It All Comes Down To This . . .

Great Scott!

2010-10-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

It's been 25 years since the events of the original Back to the Future movie. I think we're supposed to measure the predictions on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, from the second movie. At that point, we can look forward to hoverboards, a $39,999.95 hover conversion for our cars, and skewed skyways. Predictions in movies and television aren't always too accurate. In Blade Runner, we saw Atari and other companies becoming big names in the future. In Back to the Future, now semi-defunct Texaco was in the spotlight.

However, we've got less than five years to pull it off. Not wanting to be a naysayer, but I really don't think we can leap forward that much in such a short measure of time. As I'm fond of saying, progress can usually be measured one inch at a time. Now where's my Pepsi Perfect? I'd like to catch Jaws 19 in the theaters.

See ya.

Ok, Now I'm Finished

2010-08-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not discontinuing the blog. It helps a lot to have a creative outlet at times. I just experienced a layoff at work. I have never been through this process before. You would expect a flood of negative emotions -- the hurt, anger, bitterness, confusion, depression, and so forth. However, it really isn't healthy to dwell on the negative. Many others were also impacted, and out of the ashes, the circumstance created a really positive environment and confirmed the fact that bonds of friendship transcend the halls of the workplace. In fact, I even got a call from a colleague who went through the process last year, welcoming me to the club. I think there is a sense of widespread relief, happiness and hope. Sounds odd, doesn't it?

I still think the people with which you surround yourself will continue to contribute to your own success. It doesn't apply only to current jobs. It's also something that applies to daily life. I'm starting the job search, and I'm sticking close to those who were also impacted. A layoff has nothing to do with the quality of the work or people. I continue to submit that you can define success as the sum of the yourself and the people with which you choose to surround yourself. So it's no longer time to contemplate change. It's time to act upon it.

Life continues to move forward, and so do I.

See ya.

Not Quite Finished

2010-08-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's been noted that some people define themselves by a career. That can be a trap that can easily snare anyone. I've been caught in it a couple times when contemplating changes in my own career. Reflecting upon past accomplishments does make it difficult to separate one's self from a job. I've often stated that we are all more than the sum of our experiences. In fact, I'll go a step further to say that we are all more than the sum of our experiences, careers, and accomplishments. It is not just the individual, but also the sum of our relationships. I have often found that in order to be successful, you have to surround yourself with talented, diverse individuals that are able to constantly share skills and learn from each other.

I'm no expert on existentialism, but the idea about working within the sum of our own experiences seems out-of-date in the modern world. Beyond the scope of your own experience, we are starting to become a collective. We have seen social networking take off in recent years. Crowdsourcing has now become a great marketing tool. Separating the individual from the collective is becoming exceedingly difficult. Just take a look at services like Facebook. If you don't have an account, it's becoming increasingly hard to keep up with your social circle.

Back to the career. I've been fortunate to be able to surround myself with the best talent in any industry. It's time to contemplate some changes, but I'm not quite finished just yet. I came to the realization that it isn't the job or responsibilities or the career. It's the people.

See ya.

It Begins Again . . .

2010-06-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I decided that it was time to break away to a new city and career. The past several years have been tumultuous, but still exciting and enriching. In my career I have seen various companies go through tough times. In every instance, I have seen quite a bit of corporate downsizing, right-sizing, or whatever you want to call it. I think the most common term is layoff. Sometimes it is hard to recognize when the time is upon us. There are other times that it is painfully obvious. This time, though, I am observing behavior from the company that goes beyond the painfully obvious. It is a lot more disturbing prior to corporate layoffs than the actual event.

Another thing is obvious -- it is time to explore some new challenges. This time, though, it might be time to try something a little different. In the last several years, I discovered that you have to break away from the baggage you carry that can cloud your vision. Since the last time I searched for a job, I have the realization that I am more than the sum of my experiences, and I don't have to define my career by those limits. For those of us that have put decades into a specific profession, product, or position, it is difficult to find your way through the clutter.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Would I have left my comfort zone several years ago to do something completely different? Probably not. What I did learn is that you do need to leave some things behind in order to move forward. The search begins, once again.

See ya.

Stop Hearing And Start Listening

2010-05-22T01:24:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, more than a decade later, I finally have some time to myself again. So, I decided to go through a few of my decades-old papers from college and high school. I found a bunch of text books, papers, and other materials that are as useful as buggy whips. Some of the theories of that era were interesting, to say the least.

While technology, operations management, and industrial processes have changed tremendously in the last few decades, there are some lessons that are more enduring. Many papers talked about the importance of active listening. In the last few years, I have often overlooked the fact that many people are hearing but not listening during conversations. Sometimes, I have been guilty of this myself. When the listening stops, dysfunctional behavior flourishes. As the fractured communication continues, it becomes more difficult to recover. While I have lived through many good examples of this, it takes more than one person to overcome the challenges in communication.

I think I'm going through one of those cycles right now in many different aspects of life. People are hearing me. However, after listening to the responses, I sense great difficulty in the listening skills of many others this month. It would be nice if people stopped hearing and started listening for a while.

See ya.

Back In Training

2010-04-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

There comes a time when I have to realize that I need to get back in shape. I think certain life events often trigger this. Last time, it was related to a different type of loss. This time, I just came to the realization that I've been neglecting myself in my intense desire to help others. So, I've decided to scale back just a little, while I get myself back into shape. I did it once before around seven years ago, and I think I can do it again. And so it begins. Back to the gym for me...

See ya.

An Old Cliche Returns

2009-11-15T22:34:00.001-08:00

The more things change, the more things stay the same. The old cliche has rarely been far away from my thoughts over the years. It still comes to mind during the last five years in which I've found some stability throughout work and the other aspects of life. Even before that, I worked with some of the best people throughout the country as well. Like Jeff Goldblum's character in Independence Day, I really do believe that I was part of something special, not once, but a few times over. When you have the right mix of people and talent working together, it's kind of like magic. When the people leave, the magic can sometimes disappear.

In the last year, most of my original team at work has either moved on or have been reassigned. It really has been quite strange in that most people seek new positions within two years. Most of my team has been intact for about five years. For everyone to stick around that long, it had to be some kind of magic. With most of the team reassigned, it has been suggested that it may also be time for me to move on to other projects.

After asking several people about their work experiences, it appears that some of them never have had the opportunity to experience that special magic that I alluded to earlier. Maybe sometimes you just have to look harder. Well, I guess the search begins... As I stated earlier, the more things change, the more things stay the same. See ya.

Time And Again

2009-08-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

The passage of time is a tricky thing. In past experience, time has been an interesting concept with which to grapple. I perceived time to be an annoyance in many ways. In my youth, time always seemed to be in the way. It was the one thing that kept me from proceeding forward with the things that I wanted to accomplish. A lot of it had to do with perceptions and positions. You see, in many cases, I was always perceived as the young member of all groups. Time is one of the barriers that you cross when transitioning to become the senior member of a group. For me these days, time has been sliding by way too fast. It's been over a year since I took my last real vacation, and it does seem a few weeks ago. To my friends who joined me on that vacation, the relative time since our vacation was a quite a bit longer.

Time doesn't move at different rates for different people. It is the perception of time that is the real trick in these instances. As age increases, there is a perception that time moves at a more rapid pace. Seemingly, the days are just melding together leaving no points of demarcation for me. To some of my younger associates and friends, I am sensing that the perception is quite different. For the younger generation, it appears that time seems to be thick like a jungle, through which they are using countdowns and other tricks to fight their way through. I recall having that perception, and am now seeing quite the opposite as I try to find ways to slow the passage of time.

Time is, and will continue to be a constant, even though perception is not. While we all know that these constants exist, our perceptions provide a personal barrier that negates our acceptance of these realities. For example, I have a harder time accepting the passage of time as I start to grow older. I've become a mentor to a few people, and I have seen my former perceptions (or misconceptions) of the passage of time in each of them.

I think a few people have been trying to tell me something like this for many years. I finally got the message. It took a while, but to some degree, I think I understand it a little more now. Even a crusty, stubborn person like me can learn something once in a while.

Time for bed. See ya.

Not A Typo

2009-07-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I decided to go hiking. No, that's not a typo. Hiking. It has been almost two years since I have been on the hiking trails at Balboa Park on a regular cadence. Hiking is one of those things that I really don't like to do alone. Since James has been in town with me, I decided to ask him to join me on the old trail. For the first time since I've known him, the tables were turned, as I recognized a worried look that James had toward the end of the trail. I had to reassure him that I could actually finish the hike, even though I had my own doubts. Although I really didn't set out to prove anything, it was nice to know that I could still finish a two mile hike.

As I recall, the last time I went on that particular trail in July, it was over 115 degrees in the shade. We decided to go in the early evening this time. It's nice to know that I actually learn from past experiences. I did also manage to experience the obligatory pain in places that I didn't think could even feel pain. I guess that can't be avoided. Well, I guess that's all for this hiking adventure. I feel confident that you won't hear about me bungee jumping or skydiving anytime soon, though.

See ya.

When Worlds Collide

2009-07-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting summer so far. My friend James is back from college, and has decided to take a job here with one of my non-profits in San Diego, so he's staying at my house on the weekdays. I watched James grow up from practically a toddler to an adult, and it's been an interesting journey. I met him when he was about three, and I was fresh out of college. Since both of us never had any siblings, we both really don't have a frame of reference. However, if observations of countless friends with siblings are accurate, I do think that the bond we have goes beyond friendship. We're probably more like brothers. I just can't stop looking out for my "little brother," no matter how old he is. I guess I just worry too much, which is why I originally got out of the management game a long time ago. I'm glad that James has a lot more patience than I do.

Speaking of the management game, I have been a bit overloaded lately with the increasing demands at work and my work with the non-profit organizations that I also support. I may have gotten out of management a long time ago, but for some odd reason it just called back to me about five years ago, and I decided that I needed to get back into the game. With companies spinning off, and non-profit agencies requiring triple the time I usually give them, it has been a bit stressful. We're getting things done, and making quite a difference on all fronts -- the day job and the volunteer time.

I've also been playing mentor to quite a few people lately. I've got a few proteges that I believe have incredible potential. James is the top one on the list. My former associate, Alton, also has an extraordinary potential as well. It's kind of strange to see a lot of the characteristics and questions that I had many years ago surfacing in both of them. Maybe I should have stuck with a career in human resources instead of moving into sales and marketing. Someone told me today that I'm not a typical manager, because I actually do try to take care of the people and careers entrusted to me. Based upon that statement, I'm interpreting that to mean that most managers don't necessarily look to career development for their team. I've often thought that if you're not going to mentor your staff, and help to develop their careers to make the most out of their talents, then you really have no business being a manager in the first place.

In the past, I've often kept various facets of my life completely separate. I played several roles -- workaholic employee, manager, mentor, volunteer, and friend. This summer, the barriers that I had erected to separate those different planes of existence completely shattered. I introduced two of my proteges, James and Alton, to each other, and then introduced them both to the work that I do in the non-profit sector. I started weaving a few relationships between the non-profits as well. I even introduced my company to one of my non-profits, to help them establish some community volunteerism for the new company spin-off. So now, I'm a bit perplexed, as the different facets of my life have suddenly been thrown together, shaken, and maybe even stirred.

OK, I've been rambling on and on for this post. I don't think I had a specific point to make during this round. I do know that when the summer ends, and my life returns to separate silos, I'm not quite sure I can be all of those separate people once again. It's kind of like separate lumps of silly putty. Once you blend them all together, they aren't quite the same when you pull them apart.

See ya.

It's About Time

2009-06-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

If you examine my collective writings, it is apparent that I tend use writing as a way to manage stress during the busiest times of my life. The more time constraints that are placed upon me, the more I tend to write. I've noticed that whenever we had to meet the most stringent deadlines, that was the time I would select to take a quick weekend away. I always got the work done. To this day, I still don't know how I did it.

I've got all sorts of deadlines that coincide with the end of this month, so naturally it is time for me to catch up on my blogging. I have noted that I do tend to get some great results when I am under some extreme time pressure. However, I have also noted that I may be juggling a few too many things this time round. I think the accurate metaphor would be one of those people spinning plates on a stick. I'm sensing that all of the plates are almost ready to start crashing onto the ground right now, and it's up to me to stop them.

Time is an interesting concept. Someone once told me that you can remember a moment, have all sorts of reunions about it, but you can never recapture the exact experience of any moment in time. So maybe that's why I continue with my writings. It's all about time...

See ya.

Striking The Balance

2009-06-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

Striking the balance is a key topic of the day for many. It's often noted that work-life balance is one of the key employment issues of the day. Typically, the imbalance leads to classic cases of burnout and undue stress.

Most of us have a desire to achieve the personal goals we set for ourselves. In past observations, I've noted that personal goals and desires seem to require a lot more work than before. It does appear that we seem to have created an increasingly competitive environment for our youth. As years progress, it seems to be more and more challenging. Is this attributable to the fact that I might be getting somewhat older and less driven? Maybe so. However, I don't recall the levels of stress in our youth being at these levels when I was that age.

It's not only our youth that are having trouble striking the balance. As a person who manages multiple groups of individuals and organizations, it is interesting to spot the warning signs. In these trying times, I am starting to detect the early warning signs in one of my proteges, and many close friends and associates. Now, stress is not necessarily a bad thing. When it turns bad, we have a different name for it -- distress. The challenge that I face is the fact that I don't like to see people put through stressful times. However, it is the stress that helps us overcome some of our challenges. Ultimately, it can help us achieve that long-sought balance.

Finding that right balance is something that is different for everyone. It has taken quite a while, but I've started to find what works best for me. I've been through the burnout and mid-life crisis around the same time, and they seem to have canceled each other out. That's one of the more creative ways to strike that balance...

See ya.

The More Things Stay The Same

2009-05-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

There is some consistency to the universe. There will always be too much to do, and not enough time to get it done. It has been incredibly trying in the last few months. However, I think the complications of work and other portions of life are normal. Without the challenges of daily life, where would we be, right? I still have the usual overload of work, volunteer work, and I'm trying to provide some guidance to a few friends that need my help. So I guess nothing has really changed much.

I've discovered something about myself in the last few months. No matter how much I try to simplify things, I always wind up with the most complex solution known to exist. I'm still trying to change the world one person at a time. It can't get any harder than that. However, I wouldn't have it any other way.

See ya.

The More Things Change . . .

2009-04-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

I hate it when I'm right. That aforementioned ominous feeling turned into problems at work for some of my friends. The economy has hit home, and there were some layoffs at work impacting a lot of my friends and colleagues. Sometimes being on the list of people that are spared is just as hard as those that I had to let go. While I should be concerned about my present state of health (which hasn't been that great since the last entry), I'm a bit more concerned about friends and colleagues.

One of my personal rules of management has always been to surround myself with talented people with dedication and passion for what they do. I've been reminded that it is important to also keep emotions in check. In a layoff situation, it is kind of like losing part of your extended family, but you've still got to keep things running or you'll start to lose command of your team. The command principles of management remind us to keep the appropriate barriers if you're going to guide your team into the future. It's been an constant stream of changes and a deep sense of loss. Keeping emotions in check might be the right thing at the office, but there has to be a balance somewhere.

For me, the hardest part was losing my protege to the layoff, at least from the office. Sometimes, it just doesn't make sense to always follow the standard rules of the management game. In these trying times, it has been more important for me to follow my conscience than to keep some of those barriers up, especially with my protege. It's been an interesting journey watching him grow from a college kid that I was mentoring into a dedicated a loyal assistant to me for the last couple of years. He's earned my respect and friendship, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to help him as he continues his career.

We've been through some trying times in the last couple of weeks. I've been told that it might be time to start taking care of myself. Now that would be a welcome change...

See ya.

The Ides Of March

2009-03-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

We begin the ides of March, a date dramatized in Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar. Though it is over 2000 years after the events and politics of the Roman empire, we still recognize the date and the gloomy foreshadowing in our culture today. I don't profess to be an expert in ancient Roman history, but I do remember some things from high school and college literature class. As I recall, Ceasar was warned to be on guard during this time. In fact, I believe the line was, "Beware the Ides of March." Ceasar was subsequently killed in the Senate that day.

Through the drama of literature we can experience life, death, and all that lies between in history. This leads us to where we find ourselves today. We're in the midst of a rough patch at the moment. Economic upheaval and political unrest are the main news stories every day. Now, I don't expect any kind of modern day Shakespearean drama at any time in the near future. Yet there is no way to tell what the future holds at any time. Though, I just can't seem to get rid of this ominous feeling. . .

See ya.

The Lost Hour

2009-03-08T03:21:00.000-07:00

This post is quite timely, since I'm writing it during that one lost hour that occurs every year. I am, of course, referring to that time when we move our clocks forward by an hour for daylight savings time. Changing the clock is one of the rituals that many of us endure. Even if you don't change your clocks twice a year, there is an indirect impact if you know or work with anyone who does.

Time and I have a strange relationship. In the past, I recall working against time for many deadlines. This is still true today. I disappear and reappear from this column from time to time due to all of the factors that make up my work and personal life. Before I realized that aging actually does have some sort of impact, I prided myself in stating that I could always find a way to make things happen. Although, I still try to make things happen, I finally realized that I don't always need to do everything. Most recently, I decided to take a month hiatus from my podcast, which was quite nice. I don't think I've taken a break in over three years.

There's a lot to be said about taking some time for yourself. Someone recently reminded me that time is something no one can borrow. However, there's nothing that says you can't claim time for yourself, or make time for those things that are important to you. In recent months, I decided to make some time to visit a few friends, past and present. I've also scaled back on trying to save the universe through volunteering. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still out there with all of the causes that I support. I just came to the realization that I need some time for myself, too.

I've got to make some time now to recover from this cold. May you all find your lost hour. See ya.

Fun And Games

2008-12-29T03:34:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I have been active in the world of video games. In my youth, I used to be one of those kids that hung around in arcades. I realized this past week that arcades have seemed to go the way of the buffalo. There are still a handful of kid's pizza spots and a few malls that have a small grouping of video games, but the corner arcade has now faded into the pages of history. Technology has played a part in the obsolescence of these recreation spots. In fact, I can play most of the games from years past on any computer or home game system. One can argue that you may lose the personal interaction that you got at these arcades. However, with today's systems, we now have the ability to play with other people anywhere in the world. The virtual experience is still lacking something that I just can't express in words. If you lived through the era of the video arcade and have tried out some on-line gaming or websites like Pogo or Gametap, you may notice some minor differences. The only thing missing is your physical opponent, but that can be solved by inviting your friend along and have them bring their laptop.

It is kind of nice to play games in the comfort of your own home, I guess. Progress has both good and bad effects on the video gaming front. In the past, it was one of the reasons for me to get outside for a short time. It was also a good excuse to meet up with some of my friends. Arcades typically weren't open 24 hours like the internet, so it did force you to go home and to bed. I'm still playing games while writing this post at three in the morning, so there is a downside to progress. To the aging group of us that used to hang out in the arcade, has the technology improved the video game experience for you?

To borrow a quote from WarGames -- Shall we play a game?

See ya.

The Road Less Traveled

2008-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

I've often lamented about the plight of the holiday business traveler. While I will, no doubt, be one of those travelers this winter, I did manage to avoid the crowds this year over the Thanksgiving holiday. I will also, no doubt, be catching up with all of the road warrior adventures in my other blogs and websites. This time I decided to employ a different approach to the travel game. I sent my young friend James home for the holiday - from New York to Los Angeles. With the complications of the different planes, trains, and automobiles (no relation to the movie) today, I am still working on the adjustments to his itinerary as he is in transit.

Being on this side of the computer screen is really different. Instead of just thinking about all of this and doing the scheduling, I have this strange desire to be out there as well. I've always liked being on the playing field when it came to the road warrior game. With all of the travel disruptions that I've fixed en route so far, I kind of miss the adventure in some sort of twisted way. It also probably relates to the fact that James is the closest thing I have to a little brother of my own. That overprotective tendency is starting to kick in.

All of the delayed flights, early and late trains, missed connections, and other crazy travel disruptions are an integral part of the road warrior path that I have traveled quite often. So this time, while I play scheduler behind the scenes, this road less traveled may be something nice to do when I retire. But I'm not quite ready for retirement yet, so it's time for me to schedule another twisted adventure for myself out there. Let the road warrior game continue...

See ya.

Maybe It Is A Strategy After All

2008-11-05T01:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just have to have some faith. I know I just talked about my contingencies in my last rant, er, blog posting. It's been mentioned that faith and beliefs and hope aren't necessarily a scientifically sound way to form your strategies. In fact, as a student of sales, marketing, and the business world, I've been trained to find the answers, sometimes even before the questions can be determined.

As I indicated last time, sometimes taking a leap of faith can be the best contingency of them all. Let me qualify that remark. After years of strategy and planning, you have to eventually know that there are way too many things that are out of your control, and infinite outcomes are possible. You can plan all you want based upon the best possible data at the time, but you really can't call most things absolute. It also helps to rely upon your best instincts in many cases.

When mentoring youth, I've always mentioned that it doesn't matter if your fifteen or fifty. We're still making decisions based upon our best analysis of the situation, and having faith that we've got it right. It's not the fact that I can analyze things better than a teenager (sometimes I can't). It's just that I might have been doing this a bit longer than some people. There's something to be said for experience, too.

Ok, I'm done with the psychobabble for now. See ya.

Planning My Planning

2008-10-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trained to think in terms of contingencies. There's always a "Plan B" and a "Plan C" and sometimes I run out letters. Maybe I do take things a bit far with my planning and scheduling. Despite the level of detail and all of the different types of random elements and catalysts that you take into account when developing a plan, there is usually something that was not taken into consideration. The impact can be just as bad as a chemistry experiment gone wrong.

I recently took a trip to China and had an overlay trip across the USA with multiple flights, hotels, and people involved. If I had printed out the entire plan, it would have killed a few trees. In the plan, I outlined every contingency that I could conceive to get me to one of my connecting flights. I failed to consider the flight that connected me back home in between trips could be the one that caused the schedule to fall apart. I had to think on my feet in order to fix the mess that this caused.

You can schedule and plan all you want, but what ultimately matters is how you deal with the issue at hand. Falling back upon your schedules and plans isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it just takes that leap of faith. That might be the best contingency of them all.

See ya.

Some Call It Magic

2008-10-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

With recent events in the financial markets, it's pretty easy to get caught up in seeing the stock market falling, as noted from an old Bloom County comic strip, down a well. The temptation for me has been to work a bit harder in order to keep ahead of the curve. But then again, the impetus for hard work really shouldn't be predicated upon external factors. It's just another one of those excuses that we workaholics like to use to justify our routine. A few weeks ago, I recall mentioning that I'm just wired to be a workaholic. It's literally a part of who I am as a person.

Despite the intrinsic hard-wiring of my work ethic, I've recently been guilty of getting myself caught up in the past for a bit. Although it's only been a few months, it seems as though I haven't seen several of my closest friends in years. I do miss the music, the laughs, and the memories with friends and family a lot. To that end, I really need to take some time off. Yes, it's vacation time for me once again, if only for a long weekend. It took a really long time for me to come to the realization -- It's not about memories past. It's about making the time today, so you can have the opportunity to create those memories. That's where the magic begins. I'm off to Albany for now. See ya.

Of Forgotten Lore

2008-09-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

We begin this post once upon a midnight dreary - well, it's more like two in the morning. Like The Raven from Edgar Allan Poe, I am pondering over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. In this case, I'm pouring over some of my marketing and sales texts from the past and present in preparation to lead a couple of new teams at my various assignments. I don't remember late-night reading to be such a weird mind-bending experience. It has been a couple of decades since college, and I can still remember cramming management texts into my brain for short-term regurgitation.

Although I do believe that the shifting generations now play a key role in management theory, it's still interesting to note that many management principles and theory still have some relevance today. One thing remains constant - in order to succeed, you always have to be in continual learning mode. Once you stop learning, you start losing the capacity to make a difference. That's it for now. It's only this, and nothing more. Profound apologies to Edgar Allan Poe. See ya.

Let Freedom Ring

2008-09-17T04:01:00.000-07:00

Last year I seemed to be a bit preoccupied, and I noticed that my blog entries had slowed tremendously. Every year, I devoted an entry to celebrate Constitution Day. So, in this post, I'm returning to the tradition in celebration of the day 221 years ago in 1787 to celebrate the signing of the US Constitution, the foundation of our government. After all these years, we sometimes take these freedoms for granted, and it's always good to reflect upon our freedoms on this day.

Let freedom ring, and once again, all patriots please rise...

See ya.

Where's My Tinfoil Hat?

2008-09-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

I've been contemplating the merits of the connectivity we have within our society these days. With any reasonable advance in technology, there is always an associated cost. In past years, there were some strange conspiracy theories in which people thought that they could be tracked and controlled through technology. So much so, that some people decided to don tinfoil hats to block the electromagnetic fields. While this may be extreme in some cases, it demonstrates some of the common social attitudes toward privacy and related issues in recent years.

Today, we've seen social media become a common part of everyday life. It does appear that the tools that are available today allow us to have a more invasive view into the lives of others. We can share our thoughts, dreams, and even our current location and what we had for lunch today with anyone and everyone. A few years ago, this would have been viewed as an extreme personal violation. While I think it's a good thing to share information, I'm still of the opinion that there should still be choices to keep some of our information to ourselves.

Maybe it's a generational thing, but I still think it is strange that social media technology has influenced our current attitudes toward information sharing and privacy. A few years ago, it would have been really hard to convince me to post pictures on the internet, contribute to blogs or websites, or share my location through my cell phone. Times change, and so do people. Though, I still haven't thrown away my tinfoil hat yet.

See ya.

Outside The Collective

2008-09-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

Time is a relative thing. When I was in the third grade, I remember thinking that high school and college were things that were a distant journey into a future world that stretched across a couple of lifetimes. From the perspective of a hyperactive eight-year-old, I guess that would be pretty accurate. The generation before me always said that we were moving to fast. Along with everyone else, I couldn't wait to move forward and take on new challenges. In the era of the 1970's, it now seems prehistoric to think there wasn't an internet, standard phones had arcane dials and took some effort to use, and home computers weren't mainstream yet. It was the era of color television and the start of video arcades. For kids and the general populace, e-mail wasn't mainstream, and even if you had access, it was likely that you didn't know anyone else that had an account to which you could send a message. It's amazing to me that as one of the geeks that hung out in the arcades and played with computers, I would be in a decent position to actually understand and keep up with the youth of today.

It's been neat to have had a view into the world of the youth of the 1980's from my era, and 1990's and 2000's as a mentor and guide to various youth. It's been interesting watching people grow, learn, and change. Not too long ago in this very blog, I mentioned the acceleration curve running into the generation gap, and the perplexing view of being stuck between the generations. I've noticed that the youth of today have a constant connection to each other. Granted, they can disconnect from this "collective" if they so choose. The really interesting thing is the fact that we do have a truly global community, with today's youth constantly plugged in and sharing thoughts, ideas, and emotions with their friends. There are a lot of emotions that are shared today on the computer screen that would probably not have been shared in an in-person social interaction. The difference from my generation is that you can now keep up with your friends, even though you are separated by thousands of miles for years at a time, and still keep up with daily events just as easily if they lived next door, with a greater emotional impact. Some of the kids today have told me that they still have their few closest friends. What I have found, however, is that those "closest friends" of today's youth are hundreds or thousands of miles away in many cases.

Do I long for the lost era of the 1970's and 1980's? That's a tricky question. Before we can move forward, I think it's important to look at the past. While I was doing some cleaning, I found several old letters and pictures that reminded me of days past, and absent friends. It didn't provide that instant connection, but it did prompt me to contact several people that I once knew. I still get letters from a few friends -- yes, hand-written letters -- through the mail. I mentioned once before that there is a more personal connection when you send and receive letters. Now, I'm probably one of the worst case examples, as I hardly ever send any letters any more. In fact, it's probably been a decade or two since that was my mainstream form of communications with friends and family. Global communications and the internet are very fluid things. You can use the Wayback Machine or some other search tools to find web pages of the past. But that will only get you back to 1996 or so. Some of the content, when removed from the internet, can truly be lost. If you're a pack rat like me, letters can remain around for some time as keepsakes.

So, I find myself to be one of those antiques that exists between the generations. I can imagine what it would have been like to have this technology in the days of my youth. It would be interesting to have been able to keep up with everyone from my past. I wonder what kinds of challenges this generation will have because of our current progress. It is unprecedented to have a society of youth so connected together through the use of technology. The advent of camera and video phones, text messages, and the internet have allowed instant communication and transmission of data to audiences around the world. Literally, we can be part of someone's daily life and never meet face-to-face in the same room. I'm fortunate to have a view from outside the "collective" with the ability to connect when needed. As this generation moves forward, I'm sure I'll get fully assimilated eventually. Resistance truly is futile.

See ya.

Hey, Remember The 80's?

2008-09-05T01:02:00.000-07:00

One of my co-workers posted something on his cubicle wall for an upcoming charity event. It had a bunch of television and movie stars from the 1980's. I don't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that I was able to name all of them. This means that I'd actually admitted to being around in the 80's and actually knowledgeable about the time period. So now I've been labeled as the "old guy." Since I'm a decade (or two) older than many of the people in my office, I should have expected it.

I'm probably not going to admit to my knowledge of the 70's yet. I was pretty young, but I still remember. I'm going to proceed from the assumption that I just have a decent memory of either decade. You're only as old as you think you are, and I like think I'm still pretty young.

Do you remember the 80's? See how well you do... See ya.

Pages From The Past

2008-09-02T01:56:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning the office recently, and found a file folder labeled Absent Friends. In it, I found an old Polaroid of myself dressed up like Dick Tracy from the summer of 1990. It's amazing to me what I can find in all of these pages from the past. I found a few letters from some old friends, some of whom I keep in close contact, and others who have drifted apart. In this day and age, electronic forms of communication have taken over, and letters are somehow relegated to a world that is disappearing.

It's really ironic that I'm the one yearning for the old-fashioned letters and paper. I've always been the one forcibly shoving my colleagues and friends (young and old) into the twenty-first century with e-mail, social networking, and other forms of electronics, communications, and gadgetry. There's something about letters that seem to have a personal touch that is lost in the electronic age.

In order to keep up with the times, I'm in the process of scanning some of my old photographs. The letters played a part in helping me piece together the timing of some of the pictures. Believe it or not, I was never good at keeping records or journals before I started blogging. So, I continue to look through my files and catch some of those pages from the past. Maybe I'll find a few more pictures of several more absent friends and reminisce about the old days. It's a good thing that we just had a long weekend, because nostalgia can take a lot out of you. It's been an interesting journey into the past this weekend. It is getting late, so maybe I'll try again . . . tomorrow.

See ya.

Spam, It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

2008-09-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

Spam is one of those great breakfast or lunch meats from my youth in Hawaii. It is one of the most consumed canned meat products in the state of Hawaii. In fact, it is consumed three times as much in Hawaii as it is in the rest of the continental United States combined. But that's not the kind of spam I'm going to talk about in today's post.

The real focus of today's story is all of the electronic and postal spam that infiltrates our lives. I spend a majority of my time opening unsolicited targeted postal mail, and subsequently shredding it to avoid identity theft. In addition to that, my e-mail boxes are overflowing with advertisements that I would never ordinarily even think to look at. Even the attempts of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 have not slowed the marketers down one bit. Today's marketers have even gotten around some of the unsolicited messaging by slamming their unwitting customers with extra mail, postal and electronic, by burying it in terms of service, or by simply creating marketing messages in subscription e-mail. They got cute and coined the term bacn.

I do have a keen eye for business and marketing, but I think our society has gone a bit overboard with all of the different types of mail and messaging. It takes me hours upon hours per week to get through all of the mail and messages. Marketers are getting a bit more clever these days. You can't tell if a message is an actual bill, a letter from a loved one, or a piece of junk mail. Even by attempts to remove yourself from catalog mailing lists through various services, there is still a significant amount of paper and electronic waste that remains.

I recently went on vacation, and came back to a mountain of junk mail and tens of thousands of spam messages. I'm just a normal guy, so I can imagine what kind of mail you would get if you actually asked for some of this stuff. So, whenever you see me attempting to clean the office, you know what I'm actually doing. I'm trying to get rid of all the paper and junk mail and respond to the important stuff.

I now have a craving for some breakfast. I think I could use some spam and eggs about now. See ya.

The Master Scheduler

2008-08-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

Many of us spend a lot of time planning and scheduling the events of our daily lives. As long as I can remember, I always seemed to have some sort of plan to move forward, take vacations, or complete assignments, tasks, courses, or jobs. In fact, I actually made a career out of scheduling at one point, but that's a page from the past that I won't dredge up during this post.

If I can schedule and plan around all of the other career events, I'm sure I can squeeze a mid-life crisis into the mix. In past posts, I was starting to feel the aging process begin, but in the last year or two, the onset of the aging process has worn on me. Unlike the traditional symptoms of a mid-life crisis, I don't intend to buy a fancy car or go skydiving or bungee jumping.

My version of a mid-life crisis is a bit more cerebral. What happens when you achieve the original goals you set out to accomplish? Most of my career goals have been completed, and some of my retirement career goals are near completion. There comes a time when you know you've completed the course and the priorities that got you to a certain point no longer have that urgency they once had. So what do you do in that case? Normally, you make new goals based upon your current needs and ambitions, or remain complacent and lose part of the edge that got you to this point.

Since I really don't think it's time for me to lose the edge that got me to this point, I guess it's time to create some new career aspirations and maybe catch up on a few of those things that I missed a couple of decades ago. Time to start scheduling...

See ya.

End Of My Nose

2008-08-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

I do seem to use a lot of old lines from movies, but it has worked for me in the past. I just figured - why stop now? This time I'm taking a page from Mary Poppins when I say that I've figured out that I can't see past the end of my nose. You see, we all tend to supplement that which is missing into our daily lives. When I think about the past week, which started when I went on a shopping expedition to buy a lot of toys and games for one of my volunteer projects, I finally realized what was missing.

I didn't think too much about it when one of the clerks asked me how many children I had. I said that I didn't have any children and left the store. Later in the week, I returned to another volunteer project playing games with kids at the children's shelter. I've been busy working with mentoring programs, and I just finished up at reception for a program that involves placement of interns. Was this an unusual week? Not really. I'm involved with mentoring programs and helping with children's programs all the time. That's when it hit me. I'm a corporate management type, and I spend the greater portion of my free time and extra funds on the kids and other related programs.

It's not like I'm planning on a major career or family change any time soon. Sometimes it takes someone to actually tell you what's missing for you to come to the realization that it's true. So even though there aren't any immediate plans, I'm no longer going to rule out changes to career or family. Vision really needs to extend beyond one's nose from time to time. See ya.

The Blogger Returns

2008-08-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

During this last round of post-vacation work trauma, I seem to be shifting my priorities a bit. There was a time when I was just too busy to keep up with my various blogs. In the past year or two, I've fallen off a bit with my postings. I could blame it on the pressures of work, or the ongoing volunteer activities that have consumed a good portion of my time for the last few years. The real reason, though, is the fact that I really didn't think anyone wanted to listen, or at least read, the ongoing blathering of the days of my life. Based upon the comments, or lack thereof, it's quite obvious that I'm not breaking any records with audience numbers.

After reading a bit of my writings from this decade I began to realize that it's been a nice diversion for me, as well. So, it all comes down to this... (I knew I picked that title for a reason all those years ago). I'll return to my regular appearances here, and in many of my other haunts somewhere in cyberspace. I did seem to have my own brand of wit and wisdom in past years. This blogger has officially returned to active status. See ya.

Disappearing Act

2008-07-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Vacations are meant to allow one to get away from the rigors of work or school or other things. One can reasonably expect to return to what you temporarily leave behind. That sense of continuity usually is the comforting thing that brings you back every time. Usually, I bury myself back in my various projects at work and other volunteer groups a week or two after I come back from vacation. This was the first time in quite a while that the familiar things just weren't there any more. I gave up one of my main volunteer projects and there were a lot of complicated changes at work. I returned to a different desk, a different office, and a sharply reduced sense of permanence at the job. It was a strange feeling to be "in a world that's disappearing," as eloquently stated by Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music.

It took a week to snap out of the daze. I may have left a few things behind before the vacation, but I'm still here, and I don't intend to disappear with just about everything around me. At least, not just yet. I think it's time for me to start another project. Looking back upon the last couple of years, I remember saying that I can't help them all despite all of the volunteer projects back then. As I said before, I'm still going to give it a try. This time, though. I think I'm going to take it a step further. To quote another source from the end of Bloom County, "Another day, another segue." See ya.

The Acceleration Curve Meets The Generation Gap

2008-07-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

Growing with today's technology can sometimes be a bit harder for those stuck in the middle of the curve. I admit it. I was a geek from the early days of computers. While most kids were playing football, I was working on my various home computers of the day. Back then it was all about tape drives, floppy disks that were actually floppy, and computers that took up way too much room. Changing with the times has never been too much of a problem for me, but it has been a little bit of a challenge to be between the generations.

I didn't notice the generational challenges until I started getting caught in the middle of technology challenges between the two. I recall giving a computer lesson to a four-year-old many years ago. These days, that four-year-old is now a high school graduate and has some decent computer skills that rival many people my age, and can easily supersede many people in the generation before me. I found this article to be pretty amusing, as it did seem to capture some of my current challenges. While the article doesn't highlight generational differences, it does define one of the things that ironically binds me to both generations -- being labeled the "computer guy."

Don't get me wrong. I really don't mind the responsibility of being the "computer guy." It's just that sometimes there are other roles in life that I would like to play. With the current generation that seems to be constantly connected in a Borg-like state and the missing links that are the hallmark of my generation, I sometimes find myself a bit lost in the transition, not being able to totally identify with either. So, maybe the lesson here is that riding the technology acceleration curve can cause one to fall into one of the chasms of the generation gap. It's an interesting ride, to be sure. See ya.

Consolidation? Maybe, Maybe Not.

2008-07-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

In the weeks following a vacation, I seem to get a renewed energy on my blogs, podcasts, and other media projects. Like everyone else, I have a pretty busy life. With the perils of the day job, travel, volunteer projects, two volunteer board of directors, and my friends that count on me, I think my plate is pretty full. Every time I get started on blogging and podcasting, I just can't seem to get enough. Of course, I have way too many of them, and I really should start consolidating sooner or later. There are great services like Friendfeed, that can consolidate all of the blogs and microblogs like Twitter and Pownce, and all of your RSS feeds. But one of the things that I like about having all of the separate forums is the different audiences that actually read this stuff. If you really wanted to figure out who I am, you could easily do a few searches and find everything that I'm associated with. It's not rocket science.

I've used Friendfeed to consolidate a lot of my other stuff, but I think I'll leave this blog detached for now. Unless you already know about it, it's not easy to find from all my other projects. I don't always have the most brilliant things to say every time I post, but it has been a great way to get my thoughts out there. As I probably said in some previous post somewhere, it's cheaper than therapy . . .

See ya.

The Pack Rat Is Back

2008-07-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

In cleaning up my office, I found an old button that says, I live in the past, the rent is cheaper. I actually remember when I got it in the 1980's. Yes, I'm somewhat of a pack rat, but not to the compulsive degree, though some of my closest friends might disagree. It's amazing to find the miscellaneous junk that a pack rat like myself can't seem to throw away. Part of the problem revolves around the fact that too many memories are tied to each item in the office, right down to the yellowed papers from close to thirty years ago. I have gotten a little better as of late, though. The office cleanup continues, and I've parted with a lot of old stuff, but I'm still keeping the button for now. The memories still overpower the urge to have that spotless office. See ya.

Paging Mr. Peabody

2008-07-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

I shipped a box to myself while on vacation last week, and it arrived today. Although the box contains dirty laundry and a few things that I bought in Atlanta, it still serves as a reminder that I really, really, really needed that time away. Returning from a long vacation is not an easy task. It seems that it was an instant energy drain, both mentally and physically.

It doesn't help to add a lot of changes at work to the mix. I came back to a new office location, new job responsibilities, company layoffs and other less than thrilling news at work. All of these things just make you want to get into the Wayback Machine and return to that nice, peaceful vacation. Maybe all of this is a sign that I should schedule another one . . . tomorrow.

See ya.

Still Grinding

2008-07-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Twice in as many days. Yes, I know. It's been a while since I've regularly blogged, but it was something that a very good friend of mine told me that got me started up again. You see, my young friend James wanted to know my story, and it got me thinking about the various blogs, podcasts, and other media that I have produced in the last several years. I've said it many times before in this blog, and I'll probably end up saying it several times to come -- I'm starting to feel time catch up with me. It was probably the fact that my young friend James is now a college freshman, instead of the clingy four-year-old that I remember so well. I know I've influenced him throughout the years, but I think he might greatly underestimate his impact on me as well.

With another day remaining on my vacation, I've decided to review a lot of the material that I've written over the years. I'm beginning to wonder what I was thinking with some of these strange adventures on the road. I often wonder if anyone would ever believe that this stuff really did happen. Truth can be a lot stranger than fiction, and a lot of the stuff that I've been through does seem to be a proof point. Everyone has a story, and I never thought that mine was an interesting Indiana Jones-style adventure. However, it did appear that I have had my share of mystery, intrigue, and pure strangeness over the years. If I did have a lot of time on my hands, I might put everything back together and write my story, just for the fun of it.

But the story isn't over yet. Even after all of the adventure, and all of the "fun" on the road, you always have to come back to do the paperwork. In my case, it's coming home to a lot of mail and catching up on the standard household responsibilities. Yes, it's back to the daily grind, and it has absolutely nothing to do with coffee. See ya.

The Best Of Times

2008-07-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it. I really, really, really needed a vacation. So much so, that I even used that as a tagline at on an invitation. This was a two-part vacation. First, my friend Jon got married in Shanghai, so I traveled from San Diego to Chicago to Shanghai for the event. I wasn't really prepared for the driving conditions in China. In fact, the taxi ride was one of the most death-defying stunts I have undertaken in my lifetime. Yes, I lead a relatively boring life. Despite the road conditions, it was a wonderful visit to Shanghai. Though it was a bit hot, humid, and smoggy, it was a great trip. Jon had a traditional Chinese wedding, which was deep in ceremony. Though we had a lot of things to prepare, Jon managed to pack in a lot of sightseeing, great meals, and a lot of fun for all of us into a short weekend.

As a graduation present, I took my young friend James along with me for an adventure across the USA. I started this trip on the day that I got back from Shanghai. In my delirious state, I originally thought that keeping up with a teenager would be a bit of a problem for an aging guy like me. I was able to hold my own for the trip, and I think I surprised James a bit with my resilience. For the first time in a couple of years, I felt like I was finally getting some needed time away from the pressures of work. I also think that James probably needed a vacation just as much as I did. We ate at some of the finest restaurants in Dallas and Atlanta, and got a couple of burgers and pie in New Haven. Of course, we had to stop by the Space Needle in Seattle once again to get a souvenir photo as we did a couple of years ago.

What matters most is the fact that I got to spend a couple of weeks with my best friends. Even though I went to all of the corners of the USA and halfway around the world, the destinations were basically the backdrop. It is important to keep up with everyone, and as a road warrior, I'm one of a few people that has the means to literally meet with my friends anytime or anywhere.

It's always hard to get back into the daily grind after a nice long vacation, but it's that time again. In my absence, I've got a job promotion and moved offices. In addition, I've got a lot of stuff to do at home to catch up from my two-week absence. I must admit, with all of this going on, I've got to take vacations more often. I might even become the President of the company if I stay out for a month... See ya.

Random Thoughts

2008-04-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

I've found that blogging is much cheaper than therapy. I've recently gotten over the death of a friend, many organizational changes at work, and lots of life changes for my closest friends. One of my friends is getting married, the other is off to college across the country. With all of the random thoughts that can go through your mind at any given moment, there are always those people, places, and things that are rarely far from your thoughts. For me, it's my closest friends. Despite the fact that we don't see each other on a daily (or sometimes yearly) basis, I still keep in touch as best that I can. When something is important enough, you always need to make the time. I've done that over the next few months. I've got weddings and other road trips that require my personal attention, and I used my legendary scheduling skills to get ready for the multiple trips. It's interesting to see the ripple effect that is caused by major life changes of other people.

I once took a picture of myself with a few of my friends several years ago, and due to travel schedules and other commitments, we haven't been able to get together ever since that picture was taken. It's starting to become a bit difficult to get everyone together from all over the country. Some have new jobs, and others just can't travel as easily. I also just got contacted from one of my classmates for the first time in almost twenty years. I don't think I've had the opportunity to be with more than two of my classmates at the same time in almost twenty years. We're spread out all over the world, I think.

With all that has happened in the past several months, I've realized that I do need to start getting back out there to see my friends more often. In the past, I've been too focused on various projects. Last week, a friend of mine called me to let me know she was in town -- well, about 100 miles away. I decided to drive up and meet for dinner. These days, even with the pressures of work and other stuff going on in life, you've got to make the time for everyone. I think it's time for a few other reunions, too.

Ok, I've been spewing forth a lot of psychobabble once again. Although, I do think it has some merit. Don't let life pass you by. Think about it. See ya.

Death Of A Telephone

2008-01-07T01:37:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that traditional methods of communication have become somewhat expensive in today's world. We're starting to see less expensive alternatives to communication these days. I've noted that my telephone bill has gotten to be progressively larger. The ironic thing is that I hardly ever use my land-line phone these days. With great low-cost alternatives like Skype, VoIP services, e-mail, cell phones, and other methods of communication, it's not surprising that my usage of the land-line phone service seems to be fading. As with everyone else these days, I'm always on the move, and I need my communication methods to be as mobile as I am. So, the home phone finally begins to fade into the background. I'm in the process of divesting one of my land-line phones in favor of all of the other methods of communication. I wonder which technology will be next to fade into history. See ya.

End Of Year Processing

2007-12-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Working in the corporate world sometimes has its problems, especially when you approach the end of every quarter or every year. But that's just the day job. You see, it takes a significant amount to time to keep up with the different forms of media in the world of the internet. I started working on way too many blogs and podcasts, and on top of the day job and volunteer work, it started to get a bit difficult to keep up. I started out with a simple website as a hobby back in the 1990's. Wow, that seems like ages ago. Then it was the Blog of the Road Warrior, which is now a part-time thing that was taken over by the updated website. Then there are all of the sites like Xanga, MySpace, and Facebook, that take significant time to update. Of course, I do run a few podcasts, which needed a refresh for the end of the year as well. I had let the Road Warrior Podcast lapse a bit, but I recorded a new episode while on vacation. Then there are the other podcasts that I host and produce which needed attention.

Anyhow, all of my sites have at least one entry for the month, and all of my podcasts have a new episode this month as well. That's my version of end-of-year processing. I haven't been keeping this blog as up-to-date with some words of wisdom as I have in the past, but I'll try to make a little more time in the future. It's not easy to come up with something witty (or even coherent) to publish in this corner of the blogosphere.

This has probably been a much longer post that I regularly do in this space, but since it's been a while, it's only fair that we do a longer update. End-of-year processing is always an interesting task. It's probably one of the few times that I have to make up for the rest of the year. It's kind of strange to see that by having more time at home, I seem to have less time to keep up with the routine posts to all the blogs and podcasts. That's been the most perplexing item of the year. It seems that I need to play the role of Road Warrior once again in order to keep that "edge" that I used to have in all of the writings that I produced in the past. Well, we'll see if that happens in 2008 when I get myself back onto the playing field. See ya.

The Shape Of Candles

2007-03-04T00:39:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered why people push themselves way too hard these days. Then it occurred to me -- I'm just as guilty of it. I'm sure that many of you have used the colloquialism, "Burning the candle at both ends". In the last week, I've been informed that I have created a new category by burning the candle in question from multiple sides as if it were spherical. I'm probably the furthest thing you can get to a philosopher, but even I understand the meaning behind this one.

Yes, I'm going to take a break. In fact, I think it's time to plan the next vacation. Maybe I'll learn how to make candles... See ya.

Close Call. . .

2007-01-31T22:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm still alive... sort of. I've got my wrist in a cast for the moment, so typing is not an easy chore. I'll be back when my wit returns, and I have more time on my hands. Sounds messy. See ya.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

And I'm back home for the holidays once again. This time, I'm catching up on all of the paperwork that I've been ignoring throughout the year. I've made more progress in the last couple of days than in the last eleven-and-a-half months. For the first time in over a decade, I'm staying home alone, and plan to quietly catch up on household stuff. It may sound a bit boring, but to a road warrior aged by over three million miles, I think I've deserved a little peace and quiet -- for now.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all, and until next time . . .

See ya.

Shifting Gears

2006-11-26T04:36:00.000-08:00

Sliding into a new career isn't supposed to be as easy as stepping into a new pair of pants, but I think I've found an exception. I've had a lot more time on my hands with several ground assignments since moving back into the world of management. As I'm now a part-time road warrior, I decided to try my hand in the world of podcasting. It's kind of weird to have a producer credit, and even weirder to have produced a couple of shows, with almost twenty episodes completed, and several more in production. As the producer and host of both programs, my time on the blogosphere has been a bit limited. As the new media starts to take shape, there's a need for a lot more content out there. It's gratifying to see that I've had more downloads of my shows in the last few months than traffic to my website in the last few years, but if I still have some readers out there I will continue to post my rants here in the blogosphere as well. See ya.

Back In Time

2006-10-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's time to move those clocks. This time, we're moving the clocks one hour backward. How's that for time travel? Anyhow, daylight savings time has always been a challenge for me. Most of my life had been spent without having to worry about changing clocks twice a year. But, it's always welcome to get that other hour back at the latter part of the year. For most people, that means an extra hour of sleep. However, to me, it just means that I have a little time to catch up on the good old fashioned blogs. The podcasts have taken up a lot more of my free time lately, but rest assured, I'll still be around the good old-fashioned blog. It's amazing how fast times change... See ya.

Freedom Revisited

2006-09-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Once again, we celebrate Constitution Day, and not to give up on tradition, this is my annual post in celebration and reflection of that important date in history. It's been 219 years since that day in 1787, and a little more than five years since our freedoms have been challenged by extremists. We remain strong and I belive we are even stronger for surviving through these trying times.

I believe I also used this opportunity last year to get on my soapbox about getting involved in your community by finding a way to help out by volunteer work. Many volunteer organizations are coordinating volunteer projects this month in many metropolian areas. Now's the time to help, and there's never been a greater need.

May you all have a Happy Constitution Day! Let freedom ring, and all patriots please rise!

See ya.

It Adds Up To Zero

2006-09-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Getting back from vacation is never easy. I always thought that it was the objective to get as much vacationing done in as short of a time that was possible. I'm back to work, and back on the road as of tomorrow. Though, I can't seem to pull myself back into work mode -- a problem I've had since late-May. I must say that the net result of all of the vacationing has resulted in no change to the stress level, no change to the blood pressure, and no change to the feeling of relaxation. In short, it all adds up to zero.

See ya.

Added Sound Effects

2006-08-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

I've been producing podcasts for the last month, and it's been a lot of fun. My first show hasn't made it to the air yet, as I need to wait for approval by the volunteer organization to get started with the first post. However, I have managed to get my road warrior show off the ground, and it's been really fun. The folks at Liberated Syndication made it really easy to get started. If you have a show to produce, I highly recommend them. Anyhow, I'm hoping to get my other show off the ground later this week. Now that I've gotten the hang of this, I think I can make it work. Maybe it's time to start that radio career... Ha!

See ya.

Can't Help Them All . . .

2006-07-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of a lot of volunteer projects these days. I've started to become painfully aware of my own physical limitations these days. Now more than ever. I wasn't able to carry a few heavy boxes for a relatively short distance without asking for some help. Maybe I've got to do a little more on the administrative side on the volunteer projects, and a cut back a little on the manual labor. The minor aches and pains are starting to become a bit more persistent, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. I'm not quite ready to accept the fact that I can't do it all. Even though I can't help everyone, I can still give it a try. See ya.

Keeping With The Times . . .

2006-07-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping up my various blogs and websites for over five years now, and I'm considering the fact that it may be time to move into the world of the new media. There are just too many cool tools out there to move forward with a different type of message. So, I'll keep up the Blog of The Road Warrior for a little while longer, but I'm starting on my first Road Warrior Podcast. Coming soon to RSS feed near you.

See ya.

Total Systems Failure

2006-07-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

I was reminded recently that I am not indestructible. In the last couple of weeks, I decided to put a lot of extra stuff into the schedule, and I found that I have not only exceeded my limitations, but I think I may have hit some sort of magical limit that causes total systems failure. I just popped over to Hawaii for the weekend to attend my cousin's graduation party. During that time, it amazed me that very little activity caused all sorts of new and exciting pain in places that I didn't even know I had. I'm attributing this to the flu, but maybe it's time to really start slowing down a little. For real, this time... See ya.

Crossover

2006-07-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

I usually was pretty good about keeping different facets of my life as separate entities. The only thing that crossed between those different worlds was me. Keeping my work life, volunteer activities, friends, family, and blogger life as separate entities just seemed normal. In the last few months, that separation seems to be harder to maintain. I just got both of my volunteer agencies talking to each other to collaborate, and am working with my company to support some of those volunteer initiatives. I've gotten some of my friends working with me toward some of those volunteer projects, and my colleagues from the past have sought me out to perhaps return to my old industry. I've also got expanded responsibilities at both my work and volunteer projects.

I'm not sure what the future will bring, but one thing's for sure -- the next few months will be a very interesting ride. I'm off to a family thing for the weekend, and I've got some time on the road coming up after that. I just can't get enough of this, I guess... See ya.

Minor Setback

2006-06-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of a trade show in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, the events of the last few weeks caught up with me, and I'm not feeling that well. There's nothing worse than having to put on your "game face" during a trade show when you are feeling like passing out every few minutes. I've got one more day for the show, and I was going to do some sales calls and other stuff on Tuesday, but I'm thinking that I might need to use the day to recuperate before the trip home. I've never had to do this before, but this has been a year of firsts... See ya.

Restarting The Engines

2006-06-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get myself back into work mode for the last couple of days. Vacationing on-and-off for the last month has slowly edged me into a permanent leisure mode. I can't seem to get motivated to stay late at work any more. For the first time, I seem to be experiencing a consistent lack of concentration, commonly referred to as daydreams. I guess the vacation in Washington wasn't long enough. Since I've got a couple of trips planned over the next couple of weeks, I'll defer restarting the engines until after the long holiday weekend. Hope nobody notices until then... See ya.

Between The Generation Gap

2006-06-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

In my travels, I have seen an interesting gap between the generations created predominantly by technology. The tech generation gap, as noted by several sources has been a notable source for the differences between the generations. The strange part of this is that I fall somewhere between the generations. My young friend James told me that I'm a bridge between the generations. However, that does mean that I really don't fit into either mold. You see, I have the technical knowledge to bestow upon both generations. The younger generation can more readily embrace the technology than the older generation. I just introduced James to the world of VoIP and video conferencing. It was really cool to see him totally integrate the terminology and technology into his life within the span of 24 hours. I don't think that would happen in the older generation. I guess I truly am the anomaly. To some degree, I've been accepted by both generations, and I can identify with both. See ya.

Moody

2006-06-05T01:31:00.000-07:00

I probably don't change my mood icon enough. I did manage to change it today. Due to potential changes in the job situation, I'm feeling a little perplexed. When changing moods, you can also see the mood of the internet. It usually shows that the internet seems to be tired a lot. When servicing millions and millions of customers on a regular basis, I guess it should be kind of tired most of the time. Ok, I'm starting to ramble a bit. I guess that means I'm tired, too. Maybe I should change that mood again. Then again, I am still perplexed. Maybe I should change it to undecided... See ya.

The Inner Geek

2006-05-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been getting back in touch with my inner geek. Maybe I've been spending a little too much time at Best Buy, but I decided that it was time to upgrade quite a few things. Hey, I'm still using my old typewriter every now and then, so I thought it would be a good thing to start making decent use of my printer again -- even with labels, envelopes, and other hard-to-print stuff. Then it was time to upgrade disk storage. After all, 20 GB was plenty a couple of years back. These days, I can fill that in a really short time with podcasts. So, now it's time to upgrade the storage and network as well. Getting back to my network engineer roots is kinda fun. After getting all of the stuff together, I found that I could actually make it all work. So now who's the geek? Yep, it's me! I've still got it. See ya.

The Missing Link

2006-05-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

It seems that the creative outlet for most people revolves around that part of their life that seems to be absent most of the time. When you think about it, why would anyone want to watch a movie that defines their daily routine? In order to truly make what little recreational time worthwhile, I think we all seek that missing link. I'm probably the farthest thing from an action hero that you can find. Therefore, I think I'll be busy watching the Die Hard trilogy for now... See ya.

Consistent Anomaly

2006-04-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, and I'll likely say it many times over -- The more things change, the more things stay the same. A few months back, I decided to enter the world of modern times, and got myself an iPod, and started to actually get a little more organized. Yes, I'm still blogging the old-fashioned way, and I don't see video blogging or podcasting in my future at this time. I've always been an anomaly -- old-fashioned with just a bit of modern day thrown into the mix. Now that's the ultimate oxymoron -- a consistent anomaly.

Onward to my personal life... I managed to clean up the office, only to totally trash it because I needed to meet the tax deadline. I made it just in time, as usual, with a lot of help this time around. After a six-month hiatus, I started back to work at one of my volunteer jobs at one of the local museums. This time, I've got an outdoor project that involves a lot of hiking. Sometimes, it's all about stretching a bit beyond what you normally expect of yourself and breaking through those misconceptions that others may have about you. Yes, I'm actually doing the hiking, and it's been kind of nice. And yes, my legs still feel like they are made of Jello or some other similar substance.

So, have I filled in the void left by the lack of travel throughout the last few months? I think I've sufficiently filled up the calendar locally, but I think there are still a few more places to go, and people to see. Even after a decade of life on the road, I'm still thinking that there are a few more adventures out there. That other blog of mine isn't quite dead yet.

See ya.

Open Season

2006-04-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

In the past several months, I've written about procrastination. Well, once again, I'm closing in on the middle of April, and the tax season descends upon me like a ton of bricks. Most people have a much easier time doing their taxes, but it is one of those things that I have never quite mastered, so I always hire an accountant to do mine. If I were a bit smarter, I would have prepared a bit more for this day, but I find myself staying up climbing my mountain of receipts and forms. It could be worse, I suppose. Although, I can't really think of anything worse that this right now. Ok, I guess it's time to continue this all-nighter. See ya.

What Dreams May Come

2006-04-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

Dreams can be great things, if you can manage to get them. I'm continuing my sleepless adventures in San Diego. With the odd sleep patterns that I keep lately, I'm not getting to the point where my mind is relaxed. Therefore, the dreams (or nightmares) are really not happening as they normally would. And it's time now for me to sleep, perchance to dream. Now that's the stuff dreams are made of. . . Cliche overload.

See ya.

Sleepless In San Diego

2006-03-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

Someone recently asked me how I am able to sleep at night with all of the stuff that has been going on in my life. My standard response has been, "Sometimes, not very well." Well, that holds true tonight, once again. I can't remember where I heard about those three phases in life: Rule the world, Change the world, and What in the world is going on? Well, I've been in Change the world mode for the last several years, but I feel like I'm moving into that final phase with every passing day. Oddly enough, that's what seems to be keeping me up at night these days.

I spent the day attempting to catch up with personal paperwork and other stuff. I'm also thinking about starting up a couple of other personal projects. One of the things that I really need to do is to feel like I'm making a difference. Even with my current volunteer work, I'm not seeing too much of an impact lately. Maybe I'm not quite ready to give up on that Change the world mode. See ya.

Filling The Void

2006-03-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of months, I really haven't been myself. No, I haven't morphed into some sort of alien or comic book character or anything like that. Let me qualify my earlier statement. I recently stopped traveling for a living, and settled in to a desk job with limited time on the road. Time management takes on a little different meaning when you are hopping across time zones on a weekly (and sometimes daily) basis. For some reason, when that time pressure is missing, it's not as easy to catch up on all of the mundane things in life. I haven't really been procrastinating to get these things done. There just hasn't been enough time, which is really confusing to me. I guess this will remain one of those unexplained mysteries that we used to hear about from Robert Stack. See ya.

Technology Unleashed

2006-03-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty old-fashioned when it comes to just about everything. That's kind of ironic, because I work in the technology field. It's even more ironic that I have chosen the old-fashioned paperwork method of doing many things, instead of the on-line version, because of the fact that I work in the technology field. I know what could possibly go wrong, so I'm the one at the end of the technology adoption curve. Sure, I guess I have a lot more paper to contend with, and it's probably a bit more of a fire hazard. But, at least I know that I can recreate everything when all the technology fails.

Keeping up with all of the things that go on in our lives is a daunting task. I've relied on technology to help out quite a bit, but sometimes you just have to fall back on the old-fashioned calendar. I think it's probably time to convert my personal schedule to the on-line version. You see, my social calendar has been pretty empty for the last several years, so there's not too much risk of total systems failure.

See ya.

Procrastination Revisited . . . Later

2006-02-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a pecking order to the mundane activities in life. I've been guilty of procrastination on many fronts. I've been attempting to get my thoughts together for a big speech that I must deliver next week. It's not like I haven't had other things that I need to get done. I decided that I needed to get some laundry done. Then, after a five-month absence, I thought it would be an opportune time to return to the gym for a little exercise. Of course, I really needed to follow that by a quick shopping trip. Don't get me wrong. I really do like writing and delivering these presentations. But like all great procrastinators, I thrive on the last-minute pressure -- or at least I will a little later. See ya.

Extending Days

2006-02-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

I've decided that there just aren't enough hours in the day. Beyond that, there really aren't enough days in the week, weeks in the month, months in the year... Shall I go on? Through history, it appears that we really haven't gotten away from the seven-day week. In most cases, we have a distinct set of weekdays, and a couple of days noted as weekends. For people with traditional jobs, the workweek consists of a standard Monday through Friday grind, with weary workers looking forward to the Saturday and Sunday. That's what normal people do.

There have been many words used to describe me, but normal is not one of them. You see, I began my twelve-day work week today. Even though I probably have the most normal job I've ever had in my career, I still have a crazy schedule. That's what keeps everything interesting. One of these days, when I'm ready for the mundane life, I might actually move into the upper echelon and take one of those normal Monday through Friday positions. See ya.

Life Is But A Dream

2006-02-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

When you spend a little less than a day in each of six cities, it's possible to get a little confused when you wake up to your ever changing surroundings. It's been a while since I did one of those whirlwind trips. I had a few crazy dreams where I actually woke up and started the day, but in the wrong city. As you can imagine, when I actually woke up, it was a strange experience, to say the least. I remember waking up one day last week in my hotel room, and I had no clue what city I was in, and what I was supposed to do that day. I should have probably given up on sleeping at that point, but with the changing time zones and the time distortion from the long journey, that was just not an option. See ya.

Foolish Though It May Seem

2006-01-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

I fell asleep while attempting a blog entry last night. That almost never happens. At least I was able to get up in time for my other plans this morning. I spent some time at one of my volunteer projects earlier today, and I was planning on a quick trip into Los Angeles this weekend. Before I go, I had to spend my day going through endless piles of mail (which stacked up from floor to ceiling, I might add) and other paperwork. It really doesn't really sound exciting, but I finally had to sit down and deal with it because the mail got out of control. I'm doing a couple of loads of laundry at the same time. I don't think I've been up to check in on things in LA for a few weeks, so it will be good to get there if I can fight my way through the rest of this mail. See ya.

Unbalanced

2006-01-15T23:56:00.000-08:00

I'm still recovering from that virus or whatever it was back in early-December. In fact, today was the last day of various medications, which is a relief. I'm not exactly back working on all thrusters yet, but I should be back to normal soon, if you could call my regular state-of-being "normal." As usual, the days are always packed, which is probably not unlike the schedule of most people these days. I spent the week on the road for one of those 80-hour work weeks that I've been missing for the last couple of years. Sadly, I found myself back in the office for most of the weekend trying to catch up, even though I've put in way too much time already. There aren't enough hours in the day any more. Though I've seen some interesting programs out there that help to schedule your time and balance your life, I just don't think there is a computer program advanced enough to create those extra hours in the day. Maybe I need to think about inventing that sleep substitute. See ya.

Match Game

2006-01-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

I started my career doing a lot of community service work, and everything seems to have returned full circle. Not that I want to get on my soapbox, but if you have some spare time, maybe you ought to give it a try. There are many resources out there, and it's not limited to helping people at hospitals or homeless shelters. I managed to get out to one of the local youth volunteer events today. Even though it was a bit rainy today, it seemed to be a successful event. While I was there, I managed to get signed up for a couple more days of projects, and I might take on another lead position at one of the monthly youth projects. What can I say? It fun, and it does fill the hours. See ya.

Return Of The Blogger

2006-01-06T23:58:00.000-08:00

These days, there are way too many blogging tools out there. I started out with a nice, simple web site devoted to the life (or lack thereof) of a road warrior a few years back. Before the days of tools like Blogger, I actually started an editorial page that basically held together my rantings from my days as a full-time road warrior. Well, times have changed, and technology has moved forward. It seems that the website sort of morphed into a multiple blog site. Then I discovered that I had accounts elsewhere that started to offer blogging tools. Well, this stuff can become quite time consuming. After all, there's Xanga, Yahoo!, Myspace, and various other sites out there that offer these tools. And, yes, I am active on a lot of them. Keeping up with too many blogs has become a challenge, but I think it's a great pressure valve. Anyhow, I intend to stay current with at least one blog per week. No guarantees that I'll get to all of them everyday, but I will make an effort to do a few more updates than I have in the last year or two. See ya.

Flashback

2006-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

I was lost in thought several times today. Perhaps that's where I left my voice. I seem to have misplaced it last night, and have not yet been able to find it. Though with the help of modern medications, maybe I can reclaim it. Strange as it may seem, I'm feeling fine. The only minor irritant is the absence of sound when I'm trying to talk. I'm not one who remembers childhood memories that well these days, but I do seem to recall an event quite similar to this about 27 years ago. It happened in school, and I remember writing everything that day, and I was quite pleased when I was able to spell laryngitis correctly. Hey, that was a big accomplishment for someone in the third grade in the 1970's. It's kind of weird that the strangest things can trigger some of the most crystal clear memories from years past. See ya.

Picking Up The Pieces

2006-01-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Well, the vacation is just about over. I'm not feeling very well at the moment, but there is still a lot of stuff that I need to do before work tomorrow. The house needs to be cleaned, and I have various projects that have to be done by the morning. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly working on all thrusters today. I've always been able to switch back into work mode without missing a beat, but this is the first time that I'm starting to have a real problem. I got used to being around all my friends for the last month. Now that we're all returning to our "normal" lives, there's a definite empty feeling that remains. It's raining along the Southern California coast today, which is not uncommon for this time of year. It does express the sentiment that it's time to get back out there again. Well, enough of of my babbling for now. Time to clean up. See ya.

Changing Seasons

2005-12-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

With every passing year, I'm beginning to feel a little less indestructible. However, in this last year, I've been really feeling it. Until recently, I haven't really needed to follow the cold weather survival guide as closely as I have been during this season. It has been unseasonably cold in places where it really shouldn't be, and my knees and elbows now seem to have the permanent ability to predict precipitation and major shifts in temperature. I guess I could put together a "Stupid Human Tricks" segment for the Late Show or something. Anyhow, my joints ache. Better get an umbrella... See ya.

Time Distortion

2005-11-28T02:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a strange month filled with many interesting trips. My time distortion theory was the topic of conversation today. I have this theory that time moves at a different rate of speed while we are in transit, kind of like relativistic time dilation. I maintain that I've aged in dog years while in transit for the last decade. I was never the type to age gracefully. I've been fighting it for many years, and I don't intend to give up now. See ya.

Life Or Something Like It

2005-10-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

I actually do have a life outside work these days. I just rediscovered The Sims 2. It's amazing how much a simulation of life can be so addictive. Between that and my volunteer work, I haven't had much time to update all of my blogs. Yes, I do have more than one. Anyhow, I do have the day job, which is taking me to St. Louis tomorrow. So, I guess I had better cut this update short. See ya.

All Patriots Please Rise . . .

2005-09-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

Once again, we celebrate our Constitution Day. As I mentioned in last year's column, we've come a long way in the last 218 years. During the turmoil of the last few months and years, we have been testing the principles on which our country was founded. It's been a wild ride, and despite the advent of terrorism and natural disasters, we are still strong.

Lately, I've finally gotten back to my roots by getting back into active volunteering. So, it's time for my soapbox. Got some extra time? Try doing some volunteer work. Within the last couple of months, I've been doing some volunteer work at libraries, museums, animal shelters, and children's shelters. The old adage holds true. You do get back a lot more than you give. There's never been a better time and a greater need, so get on out there!

Anyhow, Happy Constitution Day! Let freedom ring, and let the rantings continue! See ya.

An Order Of Chaos

2005-09-13T01:12:00.000-07:00

I won't even pretend to understand chaos theory, but I'll make my crude analogy anyway. The events of the past several years have been really weird. It all started with a random meeting at a shopping center almost three thousand miles from home. If not for that meeting, I would not be involved in this strange dysfunctional family feud once again. I had thought I had left all of this behind a couple of years ago. I might not have moved again, if it weren't for that meeting. I do miss my old house, and I was pretty tired of moving around. Some good stuff came from that meeting, though. I did get to see my cousins for the first time in over two decades. We've had a couple of quick weekend reunions since then.

The big question remains... Was it worth it? I'm not really sure. I'm starting to get a bit set in my ways, and I'm starting to resist any form of change. Maybe this is what it's like to get old, and a bit inflexible. For now, the dysfunctional family feud rages on. Bring on the chaos!

See ya.

Back In Service

2005-08-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

Since I'm no longer in hiding from the dysfunctional family, I decided to return to my community service roots. I've done a lot of projects in the past, but had to stop about five or six years ago when the dyfunctional family feud reached new highs (or lows, depending on your point of view).

I got a new assignment to lead a bunch of young volunteers at a museum once a month. I'm thinking of leading a library project once a month also. I've also been getting back into the mentoring programs. Now that I've started to curb the travel schedule, it's nice to be back on all of the projects again. I should have done this a long time ago.

It's back to basics once again, I suppose. I'm determined to get the storm of paperwork under control at the homefront. The scanner project has hit a bit of a snag, since the inbound paperwork seems to be outpacing my processing abilities. By the end of the year, I hope to see the bottom of my desk. Now that would be a major accomplishment. See ya.

Reunion

2005-08-08T01:07:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend in San Francisco at a family reunion of sorts. You see, I've been absent, or in hiding, for the last twenty-three years. I've got a really dysfunctional family that transcends several generations. You see, this was the first time that someone in my generation of the family got involved with the chaos created all those years ago. Since my cover was now blown, I decided that it was time to make contact with the family in San Francisco. For the first time since we were kids, I met up with most of my cousins, and filled them in with the events of the last two decades. The dysfunctional family secrets were now out to everyone in my generation.

Bottom line, I have part of my family back after all these years. Am I going to let the "adults" take over? Have I ever been one to sit on the sidelines when my life is at stake? Of course not. After putting our resources together, I think we can finally win this battle. The dysfunctional family feud rages onward. See ya.

Offensive Strategy

2005-07-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

I've been told that people take advantage of my good nature, and I do realize it. For the most part, I really don't mind it. After all, my life has really been about helping people. That's why I chose to work in healthcare in the first place. There have been certain times that I've actually found the need to fight back against the evils of the world. I had a horrible boss in my last company. He took advantage of my good nature, and was sinister and manipulative. I think I have already mentioned that hell would have to freeze over, thaw out, and then freeze over again before I even considered the thought of working there ever again.

For the last couple of decades, I've had the same kind of drama going on in what's left of my dysfunctional family. However, it's kind of gotten interesting. I was in hiding from my crazy family for a really long time. Well, my cover has been blown, and I've been found, so I guess it's only right to rejoin the drama. A decade ago, I didn't have a way to fight against the evils within my family. You'd think I would be satisfied with the fact that the two people that have caused the most problems in my life are already dead. But, even though they are dead, I'm not ready for closure. If I actually listened to common sense, I would go back into hiding. But I've had enough of that over the past several years. It's back to the fight, and I intend to win this time. See ya.

Things To Come

2005-07-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a hectic week at home. Travel and the day job seem to be getting in the way of everything these days. But I digress. I've been burning the candle at both ends for way too long, and I've really been putting my needs so far down on the list that I think they fell into the aforementioned well in the middle of the tunnel with the light at the end from my last post.

I've often considered shutting down my web site permanently, but I just don't think it's quite time just yet. I started that web site as a way to get vent about all of the pesky little problems that arise when you travel on the job. I still travel for work, though perhaps not quite as much as I used to. I'm thinking that I've finally outgrown the need or desire to be out on the playing field.

I'm a lot more tired than I used to be also. Granted, I've been living a nightmare for the last couple of weeks with some of the stuff going on at home. I'm not doing well right now, but I'll get over it eventually. My young friend James reminded me that age truly is a state of mind. I realize that I'm not eighteen any more, but I'm not dead yet either. I seem to rambling on and on a bit longer than I usually do. So I guess I should go to bed. See ya.

Darkness Falls . . . Down A Well

2005-07-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me they felt like they are close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That's a really nice colloquialism. If I may be so bold, I feel the same way -- almost. The only difference is that I'm stuck at the bottom of a hole in the middle of the tunnel in which you might be able to see the light at the end. I'm still slightly overworked, which I really don't mind. Ever since I returned from vacation, I can't help but feel like I'm missing something or maybe I just feel out of place.

I briefly lost my domain name, and got it back a few days ago. It's nice to be back, not that anyone ever reads this stuff. I haven't been able to shake this ominous feeling for the last several weeks. Maybe it's nothing, but I'm not usually wrong about this sort of thing. Only time will tell. See ya.

Slammed Into The Wall

2005-06-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

I think I've been working a bit too hard lately. Falling back into my old patterns, I've known that it was time to slow down for quite a while. This time, though, something is different. I've finally recognized that I have limitations. Who would have ever guessed? Everything finally slammed me against the wall today when I finally gave up at the office. Don't get me wrong. I still like the job, the people, and just about everything else. I just feel a bit overworked at the moment, due to the fact that we're kind of in transition. I'm finding that I'm looking forward to the weekend a lot more, as of late. That's another new experience for me. See ya.

Back To Basics, Once Again

2005-06-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

I've decided that it's time to go back to basics. I was reading through my rantings over the past few years. I think I identified that I was falling into a workaholic pattern, and it spiraled out of control due to other factors in my life. I made several changes since then, but I never really filled in all of the spaces until this past month. I had a great vacation, caught up with friends and family, and got back into community volunteer and mentoring work once again. I just spent some time on an outreach project today at the local children's center. That part of my life has been missing for way too many years. I've also started catching up with my blogging again, which has been kind of nice.

I think it's about time I started to got back to some of my original projects. I'm working on organizing this mess that I call my office. I used to be kind of clever with some of these titles. I think Stuck In The Seventies and its sequel had pretty good titles. I started scanning a bunch of documents and throwing away old paperwork. I never really got out of 1978 in that project. The pack rat in me really couldn't part with a lot of this stuff. I do have a goal, though. When I finish this massive cleanup, I will start using my office to work from home every now and then. I think it's about time. See ya.

Jury Duty

2005-06-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

I survived an episode of jury duty without getting called. The boredom of the waiting room almost killed me. It was an interesting process, though. We started at an awful hour of the morning with a brief orientation, and the waiting started. Several waves of people were assigned to rooms, but they kept passing me by. I guess they just didn't feel like picking my name today. I don't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I had access to my work e-mail in the waiting room. I did get some of the more urgent stuff done, but there's still a mountain of work waiting for me at the office in the morning. It's going to be kind of nice to actually get back to the office once again. See ya.

Reality Takes A Vacation

2005-06-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

I just took a vacation, and spent a whole week without calling into the office, checking e-mail or voice mail, or even wanting to go back to work. Highly unusual for a person like me, to be sure. Anyhow, I just spent a short time in Hawaii for a quick family reunion. This has been my second trip into Honolulu this year, and I think there may be one more trip later this year. After that, I spent some time with my young friend James. We went to see the new Star Wars movie, played some video games, went shopping, and ate a whole lot of junk food. I'm sad to see the vacation winding down. The harsh reality came yesterday, when the office called me on my emergency personal phone. This time, though, I'm not going back until Monday morning. Change is good. See ya.

Senseless

2005-05-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those months. I did manage to get back into the field, with a vengeance I might add. However, in my travels, I managed to catch some sort of virus that made me lose my hearing for about a week. The hearing is slowly coming back to me at this writing. However, it's been a challenge to keep up with the normal pace of my life with this little problem. In addition to life's little problems, I think I've really started to feel that I've finally hit the wall. Literally. You see, when you keep this pace up for years on end, there is some sort of built-in conditioning that allows you to abuse your own body by bopping back and forth across the country. I've learned the hard way that the zip that I once possessed is no longer good enough to keep my endurance going throughout the same length of time as before. I've always known that age would catch up with me sooner or later. However, I'm not ready to give up yet. I think I still have a few more good days left in me. Until then, I'll still be here, and the rantings will continue. See ya.

Back To Reality

2005-04-24T01:07:00.000-07:00

When I started traveling, life was a lot different, as every day became an adventure in scheduling. Between airplanes, traffic patterns, missed connections, and other logistical nightmares, it was an adventure just getting from point to point. Now that I've been on the ground for over a month, I'm starting to slide back into the normal routine of daily office life. I think I've just traded in one logistical mess for another. With all of the corporate meetings, and other strange office problems, I kind of miss the craziness of business travel. I'm solving that problem next week, when I get myself back on the road once again. See ya.

Life Is Like A Box Of Donuts

2005-04-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today, I spent some time with my friend James. We went mall hopping in Los Angeles, and I introduced him to the concept of peanut butter in a donut courtesy of Stan's Donuts in Westwood. It's been kind of nice for the last few weekends to be able to spend some time with my friends. I never seem to have that opportunity too much. Everyone seems to always be either out of town or busy. When everyone else is free, I seem to be out of town.

I finally realized that I've been missing out on life on the ground for the last few years. My travel schedule usually keeps me out of touch with just about everyone out there. For the last month, I guess I've been overcompensating. Part of me actually likes the lack of travel. Though, another part of me is itching to get back onto the playing field once again.

Maybe it's time for me to start making a few adjustments to my schedule. After all, life is too short to be traveling all the time. See ya.

The Road Less Traveled

2005-03-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

You know, when I spend more time at home, I think I seem to have less time to do these little updates. Anyhow, I did spend the majority of the month at home in San Diego. To prevent from going stir crazy, I popped up to the Los Angeles area to do my taxes and to visit a few friends. I saw Jon and Lulu a couple of weeks ago, and then James and I went to the movies this past weekend. Remaining on the homefront seems to be the road less traveled for me. I just can't seem to stand still these days. See ya.

Slowing Down

2005-03-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

I've reverted back to my normal schedule for now. But then again, what does constitute a normal schedule? I've gotten back to my 40-hour work week for this one week out of the year. But, I guess with all of the travel, I sort of got used to putting in a 75-80 hour work week. I could get used to this reduced work schedule. But how would I fill the hours otherwise? After a decade of conditioning to work in excess, it's not that easy to throttle back.

Happy Birthday, James! I didn't forget. See ya.

The Ranting Continues

2005-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

I'm celebrating three years of ranting about my misadventures in travel this week. I guess you can read the main page of my website for the latest rants about my travels. In any event, it's been kind of nice to share these sometimes strange adventures with my readers out there -- all three of you. See ya.

Reunion

2005-02-18T21:37:00.000-08:00

I drew tradeshow duty once again. For the first time in many years, I attended HIMSS under the guise of a new company. It was a reunion of sorts for me, as I saw several people that I only see once a year at the show. I think these trade shows are more for the vendors rather than the attendees. There were many people looking for jobs, trying to form strategic partnerships, or like me, trying to catch up on old times. I know I missed quite a few people while on my rounds at the show, so I guess I'll catch up with the rest of you next year. See ya.

Vacation

2005-01-30T02:07:00.000-08:00

While on a brief vacation, I was catatonic in front of the television, and saw this weird commercial about taking a vacation. Until recently, I never really took vacations too often. I've found that I've never been good at planning recreational time. I took a couple of days in Las Vegas and Honolulu recently. I think the travel that I do for a living really diminishes the excitement of traveling for a vacation. By the way, the "I want my vacation" advertisement that seems to be running nationally is sponsored by Universal Studios in Orlando. IMHO, these ads are starting to get a bit too abstract. It's back to work for me. See ya.

Back To Work

2005-01-03T01:39:00.000-08:00

It's time to get back to work. I feel like I never really left, since I was in the office for the greater part of last week anyway. I've got an action-packed day tomorrow. It's a brief office day in the morning, followed by a gig as a technical instructor in the afternoon, and then a quick flight to Portland in the evening. I'm thinking of taking a few days off in January. Maybe I'll finally get to drop in on my friends in Hawaii for a couple of days. We'll see what happens. See ya.

Perchance To Dream

2004-12-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

It's almost over. I just got home from work, and there's one more day to go until the end-of-year rush is complete. Most of the important work at the office has been finished, and there's just a few more minor things to do. Beyond that, I think I'll finally take that opportunity tomorrow to sleep in. It's been a long time since I've been able to do that. See ya.

Fate Of The Floppy

2004-12-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

I cleared half a shelf of floppy disks, and I still have a long way to go. My scanning project seems to be permanently stuck in the seventies, and I have more paper than I started with before I began filing. All that said, it's pretty normal around here. Here's today's view on the fate of the floppy disk. You decide. See ya.

Happy Holidays!

2004-12-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays, everyone!

I know that I've been a bit preoccupied with lots of other stuff -- new job, new city, new everything. But, I've got he next week off (sort of), so it's time for me to catch up with everything that I've been missing. Let it snow, just don't make me drive in it!

See ya.