.
- But we're working a bench of 4 people right now, so we're all scrambling to find the requested people for our ESTABLISHED clients...
So until the recruiting really takes off AND a few people roll off of their existing gigs, there's very little advantage to having 15 clients calling me up asking for people, when in fact we don't have them. Fortunately, my base is more than enough to get through a ramp period, so this constraint is not hurting me just yet. I'm helping with the interviewing of new candidates, which is actually quite fun... I've got pretty good at "telling" when a person will work out. We'll see.
In the meantime, I was interviewed for the (large, new owner) corporate newsletter, and got headshots done for my byline... and I did some pro-bono work for an Arizona public data initiative, giving them some relatively bad news about the ease with which they will be able to do something they thought would be a "no brainer". Oh well! I did give them the steps they'd need to take to make it right, however.
Finally, in the geek world I must say I'm happy I hedged my bets and got both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, considering that HD-DVD appears to be the loser in the Hi Def wars... and this got resolved a LOT faster than anyone was expecting - this was supposed to be an epic slog for another 2 years! I have a dozen HD-DVD disks, and they'll still keep on working. No problem! I'm mad at HD-DVD anyway - they totally blew off my rebate submission and never sent my 5 free disks months ago. The blu-ray guys were RIGHT on it, and sent it out fast. At that time I knew they were ones to watch. No regrets on the HD disks I do have - The Bourne Trilogy is incredible.
Allright - off to bed... on MY terms this time!
As the day progressed, Pamela grew more and more horizontal, until by the end of it, we were all in the basement watching episodes of the most frustrating season of Storm Chasers ever: I mean, for 3 episodes, they have absolutely NO luck running into a tornado, and they're all sniping at eachother about it. But there are some cool tornado pictures, so that makes it all ok. But in all it felt a bit like a limbo day. I was taking Airborne, drinking Emergen-C, and doing Netty Pots (nasal irrigation) all day to make sure I don't get this ick!!!
Come bedtime, Bella was crazily ramped up and took some soothing to relax... and then she puked (not sure what that's about - food disagreement? She insisted "It didn't come up from my stomach! It only came out my mouth!!!"). And the commotion woke Isaac up again... and it was a 3 alarm fire drill for a while up there. But in the end everyone's back asleep, I'm blogging just before bed as usual, but this time I'm hoping that blogging AFTER feeding Isaac I won't be called away mid-paragraph as before.
Our Yellow Alert protocol is working pretty well for the little man: His chest sounds clear for now. If the night goes well, we'll revert to the GREEN protocol (corticosteroids for a while to reduce his general inflammation). This whole asthma thing is bringing up memories of being an asthmaboy... though I don't recall it coming on THIS early for me - I think it was around 1st grade when I started with the puffers... but other people would know more than I.
A busy week ahead as we prepare at work for the big trade show that is one of the two "hail mary" plays we make: This is a huge networking and recruiting event in Orlando, and I'm going out Friday to Thursday. My days are scheduled from 8-8 daily. Ah the glamorous life.
I'm still finding my "legs" with this gig: I've been given even more clients, now on the EAST COAST (New York, Boston, Philly), but lest you think this is a lot of territory to cover, remember this:
- I'm not selling a product, I'm selling services.
- The people who need these services know exactly what they're looking for
- Once I'm known to them, it's really a case of when they need something, I've got to find it for them.
- But we're working a bench of 4 people right now, so we're all scrambling to find the requested people for our ESTABLISHED clients...
So until the recruiting really takes off AND a few people roll off of their existing gigs, there's very little advantage to having 15 clients calling me up asking for people, when in fact we don't have them. Fortunately, my base is more than enough to get through a ramp period, so this constraint is not hurting me just yet. I'm helping with the interviewing of new candidates, which is actually quite fun... I've got pretty good at "telling" when a person will work out. We'll see.
In the meantime, I was interviewed for the (large, new owner) corporate newsletter, and got headshots done for my byline... and I did some pro-bono work for an Arizona public data initiative, giving them some relatively bad news about the ease with which they will be able to do something they thought would be a "no brainer". Oh well! I did give them the steps they'd need to take to make it right, however.
Finally, in the geek world I must say I'm happy I hedged my bets and got both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, considering that HD-DVD appears to be the loser in the Hi Def wars... and this got resolved a LOT faster than anyone was expecting - this was supposed to be an epic slog for another 2 years! I have a dozen HD-DVD disks, and they'll still keep on working. No problem! I'm mad at HD-DVD anyway - they totally blew off my rebate submission and never sent my 5 free disks months ago. The blu-ray guys were RIGHT on it, and sent it out fast. At that time I knew they were ones to watch. No regrets on the HD disks I do have - The Bourne Trilogy is incredible.
Allright - off to bed... on MY terms this time!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
WheezeyFace
Ah, optimism. My last update was from Wednesday. On Thursday AM, we got called from Isaac's school - his cough was sounding pretty bad to them. So Pamela got him and ran him over to the doctor, and we learned that we're the proud parents of a full blown asthmatic. We're now giving him 6 nebulizers a day - 4 albuterol, 2 cortisone. Once he clears up, we'll go down to just 1 a day, but we're in "yellow mode" now.
How I passed on my little lung issue to non-biological offspring is a great mystery to me.
But he's a little trouper: He's figured out that the nebulizer (cleverly disguised as a penguin actually) is his friend, and he points to it and asks for "MORE" when it's time for his next dose. So we're on day 3 of Yellow Protocol and it does sound like things are getting better... slowly...
Last night Bella spent the night with Jenny, so we had a quiet evening at home, and actually WATCHED A MOVIE. We're the last people on earth to have finally seen "Knocked Up", but it was worth the wait - in-tears funny. It was just the sort of decompress we needed after the week.
Today we got Bella back at noon, then spirited her off to a birthday party with the Swedes... I got to drop a little Swedish on them, telling them "Idag, hon är lite trött" (today, she's a little tired!) We're having dinner with them in 2 weeks, and I'll be working on my conversational gambits non-stop until then!
Pamela's been fading all day, from a strong start in the am, to listless on the couch by dinner, and in bed by 7... I suppose that having Isaac cough in our faces non-stop for 2 weeks has maybe just maybe spread some germs to us...? And with that I hear him stirring (must every blog post end with me zooming off with a warm bottle?)
How I passed on my little lung issue to non-biological offspring is a great mystery to me.
But he's a little trouper: He's figured out that the nebulizer (cleverly disguised as a penguin actually) is his friend, and he points to it and asks for "MORE" when it's time for his next dose. So we're on day 3 of Yellow Protocol and it does sound like things are getting better... slowly...
Last night Bella spent the night with Jenny, so we had a quiet evening at home, and actually WATCHED A MOVIE. We're the last people on earth to have finally seen "Knocked Up", but it was worth the wait - in-tears funny. It was just the sort of decompress we needed after the week.
Today we got Bella back at noon, then spirited her off to a birthday party with the Swedes... I got to drop a little Swedish on them, telling them "Idag, hon är lite trött" (today, she's a little tired!) We're having dinner with them in 2 weeks, and I'll be working on my conversational gambits non-stop until then!
Pamela's been fading all day, from a strong start in the am, to listless on the couch by dinner, and in bed by 7... I suppose that having Isaac cough in our faces non-stop for 2 weeks has maybe just maybe spread some germs to us...? And with that I hear him stirring (must every blog post end with me zooming off with a warm bottle?)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
It always takes time
One lesson I seem to never actually learn: GOOD blueberry pie is a rare thing indeed, and the pleasures of a good slice are so far outweighed by the sheer horribleness of a blah slice that the risk/reward ratio dictates I should never order it, much less buy an entire PIE of it.
But still, I sometimes buy that pie. And I am usually disappointed. As I was tonight. OH WRETCHED PIE!!!!! You make my stomach queasy and my teeth feel like they're fitting to fall clear out.
Ok, Pie Rant Over.
Isaac's chest cold persists, but you can hear him getting better and better... it's a slow journey, however. We've had to give him nebulizers daily to help with the baseline wheeze, but the rattle and rumble of loose phlegm makes him sound vaguely like a truck with a metal floor driving up a bumpy road with a load of unsecured bowling balls inside. Then one fruity "productive cough", and he's fine. I'm considering hanging him upside down to let it all run out... but I think that's perhaps some medieval barber-style thinking. I'll bring out the leeches next, I suppose.
But lest anyone be too worried: His spirits are high, he is as active as EVER, and this cough doesn't seem to be slowing him down, and he seems to be on the upside of the mend.
As if that wasn't enough, he's had 3 molars cut through and the 4th is swollen, red, and ready to pop through... But does he complain? No. Not so much. Unless when he's saying "DIS!!! DIIIIISSSS!!!!!" he means something other than we take it to mean.
Pamela has been cooking delicious meals every night, and it's making my belly very happy. There's a "make, take and bake" place called Sociale up the road, and every dish has been great. Unlike the one we tried before (Let's Dish) the portions are smaller (2-3 people), and the flavors a bit more adventurous. So we open up a "kit" and cook up the pre-measured and pre-marinaded items... and it's pretty reasonable - $4-6 per person per entree.
We have figured out that when we DO cook a recipe, it tends to cost us well over $15/person because the recipe invariably calls for some spice (Cordimander?) we don't own, and we overbuy on the ingredients.... So this will help train us on what is actually needed for a meal.
A quick Bella Funny: As you know, she has a tendency to attach to a random animal. This morning at 6:45, she had Pamela and I up to help her find her "Bulldog", a stuffed animal I could not remember in any way. We tore apart her room as she was in sleepy girl tears... Until she finally remembered where it was: Zipped into a mini suitcase stuffed under the treadmill in our room. Of COURSE.
But still, I sometimes buy that pie. And I am usually disappointed. As I was tonight. OH WRETCHED PIE!!!!! You make my stomach queasy and my teeth feel like they're fitting to fall clear out.
Ok, Pie Rant Over.
Isaac's chest cold persists, but you can hear him getting better and better... it's a slow journey, however. We've had to give him nebulizers daily to help with the baseline wheeze, but the rattle and rumble of loose phlegm makes him sound vaguely like a truck with a metal floor driving up a bumpy road with a load of unsecured bowling balls inside. Then one fruity "productive cough", and he's fine. I'm considering hanging him upside down to let it all run out... but I think that's perhaps some medieval barber-style thinking. I'll bring out the leeches next, I suppose.
But lest anyone be too worried: His spirits are high, he is as active as EVER, and this cough doesn't seem to be slowing him down, and he seems to be on the upside of the mend.
As if that wasn't enough, he's had 3 molars cut through and the 4th is swollen, red, and ready to pop through... But does he complain? No. Not so much. Unless when he's saying "DIS!!! DIIIIISSSS!!!!!" he means something other than we take it to mean.
Pamela has been cooking delicious meals every night, and it's making my belly very happy. There's a "make, take and bake" place called Sociale up the road, and every dish has been great. Unlike the one we tried before (Let's Dish) the portions are smaller (2-3 people), and the flavors a bit more adventurous. So we open up a "kit" and cook up the pre-measured and pre-marinaded items... and it's pretty reasonable - $4-6 per person per entree.
We have figured out that when we DO cook a recipe, it tends to cost us well over $15/person because the recipe invariably calls for some spice (Cordimander?) we don't own, and we overbuy on the ingredients.... So this will help train us on what is actually needed for a meal.
A quick Bella Funny: As you know, she has a tendency to attach to a random animal. This morning at 6:45, she had Pamela and I up to help her find her "Bulldog", a stuffed animal I could not remember in any way. We tore apart her room as she was in sleepy girl tears... Until she finally remembered where it was: Zipped into a mini suitcase stuffed under the treadmill in our room. Of COURSE.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
No cause for concern
Thank you for the cards, letters, and bouquets, but Isaac is doing just fine: He settled down last night shortly after the wake-up that interrupted my last blog, and actually slept the night (!!!!). Today he was a bit runny nosed, but nowhere near as mucus-ey as the previous days. He's settling down now for the night, and he does still have a rumble in his chest, but he's coughing it out as needed.
He was in good enough health to hit the road today: We went to Eden Prairie Center to the kid's play area that Bella has dubbed "Plastic Land" ("because it's all made of plastic, right?"), and a haircut for Bella.
In Plasticland, it's a 20x50 walled area with one 5-foot gap in one wall for entry and exit. Last time we went, Isaac really figured out the play area and had a blast. Today, we put him on the structure... and he climbed off, ran STRAIGHT through the gap and made a beeline for the escalators 50 feet away. He almost made it. 5 times. Eventually we were able to redirect his efforts away from Steve McQueen-like escape maneuvers and entice him with the thrill of climbing up and doing the slides. Which he did like, when he wasn't pestering ALL of the adults for their cellphones.
So far from any relaxation for mom and dad here, managing Isaac in this space wound up being as much work as managing him inside of, say, a fine china shop. Good thing he's so darn cute.
Bella was a super-duper helper, which meant she insisted on pushing Isaac's stroller EVERYWHERE, and would melt down if one of us tried to help. So we made EXCELLENT time in the mall. But whatchagonnado?
And now Isaac needs some cuddles, so off I go.
He was in good enough health to hit the road today: We went to Eden Prairie Center to the kid's play area that Bella has dubbed "Plastic Land" ("because it's all made of plastic, right?"), and a haircut for Bella.
In Plasticland, it's a 20x50 walled area with one 5-foot gap in one wall for entry and exit. Last time we went, Isaac really figured out the play area and had a blast. Today, we put him on the structure... and he climbed off, ran STRAIGHT through the gap and made a beeline for the escalators 50 feet away. He almost made it. 5 times. Eventually we were able to redirect his efforts away from Steve McQueen-like escape maneuvers and entice him with the thrill of climbing up and doing the slides. Which he did like, when he wasn't pestering ALL of the adults for their cellphones.
So far from any relaxation for mom and dad here, managing Isaac in this space wound up being as much work as managing him inside of, say, a fine china shop. Good thing he's so darn cute.
Bella was a super-duper helper, which meant she insisted on pushing Isaac's stroller EVERYWHERE, and would melt down if one of us tried to help. So we made EXCELLENT time in the mall. But whatchagonnado?
And now Isaac needs some cuddles, so off I go.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Yuck!
Today had the initial appearances of a day of doom: Isaac's cold keeps on lingering, and Bella was near tears from the get-go: She's in a growth spurt (physical and emotional), and has a VERY short fuse. All week, she's been grabbing pen and paper and starting art right away in the morning, and that was NOT cutting it for her today. So it was time for some Daddy one-on-one.
We went off to Edinborough Park for an hour of getting the ya-yas out (along with half of the kids in the 55435 zip code as well), then to Bachmans for a stroll in the greenhouse and a quiche lunch. She ate the whole quiche this time, meaning she's storing up for construction. She decided that since it was almost Valentine's Day, we should get something nice for Mommy: She picked out an insane pink bromiliad, but was talked into a less flashy orange one by the checkout lady (the pink one was almost dead, which explains the fullness of its bloom, I suppose). Bella's mood was quite light by this point and we were having a great time.
When we got home, no friends were available to play, so we took on some projects: Pamela got out her Valentines and got her to sign them all... then it was off to the basement to watch me ROCK OUT on Rock Band, and then we relaxed to the final hour of the Ekanuba Dog Show, which had Bella yelling out "I want THAT DOG... and THAT ONE TOO!!!"
So here's the fun story: We had baked curry chicken breasts stuffed with veggies for dinner. Bella was ADAMANT she wanted nothing to do with this food. So we gave her some rice, and a few cut up pieces of chicken on her plate, just in case she wanted to give the food a TRY.
(Full disclosure: While Bella has some unique things she loves - Tacos, Bean Burrito, Pad Thai, Spinach Quiche, Tortellini - she is very resistant to trying new things. So we are "incenting" (bribing) her: If she tries 10 new things, she'll get a new Webkin. Think what you want - it's working for us).
So we tell her just to try ONE bite of the chicken. She sits in a huff for a while, then grabs the smallest possible sub-fragment of chicken she can find, pops it into her mouth and yells "YUCK!!!!". We thanked her for at least trying - and hey, maybe the curry was a bit spicy.
A moment later, she grabs another tiny piece and says "I'm just going to try one more tiny piece". Pops it in. YUCK. Pamela and I exchange glances, and decide to let this pass without comment.
She spears a more normal sized piece with her fork and says "I'm going to see if this MEDIUM piece is the same". Pops it in, and says "EEEEYUCK!!!!" And proceeds to eat all of the rest of the chicken on her plate, while saying YUCK after each bite.
Emboldened, I take a piece and dip it into the mango chutney, which she grabs and says "Yuck... AND TOO SPICY". So I offer up a big piece without any chutney, "just to take away that spicy flavor". Again, "Yuck". By this point, Pamela and I are doing every thing we can do to keep from breaking out in laughter. She asks Pamela to cut her some more of that Chicken.
Now thinking about that Webkin (since she got Curry Chicken AND Mango Chutney added to the list), she decides to try chicken and rice ON THE SAME FORK AT THE SAME TIME. Perhaps sensing that the jig is up on Yuck, she decides she's full after another bite or 2. So in the end, she Yucked her way through a half of a chicken breast....
We then retired to the living room and played around 75 hands of Go Fish, with her beating me almost every time.
Yuck number 2 is that Isaac's cold has now moved to his chest, and he's been waking up all evening with a rasping cough that has him short of breath and scared. I've already done one nebulizer on him, but it's more flemmy than asthma. And he's up again, so here's where my post ends.
We went off to Edinborough Park for an hour of getting the ya-yas out (along with half of the kids in the 55435 zip code as well), then to Bachmans for a stroll in the greenhouse and a quiche lunch. She ate the whole quiche this time, meaning she's storing up for construction. She decided that since it was almost Valentine's Day, we should get something nice for Mommy: She picked out an insane pink bromiliad, but was talked into a less flashy orange one by the checkout lady (the pink one was almost dead, which explains the fullness of its bloom, I suppose). Bella's mood was quite light by this point and we were having a great time.
When we got home, no friends were available to play, so we took on some projects: Pamela got out her Valentines and got her to sign them all... then it was off to the basement to watch me ROCK OUT on Rock Band, and then we relaxed to the final hour of the Ekanuba Dog Show, which had Bella yelling out "I want THAT DOG... and THAT ONE TOO!!!"
So here's the fun story: We had baked curry chicken breasts stuffed with veggies for dinner. Bella was ADAMANT she wanted nothing to do with this food. So we gave her some rice, and a few cut up pieces of chicken on her plate, just in case she wanted to give the food a TRY.
(Full disclosure: While Bella has some unique things she loves - Tacos, Bean Burrito, Pad Thai, Spinach Quiche, Tortellini - she is very resistant to trying new things. So we are "incenting" (bribing) her: If she tries 10 new things, she'll get a new Webkin. Think what you want - it's working for us).
So we tell her just to try ONE bite of the chicken. She sits in a huff for a while, then grabs the smallest possible sub-fragment of chicken she can find, pops it into her mouth and yells "YUCK!!!!". We thanked her for at least trying - and hey, maybe the curry was a bit spicy.
A moment later, she grabs another tiny piece and says "I'm just going to try one more tiny piece". Pops it in. YUCK. Pamela and I exchange glances, and decide to let this pass without comment.
She spears a more normal sized piece with her fork and says "I'm going to see if this MEDIUM piece is the same". Pops it in, and says "EEEEYUCK!!!!" And proceeds to eat all of the rest of the chicken on her plate, while saying YUCK after each bite.
Emboldened, I take a piece and dip it into the mango chutney, which she grabs and says "Yuck... AND TOO SPICY". So I offer up a big piece without any chutney, "just to take away that spicy flavor". Again, "Yuck". By this point, Pamela and I are doing every thing we can do to keep from breaking out in laughter. She asks Pamela to cut her some more of that Chicken.
Now thinking about that Webkin (since she got Curry Chicken AND Mango Chutney added to the list), she decides to try chicken and rice ON THE SAME FORK AT THE SAME TIME. Perhaps sensing that the jig is up on Yuck, she decides she's full after another bite or 2. So in the end, she Yucked her way through a half of a chicken breast....
We then retired to the living room and played around 75 hands of Go Fish, with her beating me almost every time.
Yuck number 2 is that Isaac's cold has now moved to his chest, and he's been waking up all evening with a rasping cough that has him short of breath and scared. I've already done one nebulizer on him, but it's more flemmy than asthma. And he's up again, so here's where my post ends.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Adrift in Time and Space
A very short business trip this time, but oh so much packed in!!!
Tuesday AM, I got up at 4:30 because Bella wanted to join us in bed, but being such a wiggleworm she chased me out of the bed with her tossing and turning. A shower and I was off to my workout. Tuesdays are Step, and it's a new release (we get new music and steps every 3 months) - and there's some new stuff that I just LOVED.
I changed into my suit in the bathroom at Time Out, and headed off to the Airport. No first class upgrade this time: This flight started in Ohio and was headed to Portland and then to Hawaii. The plane was PACKED with people with some affiliation - perhaps a multi-level marketing scheme, perhaps a church? But people were standing in the aisles nattering for hours. The woman behind me was pontificating on everything... and got me good and mad with the old chestnut "I like Obama, but the south won't accept a Black Man - I'm sorry but that's just how it is..." Sure lady, take a look at who took Georgia!
In Portland, I was meeting with a client, making sure everything was going well. For some reason, she took me as a confidant immediately and I was subjected to a deep lesson in the politics and dysfunction of that particular institution. Information I will no doubt be able to use in some capacity... So I'll call that visit a success: No concrete sales built, but some amazing intel gathered that will benefit me in the area.
Meetings done, I had a flight up to Seattle for the night. The plan was meetings with some potential clients in the AM them home from there. Strangely, the Portland to Seattle to Minneapolis route was actually much cheaper than a simple round trip to Portland. Plus I had the potential for meeting Paul and Caesar up there!
The meeting ended at 4, my flight was at 6, but then I got some key information: Izumi, the near legendary Sushi restaurant where Caesar and Paul regularly enjoy "vast rafts of sushi" at the hands of a chef who loves them.... stops seating for dinner at 7:30. My options seemed clear: Get to the airport and try to get on an earlier flight... or just start driving. I got on the horn with the rental agency, cleared the one-way drive, and got going.
2.5 hours later, I had worked on some Japanese, some Dutch, and caught up on the early Super Tuesday results. I had time to check into my hotel, splash water on my face, and head up to Kirkland for an insane sushi feast. Caesar, Miho, and Paul all met me there, and we had a rollicking two hours of raw fish eating and fine sake drinking. I got back to my hotel at 9:30pm PST (which was 11:30PM CST, meaning I had been going full bore for 18 hours), and zonked out.
Today I woke up LATE (6:45 am PST, which is 8:45am CST, a time I have almost NEVER slept to, mostly due to the kiddies). I had a leisurely morning and switched my flight to an earlier one, so that I could get home in time to see the kiddies. The flight was uneventful (and coach again - no point in spoiling myself).
Time flew as I watched videos on my iPhone - Oh my GOD! Terminator - the Sarah Connor Chronicles is so AMAZING!!! They're breaking my mind!!! Also watched a few episodes of the Sarah Silverman show, which is so funny it should be illegal. It's so crude and horrible, I can't stop watching.
So now I'm back, and am dealing with the strange feeling that for 36 hours I was in a different time zone. Again, 7 hours of air travel, 3 hours of driving, 1 meeting, one lunch with a consultant, 1 fun sushi dinner, and now I'm home. It looks like home is where I'm staying for the next 2 weeks at least. The next "big thing" for me is the massive trade show I'm attending at the end of Feb - a full week away. Pamela's mom (or "Bam" as we call her) is coming up to help out for a few days in there... while I schmooze, schmooze, and then do some schmoozing.
Oh, and what of the old client? I got an email from my lieutenant over there who said that Dr B, the Passionate Syrian, has decided to take him on as a confidant... and has begun telling strange "parables" to him. When I read this, I started laughing uncontrollably.
Tuesday AM, I got up at 4:30 because Bella wanted to join us in bed, but being such a wiggleworm she chased me out of the bed with her tossing and turning. A shower and I was off to my workout. Tuesdays are Step, and it's a new release (we get new music and steps every 3 months) - and there's some new stuff that I just LOVED.
I changed into my suit in the bathroom at Time Out, and headed off to the Airport. No first class upgrade this time: This flight started in Ohio and was headed to Portland and then to Hawaii. The plane was PACKED with people with some affiliation - perhaps a multi-level marketing scheme, perhaps a church? But people were standing in the aisles nattering for hours. The woman behind me was pontificating on everything... and got me good and mad with the old chestnut "I like Obama, but the south won't accept a Black Man - I'm sorry but that's just how it is..." Sure lady, take a look at who took Georgia!
In Portland, I was meeting with a client, making sure everything was going well. For some reason, she took me as a confidant immediately and I was subjected to a deep lesson in the politics and dysfunction of that particular institution. Information I will no doubt be able to use in some capacity... So I'll call that visit a success: No concrete sales built, but some amazing intel gathered that will benefit me in the area.
Meetings done, I had a flight up to Seattle for the night. The plan was meetings with some potential clients in the AM them home from there. Strangely, the Portland to Seattle to Minneapolis route was actually much cheaper than a simple round trip to Portland. Plus I had the potential for meeting Paul and Caesar up there!
The meeting ended at 4, my flight was at 6, but then I got some key information: Izumi, the near legendary Sushi restaurant where Caesar and Paul regularly enjoy "vast rafts of sushi" at the hands of a chef who loves them.... stops seating for dinner at 7:30. My options seemed clear: Get to the airport and try to get on an earlier flight... or just start driving. I got on the horn with the rental agency, cleared the one-way drive, and got going.
2.5 hours later, I had worked on some Japanese, some Dutch, and caught up on the early Super Tuesday results. I had time to check into my hotel, splash water on my face, and head up to Kirkland for an insane sushi feast. Caesar, Miho, and Paul all met me there, and we had a rollicking two hours of raw fish eating and fine sake drinking. I got back to my hotel at 9:30pm PST (which was 11:30PM CST, meaning I had been going full bore for 18 hours), and zonked out.
Today I woke up LATE (6:45 am PST, which is 8:45am CST, a time I have almost NEVER slept to, mostly due to the kiddies). I had a leisurely morning and switched my flight to an earlier one, so that I could get home in time to see the kiddies. The flight was uneventful (and coach again - no point in spoiling myself).
Time flew as I watched videos on my iPhone - Oh my GOD! Terminator - the Sarah Connor Chronicles is so AMAZING!!! They're breaking my mind!!! Also watched a few episodes of the Sarah Silverman show, which is so funny it should be illegal. It's so crude and horrible, I can't stop watching.
So now I'm back, and am dealing with the strange feeling that for 36 hours I was in a different time zone. Again, 7 hours of air travel, 3 hours of driving, 1 meeting, one lunch with a consultant, 1 fun sushi dinner, and now I'm home. It looks like home is where I'm staying for the next 2 weeks at least. The next "big thing" for me is the massive trade show I'm attending at the end of Feb - a full week away. Pamela's mom (or "Bam" as we call her) is coming up to help out for a few days in there... while I schmooze, schmooze, and then do some schmoozing.
Oh, and what of the old client? I got an email from my lieutenant over there who said that Dr B, the Passionate Syrian, has decided to take him on as a confidant... and has begun telling strange "parables" to him. When I read this, I started laughing uncontrollably.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Of Work and Other Things
As I've noted, while I've started my new life as "The Vee-Pee", I remain entangled with the old client as we figure out whether the Vendor has done a punishably bad thing, or just a sort of bad thing, and also to figure out who will replace me (with the adjunct of what they will be doing when they replace me, depending of whether we like or do not like this vendor anymore.)
So we had the big come-to-jesus meeting with the Vendor on the 31st, and I was very pleased. They brought the right attitude, the right people, and a commitment to do right by us. They walked us through the longer term vision, and made it clear that while they had radically shifted focus, they will get to the same end goal as we needed/expected, only one year later.
The down side was that the passionate Doctor B (who you'll recall referred to the entire project as a 'clusterf**k') showed up toward the end of the meeting: He sat quietly as I recounted the points of our discussion, and how I felt that we were getting back on track. He fixed me with a look and slid his gaze over to the vendors. He gestured at the whiteboard and said
"All of this, all you have discussed, it means nothing to me. My colleagues are surprised and disappointed at what has happened, but not me. I have known from the very beginning that you have an inferior product and that we would not be getting what we needed, and so when it was revealed that you had LIED TO US, it was not a surprise to me."
It went on like this for a good 20 minutes. He ranted about a wide variety of disappointments... only a few of which could truly be said to be a problem of the toolset as opposed to his own departmental workflow... but no matter, this was Vendor Beat-up time.
To their credit, the Vendor took their lumps - well the lumps that were theirs to take, didn't try to defend themselves, just deferred and promised to work on things. He stomped off, and we were all left in stunned silence. It was actually pretty embarassing, but we all were able to see the event for what it was - a diva rage.
Immediately afterward, we had a very promising interview with a lady who I think can take the reins of the project very ably, and she can start in 2 weeks, allowing me to escape!
Back to the "real job": I'm off to Portland and Seattle this week (just one night, but I'll be home late) - I get to visit Paul and Caesar this trip too! Good times!
And now, it's off to bed, my blogging done.
So we had the big come-to-jesus meeting with the Vendor on the 31st, and I was very pleased. They brought the right attitude, the right people, and a commitment to do right by us. They walked us through the longer term vision, and made it clear that while they had radically shifted focus, they will get to the same end goal as we needed/expected, only one year later.
The down side was that the passionate Doctor B (who you'll recall referred to the entire project as a 'clusterf**k') showed up toward the end of the meeting: He sat quietly as I recounted the points of our discussion, and how I felt that we were getting back on track. He fixed me with a look and slid his gaze over to the vendors. He gestured at the whiteboard and said
"All of this, all you have discussed, it means nothing to me. My colleagues are surprised and disappointed at what has happened, but not me. I have known from the very beginning that you have an inferior product and that we would not be getting what we needed, and so when it was revealed that you had LIED TO US, it was not a surprise to me."
It went on like this for a good 20 minutes. He ranted about a wide variety of disappointments... only a few of which could truly be said to be a problem of the toolset as opposed to his own departmental workflow... but no matter, this was Vendor Beat-up time.
To their credit, the Vendor took their lumps - well the lumps that were theirs to take, didn't try to defend themselves, just deferred and promised to work on things. He stomped off, and we were all left in stunned silence. It was actually pretty embarassing, but we all were able to see the event for what it was - a diva rage.
Immediately afterward, we had a very promising interview with a lady who I think can take the reins of the project very ably, and she can start in 2 weeks, allowing me to escape!
Back to the "real job": I'm off to Portland and Seattle this week (just one night, but I'll be home late) - I get to visit Paul and Caesar this trip too! Good times!
And now, it's off to bed, my blogging done.
Most Bloggable
Friday Night:
Had the boys over for Scotch and a Movie: We did Bourne Identity (yes, AGAIN for me), Punch Pizza, and some delightful Glen-somethings. We were pushed to Bourne by a video from the Jimmy Kimmel show showing Sarah Silverman singing a song about... loving... Matt Damon. It's quite worth the view... but for mature ears only. Youtube has it.
As usual it was a fun evening of laughter, and a good tonic to end the week with (I'll update on work in a post to follow).
Saturday: THE DAY.
Part 1: The Disco.
From 9:30-11 we were at Bella and Isaac's school for their big winter party. The gym was all done up as a disco, teachers were being Dee-jays and singing along with YMCA, Who let the dogs out, I like to move it... the hits. Bella started by wearing one of my old shiny disco shirts, but somehow it moved to my body almost immediately, while she looks much more demure in black.
Isaac was actually overwhelmed for the first 45 minutes - clinging to us and taking a real "wait and see" approach. Trepidation be damned, he did insist on reaching out and being held by many others - he just loves to make the rounds. Fortunately, he found his dancing feet and started to cut a rug like mad, doing a spinning dervish dance, then doing a sideways gallop (not unlike a lemur) across the floor, then planting for more spins.
He took a good nap once we got home... and Bella fueled up for lunch because we needed to be strong for....
Part 2: The Rally
Yes, we went downtown for the Barak Obama Rally at Target Center. We knew it would be big - over 20,000 people were expected, full capacity for the arena. We showed up right when doors opened at 1:30, which meant we were at the very end of a line that had formed at around 7 that morning.
We had a spot in a skyway around 4 blocks away from the entrance, at 8th street going over 1st Ave. It was very wide and bright, and Isaac decided it was time to run. We went up and down the full length of that skyway at least 20 times, and he showed no signs of tiring. He did press the emergency call buttons TWICE, and we had to explain to the operator it was NOT an emergency, sorry!
He also made a few friends in the line - a pair of African American women in line behind us, a young man with a very colorful emblem on his oversized pants (he kept running up and slapping his behind), a lutheran grandmother, a trio of hyper kids who were climbing up the walls, and many others. One of us held the line with the other monitored his progress. Bella sometimes ran with Isaac, sometimes stayed in the line and drew.
We finally got INTO the center by 3:30, and got some nosebleed seats up very very high. The rally got started by 4 and Obama came out and spoke at 4:30, going for almost an hour to the rapt crowd. Bella was pretty tired and bored of the proceedings, and Isaac spent most of the time in the laps of the same ladies we met in line earlier - he loved them, and they let him play with their cellphones - it was a match made in heaven.
And while the acoustics were TERRIBLE where we were sitting so his speech was borderline unintelligible to my ears, we were enraptured by his presence - the man has AMAZING charisma, and I couldn't help but feel I was in the midst of history in the making.
Since Bella was such a good sport (4 hours of boring grown-up stuff), we gave her a new Webkin - the frog covered in hearts. She's thinking of calling it "Scott".
Part 3: The Banquet
While Pamela and Kids settled in for the night, (we tried to get sitters, but we struck out on 6 different options, so took it as a sign), I was off to the 25th anniversary Save the Met Hot Stove League Banquet.
I may have blogged about this in the past: This was a benefit that was started 26 years ago to save Met Stadium, and when that failed, it became a benefit for some underprivileged little league teams, but mostly an excuse for true lovers of baseball to congregate, swap stories about the game, and eat ballpark food. Two things that must be clarified: Yes it's the 25th anniversary, because they accidentally had two 9th annual banquets. Second, yes, I've gone to either 24 or 25 of these things as a bonding thing with my Dad, despite the fact I have not ever truly taken to the sport in "that way".
But you don't really need to love the sport to appreciate a good story, and there were so many great stories being told over the years... that the banquet has become sort of a cultural touchpoint for me; I feel lucky to be invited to this much the same as one might feel honored to participate in a Japanese Green Tea ceremony, or visit a Latin Mass. It may not be your religion, but you can feel holiness.
Local News Legend Dave Moore was the original EmCee, until he passed, and the hat has passed a few times... The guests included players, umpires, coaches, owners, agents, writers, and poets. You were always going to get some interesting stories.
So after 25/26 years, they've decided to call it quits - this thing never makes money, and it's a labor of love for the founders, who really are too busy for this sort of thing. And it was an amazing lineup: Tony Oliva, Clark Griffith, Mike Veeck, Bill "Spaceman" Lee... The stories were just crazy, including Mike Veeck telling us ALL about his legendary "Disco Destruction at Comiskey Park" back in 1979, when he dynamited 18000 disco records and scorched the infield, forfeiting the game...
Or Tony O telling about how in Cuba, they learn Baseball in the womb, and how when he was recruited for the majors in the early 1960s how he didn't even know people played baseball in the US - he thought the apotheosis of baseball was to play in the Havana leagues... and how happy he is to have found a home in Minnesota, where he remains. Or Bill Lee talking about... you know what I can't even tell you what he was talking about because he was crazy all over the map. We were all laughing and gasping for air with disbelief at what was coming out of his mouth...
Sorry I can't be more specific, but look the man up online if you want to know about him. Wikipedia notes "In 1988, he ran for President of the United States on the Canadian Political Rhinoceros Party ticket, but failed to appear on the ballot in any state. His slogan for the election was "No guns. No butter. Both can kill.""
Sunday: The Brunch
Our former neighbors from across the street came by for a brunch at our house this morning: Bella had playmates all morning, and we had great conversation and a lot of bacon and pancakes. It was actually pretty low-key... But you can see how the weekend was a bit on the busy side. I probably could blog a few more pages of details on all of the events!
Had the boys over for Scotch and a Movie: We did Bourne Identity (yes, AGAIN for me), Punch Pizza, and some delightful Glen-somethings. We were pushed to Bourne by a video from the Jimmy Kimmel show showing Sarah Silverman singing a song about... loving... Matt Damon. It's quite worth the view... but for mature ears only. Youtube has it.
As usual it was a fun evening of laughter, and a good tonic to end the week with (I'll update on work in a post to follow).
Saturday: THE DAY.
Part 1: The Disco.
From 9:30-11 we were at Bella and Isaac's school for their big winter party. The gym was all done up as a disco, teachers were being Dee-jays and singing along with YMCA, Who let the dogs out, I like to move it... the hits. Bella started by wearing one of my old shiny disco shirts, but somehow it moved to my body almost immediately, while she looks much more demure in black.
Isaac was actually overwhelmed for the first 45 minutes - clinging to us and taking a real "wait and see" approach. Trepidation be damned, he did insist on reaching out and being held by many others - he just loves to make the rounds. Fortunately, he found his dancing feet and started to cut a rug like mad, doing a spinning dervish dance, then doing a sideways gallop (not unlike a lemur) across the floor, then planting for more spins.
He took a good nap once we got home... and Bella fueled up for lunch because we needed to be strong for....
Part 2: The Rally
Yes, we went downtown for the Barak Obama Rally at Target Center. We knew it would be big - over 20,000 people were expected, full capacity for the arena. We showed up right when doors opened at 1:30, which meant we were at the very end of a line that had formed at around 7 that morning.
We had a spot in a skyway around 4 blocks away from the entrance, at 8th street going over 1st Ave. It was very wide and bright, and Isaac decided it was time to run. We went up and down the full length of that skyway at least 20 times, and he showed no signs of tiring. He did press the emergency call buttons TWICE, and we had to explain to the operator it was NOT an emergency, sorry!
He also made a few friends in the line - a pair of African American women in line behind us, a young man with a very colorful emblem on his oversized pants (he kept running up and slapping his behind), a lutheran grandmother, a trio of hyper kids who were climbing up the walls, and many others. One of us held the line with the other monitored his progress. Bella sometimes ran with Isaac, sometimes stayed in the line and drew.
We finally got INTO the center by 3:30, and got some nosebleed seats up very very high. The rally got started by 4 and Obama came out and spoke at 4:30, going for almost an hour to the rapt crowd. Bella was pretty tired and bored of the proceedings, and Isaac spent most of the time in the laps of the same ladies we met in line earlier - he loved them, and they let him play with their cellphones - it was a match made in heaven.
And while the acoustics were TERRIBLE where we were sitting so his speech was borderline unintelligible to my ears, we were enraptured by his presence - the man has AMAZING charisma, and I couldn't help but feel I was in the midst of history in the making.
Since Bella was such a good sport (4 hours of boring grown-up stuff), we gave her a new Webkin - the frog covered in hearts. She's thinking of calling it "Scott".
Part 3: The Banquet
While Pamela and Kids settled in for the night, (we tried to get sitters, but we struck out on 6 different options, so took it as a sign), I was off to the 25th anniversary Save the Met Hot Stove League Banquet.
I may have blogged about this in the past: This was a benefit that was started 26 years ago to save Met Stadium, and when that failed, it became a benefit for some underprivileged little league teams, but mostly an excuse for true lovers of baseball to congregate, swap stories about the game, and eat ballpark food. Two things that must be clarified: Yes it's the 25th anniversary, because they accidentally had two 9th annual banquets. Second, yes, I've gone to either 24 or 25 of these things as a bonding thing with my Dad, despite the fact I have not ever truly taken to the sport in "that way".
But you don't really need to love the sport to appreciate a good story, and there were so many great stories being told over the years... that the banquet has become sort of a cultural touchpoint for me; I feel lucky to be invited to this much the same as one might feel honored to participate in a Japanese Green Tea ceremony, or visit a Latin Mass. It may not be your religion, but you can feel holiness.
Local News Legend Dave Moore was the original EmCee, until he passed, and the hat has passed a few times... The guests included players, umpires, coaches, owners, agents, writers, and poets. You were always going to get some interesting stories.
So after 25/26 years, they've decided to call it quits - this thing never makes money, and it's a labor of love for the founders, who really are too busy for this sort of thing. And it was an amazing lineup: Tony Oliva, Clark Griffith, Mike Veeck, Bill "Spaceman" Lee... The stories were just crazy, including Mike Veeck telling us ALL about his legendary "Disco Destruction at Comiskey Park" back in 1979, when he dynamited 18000 disco records and scorched the infield, forfeiting the game...
Or Tony O telling about how in Cuba, they learn Baseball in the womb, and how when he was recruited for the majors in the early 1960s how he didn't even know people played baseball in the US - he thought the apotheosis of baseball was to play in the Havana leagues... and how happy he is to have found a home in Minnesota, where he remains. Or Bill Lee talking about... you know what I can't even tell you what he was talking about because he was crazy all over the map. We were all laughing and gasping for air with disbelief at what was coming out of his mouth...
Sorry I can't be more specific, but look the man up online if you want to know about him. Wikipedia notes "In 1988, he ran for President of the United States on the Canadian Political Rhinoceros Party ticket, but failed to appear on the ballot in any state. His slogan for the election was "No guns. No butter. Both can kill.""
Sunday: The Brunch
Our former neighbors from across the street came by for a brunch at our house this morning: Bella had playmates all morning, and we had great conversation and a lot of bacon and pancakes. It was actually pretty low-key... But you can see how the weekend was a bit on the busy side. I probably could blog a few more pages of details on all of the events!
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