BURNING BOTH ENDS OF THE CANDLE

9 Days and Counting...

2009-09-14T22:12:00.002-05:00

Yep, its true and its close. Just a mere 9 more days until I hop on that plan and head to China. For those of you who did not know I am 'moving' to China for awhile to help with some of the business aspects of our healthcare division. Lots of work going on in China and we are there to get in on the action.
Here is a recent video from Ross Perot Jr in regards to our work in China.
I'll have a place in Changsha but also travel a lot to Beijing and Shanghai. I am really curious on what to expect but I am sure I'll get thru to it. I have traveled and lived abroad before (Spain in college) but it was nothing like this. A year or so in China will be a challenge but one I am looking forward to. I have some books which I am reading, a phrase book and a nice little Rosetta Stone. However, I know the best way for me to fully grasp everything will be to get in China and immerse myself.

Project Schedules...

2009-05-11T21:32:00.002-05:00

Whoa, been awhile on here. I was going to post a few times a week but that has slipped. Anyway, not much new going on. My marathon training is kicking ass and working is moving along!

Speaking of work, my team hit 2 deadlines in the past 2 weeks and have put up 14 websites for a client in Alabama. They are in town this week showing them all off to their BoD and physician partners- yep, we are kicking ass. Here is one of them: http://www.mcksc.com/default. Only 90 some odd of these bad boys to go! While it might seem like its a lot I only spend about 10 hours a week on this project...so its a pretty easy project to manage :) Glad to get a good one under the belt!

Crawl for Cancer

2009-04-27T08:23:00.003-05:00

Yep...this weekend was that time, another go on the Crawl for Cancer 2009 Tour! Saturday 30 friends met up at my buddy's place to partake in a day of debauchery that began around 1pm...yep, daytime partying.

Crawl for Cancer was started a few years ago in Kansas City as a way to raise money for cancer research in local cities. It has now spread to around 10 cities all across the country. Actually, the guy who started C4C is one of my best friend's brother in-law.

Last year the Dallas crawl was held in lower Greenville..much bigger bars that were built for true partying. This year, the crawl was held in the Well-to-Do part of Dallas called Uptown. The bars are much smaller and nicer and tucked away near walking streets full of little boutiques and shops. Needless to say it was quite interesting stumbling thru Uptown at 3pm while there is a trendy Dallas couple on a sidewalk cafe sipping on lattes with their 2 lb dog Fido.

Pictures are up on Facebook! And yep, I'll be doing this again in 3 wknds in KC! See you all there!!

Manhappiness....

2009-04-07T21:00:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I was able to go back to Manhattan and visit the best little city ever for my fraternity's alumni weekend. During the drive up to Manhattan- go Google map that stuff, Dallas to Manhattan- I had this feeling of "home" and "miss" come over me.

Many people view Kansas as a "flat as a pancake http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/jul/27/holy_hotcakes_study/" type of state. Sure it might be but the sheer beauty that it offers is unreal. The beauty one encounters when driving west of Topeka along I-70 is awesome. The rolling Flint Hills just puts life at ease. Manhattan appears to sit in a valley so when driving from I-70 on 177 (take exit 313) you tend to drive into the city and are able to see the wonderful city below. The drive from the Junction City/Fort Riley access point is a little less scenic. It is one of my dreams to one day to own a house in the Flint Hills that will look over the rolling hills and see the storms cross the countryside...

When in Manhattan life becomes slower, people become nicer and my mood tends to improve. The city has left an impression on my that is one that cannot be replaced. I spent the best 4 1/2 years of my life. Manhattan tends to create loyalty among many people. While people ask why I love Manhattan so much I cannot fill it with tangible or physical items; it is purely emotional and experiencial.

A guy I know decided that he missed Manhattan so much that he made a shirt out of it...its simple and easy http://imissmanhattan.com/ while he sums it up nicely. You really cannot explain it, it is simply something you just know....I Miss Manhattan!

Productive weekend....oh yea!!

2009-03-29T21:35:00.002-05:00

Tonight wraps up one of the more productive weekends I have had in a long time. Just a little recap...

Friday- My buddy Blake came in town for a wedding so he stayed on my couch. I picked him up on Friday evening and then it started. Good dinner at the porch then a stroll around the bar. Didn't plan on staying out too long but oh well. I ended up meeting up with the following people:
Will J- Friend from college that I randomly ran into.
Gillian- HS friend I hadn't seen for about a year or so. Ran into her at the same place as well.
Will (Irish Will)- In town on his 'holiday' and we met up for a bit. Will works for the same company as I do.

Saturday- Played entertainer and took Blake to Jake's for some famous Dallas hamburgers. Then dropped him off at his wedding- I then ended up work for about 8 or 9 hours. Got done the following
-30 page master proposal for new division I am starting up
-Project plan for a 120 website roll out I will be managing with about .10 of my time
-Proposal for some work in Boston
-Outlined a statement of work for a clinical (HEDIS, pay for performance) reporting project
-Blogged
-Cleaned-up my inbox! thank goodness!

Sunday- I dropped Blake off at the airport. 13 mile run around the lake. Booked my race in Seattle and my hotel. Went shopping for groceries. Picked up the mail, paid my April bills.

Now its 945 and I am very satisified on how the weekend went!! Oh yea, I watched quite a bit of basketball too!!

Hope everyone had a good and possibly productive weekend as well!!

1020 on a Saturday night....

2009-03-28T22:16:00.002-05:00

Hmmm...its 1020 on a Saturday night and I am working on a couple projects. This makes me wonder, what am I doing, why am I doing this and is this my life?

What am I doing?
I am working on my to-do list from this past week of work that did not go anywhere. I barely shortened anything on the list while continually adding more items to it. So tonight I need to modify, tweak and clean up our Master Proposal Template for the division I am helping lead- only me and another guy so we have our work cut out as we have to reach certain financial targets this year. I also need to get a project plan done along with a powerpoint document for a 120 website rollout project that I'll bascially manage over the course of 5 months- but its only going to take up 10% of my time! yahoo!

Why am I doing this?
Because I need to. Only working 4 days this next week since Friday I am headed to Manhattan!! And this is some of the stuff that simply needs to get done.

Is this my life?
Actually, I think so. Sure, I work a lot and I mean a lot of hours, but I really do enjoy what I do. I feel productive and fairly important to the success of projects and business. I think these are good signs for someone my age. Is it weird that I go in at 630 am and then get home around 630pm? Maybe but I enjoy it. Heck, I'm 26 and not married, I think my life can handle it now. I'd rather work my rear off now compared to when I am much older with a family to raise...

Hmmm...well, that just helped me take a bit of a break from work. Now, back to it! :)

Idiots...

2009-03-26T21:34:00.002-05:00

Over the past week or so I have been driving to work and not taking the DART. Damn, joel. But one thing I have noticed is the amount of idiots who drive with freaking head phones on! Are you serious people? They are most likely rocking out to their iPod or possibly their discman. But really, driving with head phones on.

First, driving with head phones on makes it damn near impossible for the driver to be able to hear sirens or other important road noises- old ladies you back over, kids you smash, birds that smack your windshield, la Policia or the ambulance who is coming to tend to the old lady you left helplessly on the ground....

Secondly, this cannot be comfortable. My iPod head phones cord is not that long...and if my iPod is residing in the console then it has to be quite a lot of tension on the cord.

Third, you look like a fucking dork!

So please "Headphone while you drive wearer" go get a car adapter for your iPod and tune your radio station to 88.1

Thx

Daylight Savings...

2009-03-19T15:17:00.002-05:00

Dear Daylight savings time....I fucking hate you!!! How is that by changing my clock 1 hr I am no longer able to rise at 510am with or w/o my alarm? How come you don't get light until 7am?

Yes, for some reason daylight savings had royally screwed up my cadia (or wtf its called?) and I can no longer simply go to sleep when I want to and wake up a little after 5 with no alarm and then randomly get tired around 230-3pm (Note: its 320 right now and Im beat). I used to never have these sleepy times and be able to wake up early and it didn't matter if I was travelling between time zones or not.

Maybe I'll just move back to Arizona where they don't have this stupid thing or possibly back to Indy 2005 style when they didn't have it either.

So Daylight Savings fucker....just send me a note and tell me what the hell is up?! K? Good. Deal.

DVR

2009-03-11T21:22:00.002-05:00

Tonight pretty much summed up why I love DVR on our AT&T Uverse package. The DVR is quite simply one of a kind. Since college basketball has been heating up and we have ESPN FullCourt we continually use the DVR to record and rewind games. Just the past week I have a caught a few surprises:

1) The Turd. Yep, thats right Mark Turgeon (aTm Head Coach) was of course bitching at an official and running down the court. The camera had panned to the play when all of a sudden you see this blob roll across the top of the screen. I said to myself, that looks like someone falling on the ground. So I rewound and watched it a few more times. My observation was correct. The Turd was complaining about something and running after the play and tripped over something to where he did a somersault 1/2 down the bench. Yep, that was good.

2) After some slam dunk play one player went and screamed into the camera (you know, the one who sits under the goal). He gave a perfect game face and scream. The other camera then picks up the view and you see camera guy #1 give a big thumbs up to the player.

3) Today, had to be the greatest. Watching the Texas aTm vs Tech game in the Big12 tourney tonight in Oklahoma City. There was a scoreboard error on one end of the stadium...so the officials were trying to figure out how to handle it. So the tv commentator, Reid Gettis, had this to share, "when my computer doesn't work i just unplug the son of a bitch." My roommate barely caught it and said hold up, rewind that, so we did. And yep, you could tell that they tried to mute it down but he definitely said it. Hmmm....wonder what kind of fine this draws him from the FCC?

Trail Running in the cities

2009-03-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

As I continue to run more and more each week I get a bit tired of running the loop around my neighborhood. It consists of 3 1/2 foot sidewalks next to 4-6 lane streets which make it doable but not as pleasurable. The sidewalks make it a bit interesting when coming head to head with a lady and a stroller- looks like I'll take the grass on this passby. Also, the numerous exits and entrances on the streets mean you are bound to almost get ran over at least one time every 2 miles. Quick math- 4 to 6 miles a night means thats I put my life in jeopardy 2 to 3 times a night. But hell, I'll take my chances.

Anyway, on the weekends I have recently begun running on the local Katy Trail in Dallas. I contribute this to my actually being home while it is light outside. The trail starts about 2 miles or so south of me (it starts just south of SMU and I live a bit north and East of SMU) and travels thru the Park Cities, Knox Henderson and Uptown ending up at the American Airlines Center (AAC- for the locals). So all together the trail is about 3.5 miles long each way- making my journey about a 9-10 mile morning due to the 2 miles each way it takes me to get there. The trail provides a safe and secure place to run. The scenery ain't that bad either, if you catch my drift. It also showcases some of the trueness of Dallas. People walking with their lattes while jabbing away on their cell phones, the "Oh yea, she married for love couples" and those people with just weird fuckin' dogs. Really, they make that kind of breed? It makes me wonder sometime what happened to all the normal dogs in the world? Can people just not get a lab or golden retriever anymore? Everyone has to cross breed some dog with sometime else...
But nonetheless the trail is great and a great way to start a day on Saturday mornings. http://www.katytraildallas.org/site/PageServer

After I found this little gem (I had heard about it but never found a good way to get to it) it brought back memories of one of th best trails ever- the Monon Trail in Indianapolis! Now, before you go get all- "Where?" trust me. Indianapolis is one of the most underappreciated cities in the country- sort of like Kansas City- which I love!! I am actually kind of torn on where the NCAA headquarters should be....hmm. Anyway, during my two years of living in Indianapolis I had to find creative ways to get out for a bit. This was one of them. The Monon Trail (http://www.indygreenways.org/monon/monon.htm) is about 10 miles long running from north of the city to pretty much down town or other people say it starts downtown and goes north- but whatever. I would jump on the Monon around 86th street and run it down past the Arts districts and into the Broad Ripple area (52nd street). The Monon definitely has the Katy Trail beat in both mileage, access points and access to other trails. The Monon was a great way for me to get out and venture around Indianapolis on foot. However, as I continue to live in Dallas I will be taking in all I can in on the Katy Trail.

Anyway, both are great trails check them out!

U2.....wow

2009-03-05T21:56:00.000-06:00

U2 is a great band. I've been a fairly big U2 fan for quite awhile..I have some fond memories of U2. 1) Entourage when Ari gets the gang tickets to see U2 and Bono gives a shout out to Johnny Drama during City of Blinding Lights. 2) Waking up at 730 am in KC in Weber's house. Kowal and I cranked up the U2 and danced around acting like soccer fans from Europe. Yep, we might have still been intoxicated. 3)St. Patrick's Day in New York City in 2007. Drinking "kool-aid" heavily all day with Sturgis, Lisa, Haley and some others. St. Patrick's Day actually has its US roots in NYC and the day was absolutely unreal....wow.

This past Tuesday U2 released a new album- No Line on the Horizon. First thing Tuesday morning I clicked over to iTunes and gave them a little bit of my last pay check- but hey I just got my year end bonus- so its all good!

Anyway, the album is a pretty solid pick up. However, U2 puts out very little in terms of low quality work. The album runs the gammit for types of music that U2 puts out. "Get On Your Boots" was the first release from the album and it was a good one. It is a little more up and edgy. Currently, I would say that "Magnificent" is my current number 1 play from the album for me. The song has more of a lighter feel to it with an easy and welcoming introduction. The next would be if, "I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy." Bono puts out great lyrics and has a great voice.

Overall, the album is a great and I'd suggest picking it up. U2 is a true Supergroup. In my opinion there are very, if any, bands that can touch their global presence or awareness as they do. I can't wait to try to see them on their next North American tour. Better yet, head over to Ireland and see them there!

Speaking of Ireland- who is ready for St. Patrick's Day?

Paul Harvey..."and thats the Kansas State story..."

2009-03-02T21:49:00.000-06:00

Paul Harvey News & Comment
September 30, 2003

----

If you build it, they will come.

I know. I was there.

I saw for myself in the middle of the endless plains of Kansas.

I found a field of dreams, a grand garden a mile square.

With a hundred varieties of trees, immaculate lawnscapes, indigenous limestone architecture sheltering a family of 23,000 beautiful young people.

Kansas State University.

Kansans traditionally have tended to bloom where they are planted.

Harry Truman.
Alf Landon.
William Allen White.

The latter, the editor of the Emporia Kansas Gazette with colloquial wisdom that exported his ideas and ideals to the whole world.

As does Kansas State University.

It used to be axiomatic that any campus population of more than a thousand tended to become a campus of numbers rather than names.

And, it does take, at K-State, a rec center with 18 basketball courts and there are most of a dozen inviting dining rooms.

Yet, more than half of all the students live on campus. And that makes a difference.

You're likely to find full professors teaching freshmen. That makes a difference.

Because de-personalized numbers become re-personalized.

Example, in 40 airplanes student pilots are trained at Kansas State two at a time, in four place planes.
So the instructor has one student alongside and another looking over his shoulder.

De-personalized numbers re-personalized.

I was at Kansas State to deliver this year's Landon Lecture to students, faculty and alumni.

My host had arranged a personal while with President Jon Weflad. Until this visit, I had measured his administrative genius by the proportion of recognized scholars at K-State. This trip, I was able to visit the past with a borrowed intellect which embraces ancient history as you and I remember yesterday.

Intriugued by the world's most effective leaders …………. Well, he particularly esteems the talents of five of them, starting with Ghengas Khan. And, well Dr. Weflad's instant recall of names and dates and palces just confounds us mortals. So, it entertained all of us who know and admire Dr. Wefald when his dear wife confided that this year he forgot the 40th anniversary of their marriage.

But, anyway, so much for my first visit to the high ground in the flat land of Kansas.

From this day hence, when you hear Paul Harvey trying to explain the news it is quite likely that I will be including without knowing some pearls of wisdom greater than my own.

Thank you President Wefald. Thank you Kansas State, each 23,000 of you.

I'll see you again in a few miles.

13. miles

2009-03-01T20:37:00.000-06:00

On Friday night I ventured over the Ft Worth to run the Cowtown (www.cowtown.org). My choice of distance this weekend was 13.1 miles or the half mile. I Pricelined a little hotel, got settled in, had a heavy carb meal and then shut the 'ol eyelids. Anyway a few notes about my experience:

Friday night: At the hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott, I was getting my computer out to look at a few things. I saw the little DSL box and was curious on where the cable was. I looked all over the desk and could not find it. I saw screw it and went out to get my meal and decide on the way back I'd ask the clerk. Well, yep, I asked. And here is what she said, "Oh, its hanging up in your closet hanging up. Did you not look there?" WTF lady!?! Who hanges up a freaking internet cable on a hanger in the closet? Are you serious. Wow...

Saturday Pre Race: I didn't eat any breakfast. Real smart joel....real smart. As for the weather, it was chilly. A little under 40 degrees with winds gusting up to 20 miles an hr at the 730 start time. And I never run in layers. However, I had to run in pants and a long sleeve. Not comfortable at all...damnit!

Saturday Race: Good race, finished right at about 2hrs. I haven't been training that hard at all and actually did not run at all the week before and got a little drunk 2 days before the race. And I haven't ran over 7 miles in awhile. But hell, whats 13.1 miles? Fuck it, I'm golden! Anyway, I started off good and kept up a good pace. My iPod helps me keep moving. Also, the thing about running with other people is that there are tons of other people to help you keep moving and entertained. I also think back to when I track my freshmen yr of HS and. I would start off rather slow but then slowly pick off runners one by one as I picked up my pace. The first 7 miles were pretty good, then 7-10 was rough oh well. And then at times I got confused when I saw the mile signs...I would say to myself.."Does this mean I have completed that many or am starting that mile..?" damn, maybe I should have trained better and had some breakfast..

Entertaining items:
A couple people dressed up as Cows and banannas!
A team with shirts that said, "Road hard and put away sweaty." Yep, they were classy...
70 yr old men flying past me...wtf? I think that A-Rod has been giving them supplements instead of Bob Dole....
A chic in the pre race tent with 30 packtes of Gu attached to her belt. All I thought was the scene from Big Daddy when the little kid says to Adam Sandler, "30 packets of ketchup." Well, this chic had 30 packets of fucking Gu! Really chic? And for some reason I don't think she finished 1st...
Ultra marathoners: These people are just crazy!

So yep, overall it was a good time. Next stop is a full in Seattle in June.

http://www.rnrseattle.com/

My friend, the TWIP (Trophy Wife In Progress)

2009-02-27T12:43:00.000-06:00

Most days, I am blessed to have amazing IM convos with my friend, Jacks (I am leaving the rest of her screen name out for sake of blasting her all over the internet). Jacks and I started chatting via IM when we met while we were both living in Indy! We tend to have some pretty good convos during the day and yesterday was one of them. I call this conversation the Trophy Wife in Progress.

So yesterday, Jacks and I are having a pretty sweet convo. Here is how it goes:

14:02] jacks: i need a new job. stat
[14:03] me: oh yea?
[14:03] jacks: yesssss
[14:03] jacks: ahhhh
[14:03] me: fun fun
[14:04] me: so what u wanna do?
[14:04] jacks: trophy wife
[14:04] jacks: check
[14:04] me: check check
[14:11] jacks: or fundraising
[14:11] jacks: either will do
[14:11] jacks: heh
[14:12] me: just be my tropy wife and we can host social events to raise money for some local art center or some shit
[14:12] me: we=you...i'll just drink and talk
[14:21] jacks: done!
[15:00] me: solid
[15:02] jacks: ok, you'll have to move to kc though
[15:02] me: well, you already own a house...so thats a plus
[15:03] jacks: haha, true. I'll be happy to hand over those payments ;)
[15:04] me: damnit...i didnt mean that part :)
[15:04] jacks: ha! tropy wives don't pay mortgages!
[15:04] jacks: trophy
[15:04] me: well, yea...they pay in 'other' terms...haha
[15:05] jacks: ahhh
[15:05] jacks true
[15:05] jacks: that takes much less than 8 hours out of the day though. I'd say it's a pretty solid deal

So there you have it! If all of a sudden I am up and out of Dallas that is because I have moved in with my friend Jacks in Kansas City. I'll be paying the mortage and she'll be hosting our wine and cheese fundraisers! Looks like I have my life all planned out :) Thanks jackie!

Music...

2009-02-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

I have yet to really mention this but one thing that I truly love is music. You can see this through in my Facebook profile. I try to keep an active, up to date, top 5 plays that are hitting my iPod often and frequent.

I really listen to 2 types of music; Red Dirt Music and some Top 40 from the UK. For those of you who haven't gotten into either of these genres you are really missing out. Red Dirt and music from the UK can get you through the day pretty easily and keep your iPod full.

Red Dirt Music has its roots in Oklahoma and Texas, hence the name. An easy way to think of this is southern rock with a little country twang. The music is rebelious and will talk about whiskey, women and weed. It truly speaks and is generally not welcome in Nashville- but hey, thats okay with me! My favorites tend to be Jason Boland, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and the Randy Rogers Band. I do have some other guys that I listen to, Stoney Larue, Eli Young Band and Jackson Taylor Band. The movement is huge in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Kansas. I remember back in the early 2000s, when I was in school, I could walk up to Longhorn's Saloon in Manhattan and see Ragweed for $5 at the door. However, by 2005 these guys were selling out in a few hours of announcing the show and scalping could go for quite a bit of cash. Now that I am in Texas I get plenty of exposure to all of this music- its on the radio, in bars, float trips and Billy Bob's!

Most days I stream a little BBC Radio 1 to my desk. Sure, work probably does not like that fact that I stream to my desk but heck, it keeps me moving! Music from the UK is fascinating and is pretty sweet. It appears to me that music from the UK is at times a month or so ahead of the US. A few bands you should check out include; Bloc Party and Kings of Leon. Check out streaming an online show from Scott Mills or listening to their "Official Chart Show." You know? Its official just like in the move "Love Actually," love is all around us....or whatever the song is.

Some other music that I have picked up include MGMT, Iglu and Hartley, Peter Bjorn and John, Razorlight, Bob Sinclair, etc. Whenever I see a movie or a show with good music (Entourage) I'll usually visit IMDB or the show's website to see what's up with their soundtrack. Also, good iTunes has some great iMixes and recommendations for you in the "User's Also Bought" section.

So get out there! Visit new types of music and see what happens! Music is great and makes the world move- so move it!!

Efficiencies of life…

2009-02-12T21:16:00.000-06:00

For those who know me well they know that I love to get numerous things done in the most efficient model. I believe that my knack for efficiencies stem from being extremely busy and then believe it or not but bartending. One thing I learned while I bartended my way thru school was to maximize all of the steps that I take. When you bartend you are always on your feet therefore, you never take a step you don’t mean to take. And when you do take that step do as many things as you can. The following are a few efficiencies that I enjoy.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), www.dart.org: The DART is Dallas’ answer to getting me to work in a timely and efficient manner. When I am not travelling I tend to not drive but more than 15 miles during the week. It saves me wear and tear on my car but also allows me to be more efficient. During my 30minute train ride each morning I am able to answer and respond to e-mails, listen to great music and read. I have read many more books due to my ability to ride the train! I love DART!

Online Shopping- Drugstore.com/zappos.com: These are two great online shops that are amazing. Drugstore.com has any and everything you could want. I tend to get on every 2 months or so and order my supplies (razors, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc). The prices are great and shipping is free over $25 in purchases. This also helps cut down a trip to a CVS, Target or Wal-Mart for those supplies. Therefore, the only trips I need to take are to the local grocery store. Zappos.com is a great website for shoes- but stop right there. I rarely order shoes- maybe 2 pairs in the last year- but I enjoy this site. I get online pick out the style, size, etc that I want and then they are on my doorstep in 48hrs. This is usually much quicker than it would take me to get to the mall for a new pair of shoes!

BlackBerry: Yep, this is my crackberry and I am addicted as can be. I have my Outlook and Yahoo! Email accounts both synched but I also utilize the Facebook application (which I use as Twitter). I also fully utilize the text messaging and the BlackBerry Messenger. I occasionally use the PIN feature of the phone but only have 1 friend who uses it. From what she says, the PIN feature just goes device to device and not thru your corporate server or wherever else your information sits. She works for the government, so that makes sense on why she PINS ;) I will not have a non-smart phone again. The BlackBerry allows me to triage my e-mails and see which ones I really need to respond to.

Automatic Coffee Maker: I have an automatic coffee maker that I set each night. Therefore, when I rise in the morning I have fresh coffee for my traveler that I take with me on the DART!

RSS Feeds/Synch of my iPod: I have a few RSS feeds set up that drop information daily into my e-mail account. I get industry feeds and a few others- Excel and tech blogs. This is very helpful as I do not have to search from information I just browse thru my email RSS folder. I also enjoy synching up my iPod each evening to listen to a slew of podcasts that are released during the day on iTunes.

Well, these are some of the efficiencies that I enjoy in life. I try to find many more during my day by thinking what I have to get done and my path to get there. It’s my own version of “Getting Things Done,” not perfect…but I’m striving for it!

What are the efficienies that you have?

Those who fly...

2009-02-02T22:49:00.000-06:00

As a weekly jetsetter across the country, my current schedule includes Boston, I am taken aback by the sheer number of idiots who have no clue how to fly. This is beyond my comprehension. Maybe this is because I trip out of Dallas, who my friend Bee says, 'is one of the most idiotic places to live.' Bee has lived in Chicago before and the competitive knowledge landscape isn't quite that of Chicago. But let me continue with the post I am creating....

On these weekly flights I usually become so amused that I end up texting my friend (the one who is banned from College Station) with the 'new' outragous story from my flight. He tends to replay back in the LOL fashion while I am sitting in my seat waiting patiently for the flight to take off. Here is a story and a few thoughts that I have:

1) Flight from Las Vegas to Omaha. On this flight I was connecting from SFO and headed to OMA for a wedding on US Airways. Since I never fly USAirways I have less status than Ron Prince at a K-State athletic event. Therefore, I looked at my boarding pass and realized that I was stuck in the back, but heck, I had seat A and a few cocktails in me so at least I had some window to lean on and pass out on. As I begin my trip back to row BFE I start to make out that there are a few people in my row...funny, this shouldn't be a full flight. As I get closer to my seat I realize that the glob of people was comprised of actually 4 people!! Two rather large parents and their two lap sized children....now, have you ever seen a child that belongs to large parents from Omaha? Let me tell ya, not pretty! I began to approach my seat, horror began to set in, as I realized that there was going to be 5 people in these 3 seats in the last row of the plane (which of course doesn't recline). I gave the 'family' and flight stewardess a little look of WTF and told them that I would wait patiently until another seat opened up....thank goodness that the flight was not full...I looked over the city of Vegas as we took off with an empty middle seat next to me, a cocktail in hand and a f-ing window seat!!

2) I fly American and have status to board the plane before any groups are called- in this case I have more status than Ron Prince- so I get to see pretty much everything that happens.

a) Some guy did not understand how the seat assignments worked. Seriously. He took his boarding pass to the flight attendant and had to be seated- similar as if he was at a play or something, but I doubt that has ever happened because he didn't seem like the play going type.

b) Everytime I fly I board and sit in my window seat very patiently looking at a magazine (btw the new American Way isn't that bad) and listen to my iPod as the rest of the idiots flood into the plane. I try not to be the creepster and look at all of the people but each time I see a rather large person I quickly say my prayers that they will not plop themselves in seat 18B. This applies to anybody with a 'lap child' or a bag of Indian food. However, its the total opposite side of the coin when a co-ed, young professional or MILF start to approach row 18, hoping that seat 18B is all theirs.

c) What people try to check and carry on to planes. Are you serious? Really..I can't even touch this one, but people need to learn how to pack and then dress for getting thru security.

Final recommendation:
With all of this said and done I believe that each person who does not fly a thousand miles a year should be required to take a learning how to fly course. Tom Petty will have the theme song... After all its the frequent flyers who fly so often that we help keep the prices down so that the less experienced people can experince a coke in a plastic cup while they take an hr flight to KC instead of the Greyhound. I propose that all of these flyers would show up 2-3 hours before their flight- outside of security, with their bags barely packed. There the TSA (because they do such an amazing job!) will instruct them on how to 15oz of shampoo cannot be carried on, what liquid and flamables are, explain the coffee from SBX cannot be taken thru secruity eventhough you purchased it in the airport, find their gates by matching letters and numbers on walls to their tickets and finally rows and seats with tickets- albeit this might be a bit more difficult, so maybe their second class can cover this. Next, all persons will be required to pass thru a cattle guard while pulling their luggage; this tends to be difficult for some to pull down the asile but this exercise will assit with also wedding out the fat people. Finally lap children must truely be lap children and all Indian/Chinese food will be removed from the airport!

Flight 1682 to Kansas City is now boarding!

Thank goodness I am in First Class....

Let's get it started

2009-01-07T22:11:00.000-06:00

After much prodding from my friend Jacks1740 I decided that I should join the blogger craze as well. I am continually inudated with other forms of social networking, so whats one more? My days tend to be fairly busy but as the title of my blog states, Who Says You Can't Have It All? I am the kind of guy that like to have it all.....so here it goes, my blog.

I hope to keep the blog entertaining and informative into life of this 26 year old (who runs the gamet of the age of 18 to 40). Feel free to drop me a line, comment or just say hello.