Month: May 2007 (Page 2 of 2)

The inside of an aluminum tube may be the most conducive writing environment for me. It’s um, pretty contained. There’s no WiFi (yet) or phone. Mostly, my mind is bursting at the front or back of a business trip. I arrived Saturday and hung with Dave, Georgia and Joe. It was great to see them. Joe is now six and he likes to play his GameCube. He’ll have a new game soon courtesy of our friends at the online store named for a river… or jungle. Flow of goods or mind-numbing warehouse? Whatever. Georgia and I caught up over some Greek takeout while Dave tried to enjoy his post-blender lemon soup. He’s on a liquid diet because the scarring from 20+ surgeries has left sections of his intestines the diameter of a straw. No, not that kind. Dave’s processing food through a straw like the ones they strand olives on in a martini. Yeah, like a straw, it sucks. I often think, “when is this nightmare going to end for this husband and father?” I quickly dismiss the notion because the answer is a Philbinesque final one. We’ll pass on that. Dave’s got quite a bit more to do.

The balance of the week was spent with a few hundred of my favorite co-workers in meeting rooms, restaurants and the lobby bar. The highlight was a bike odyssey organized by my friend, the fabulous Barb. Many of my co-workers, some in tears, stood in its conclusion to say it was the best team building event they’d ever attended. Yeah. Ever. It was for me.

With now over 20 years in business, I’m finally comfortable with the whole networking thing. Much of that gets done in the lobby lounge or even the Tiki Lounge if the venue is the Fairmont in SF. Anyway, while liquor does help many overcome the shy thing, it isn’t pretty when some reach, um, the tipping point. Yesterday I met with my team back at the field-described “Mecca” (corporate office). My advice was pretty simple: “When attending a group event like that Sales meeting, don’t be a jackass.”

Best line of the week in a meeting the morning after: “I’m not doing math in my head right now.”

It’s now Saturday. When the plane landed Thursday night, I arrived to a changed world. If I learned anything this week it’s that courage is necessary to change us from the inside and to handle it from the outside. I’m going to succeed at both.

Random note: No matter when “Gimme Shelter” comes on my iPod, I never skip it.

Yesterdays voyage to Chicago was eventful. I had not traveled since the TSA regulations involving Ziplock bags took place…

As I approached the x-ray machines at security the realization set in that the travel bag I employed for personal hygiene wasn’t going to cut it, so I emptied all of it into one of the plastic bins hoping for a last-minute pardon. Uh, not. “Sir, those need to be in a ziplock bag. Hudson News sells them.” I proceeded to re-dress and shoved all the stuff into my bag for a shopping stop at Hudson’s. I expected the worst in price gouging, but at 35 cents a pop, the large sandwich sized bags were a bargain under the circumstances. I crammed all the items into 2 bags and headed back through the security line. Once there, the TSA boys were ready to pounce…

As the TSA inspector removed and analyzed each and every item, he set aside the items in question: A large Edge Gel shaving cream and a 3.5 ounce tub of American Crew pomade.
“These cannot go on the aircraft.” He explained that by limiting liquids to the sandwich bag size, “it would limit the explosive power if a terrorist tried to get liquid explosives onboard.” I see. My pomade was endangering the lives of all on the flight to Chicago. I had just begun a relationship with this jar Saturday morning removing only the first of many satisfying fingerfulls. My hair looked good too. I had achieved a perfect balance of messiness without the appearance of trying too hard to do it. Yeah, it’s complicated.

Now, luckily, I’m at Dave’s, the “hair stuff” capital of Chicagoland… I’ll go without the shave.

I’ve got nothing cogent to write about. These days my mind is occupied with work, meetings, my kids, paying debt off completely, foul politics, presentations, deadlines, rumors, margin analyses and work. Oh, I’ve been working quite a bit too. I need a house cleaning service, yard service, tree service and car service on the RAV4. I need a service to manage my service needs. I don’t seem to have passion for anything right now. I’m up by 5:30, read the news and Bloglines, have a coffee and a bagel with egg (no cheese), then it’s work with very little respite till 5:30 or 6. I come home and occasionally work out, then lay in bed flipping between O’Reilly, Olberman, Hannity, Scarborough, and Colmes. Thankfully I’m usually asleep before Greta’s nightly updates on Anna Nicole Smith and Natalee Holoway. I usually wake up around 2:00; stagger to the bathroom for a number one, then fall back onto padded springs where I occasionally sleep upon arrival. Sometimes not. I’m also in the third week of a lingering cold that I just can’t lose. I’m much better though. Maybe it’s allergies…

The view from the inside of a life is an interesting one. On the inside, one can see the chipped paint, scratched woodwork and uneven floors. To the outsider, it all looks pretty cool. I am so fortunate to have what I do in my life, but it is feeling burdensome and increasing in drag. I need to do something for me without a Catholic heaping of guilt that somehow my kids will face a lifetime of therapy if I do.