Christmas
Rochester, NY Christmas has come and gone with much anticipation and fanfare. All of the shopping and planning has panned out to big smiles and hugs from those receiving your gifts. As much as Christmas is a marketers dream, they have still made it a lot of fun for me. It is a great feeling when you pick out the gift that you know the receiver will enjoy. We did the holiday up in its entirety yesterday. The 8:30 AM time was decided upon on Christmas Eve, after a church session filled with carols and singing. I’ve been a bit under the weather and you could’ve put me right up there...
Read MoreDone
The feet are sore, the legs tight, the patience short, and the wallet lighter, but the Christmas shopping has ended. I once again made the hellacious quest to the mall to battle for a parking spot, battle the crowds, and deal with all of the choices one makes when picking out gifts for people. As much as I dislike the process, I seem to do pretty good with my choices. Now it’s on to the even worse part, the wrapping…
Read MoreA Celebration
Rochester, NY As the choir sang and Tony slammed the piano, I looked around at a church that hadn’t been that full in many years. Kleenexes dabbed the corners of eyes and took away sniffles. There were consoling rubbing of shoulders. The black shirts and dresses did not give off doom and gloom. There were tears, but there were also smiles. This was the way a funeral should be, a Celebration of Life and a Passing to Eternal Life. John Miller, a great man, my confirmation sponsor, and a man my father admired, died this week. He fought hard and long with heart failure. For years we would...
Read MoreHospital
Rochester, NY 9:09 PM I just got back from visiting my uncle in the hospital. It is never fun when the phone rings later than normal and there is a different tone of voice on the other end. He went in Monday and should be out tomorrow. He is OK now and they caught stuff before anything got out of hand, but looking at him, my big uncle, lying in the hospital bed, it made me think. Life is short and we have to take advantage of all that we can. We have to hug the people that are close to us and let them know they are close to us. And live the life you want to live. I have been cranking out...
Read MoreMonday AM
Rochester, NY 9:53 AM w has reached NY in full force. All I can see is the white stuff. It’s pretty to look at from here, but not so pretty when I bundle up to go outside, brush off my cold car, scrape the ice off, and then get in and try and warm up. I ventured out this weekend for the start of my Christmas shopping. I timed it out to be at the mall when most people weren’t and found myself there at 10:30 PM on Friday. Progress was made. As much as I don’t like the mall, I don’t seem to mind shopping for people all that much. Saturday was the gym, UNC basketball, and...
Read MoreNext Trip
Phoenix, AZ I’ll be taking a break from writing in about a month. I’m off to Phoenix, AZ to stay with my old roommate from college and his wife, interview someone, and potentially give a talk. An exciting thing on the list out there is a ticket to the Fiesta Bowl, which is Notre Dame versus Ohio State. I’ve never been to a bowl game, and this being a BCS with ND, it should be great. The weather will be a nice change too.
Read MoreSuccess
Phelps, NY 6:42 PM It’s nice when people appreciate your work. I gave a talk to a company’s management staff a few weeks ago and I thought we made good progress. They had very open discussion about the direction they were trying to move. Not too long ago I opened an email with an invitation to their Christmas Party. I was honored and attended last night. Mackenzie and I made the hour drive to Phelps, a small town east of Rochester. I love Main Street of small towns and this one fit the bill. The Phelps Hotel stood out as the main bastion left from the 1800′s. The three story...
Read MoreMovies
Hollywood I’ve been on a bit of a movie kick which has been a good mind dump during all of this writing. My dad and I went to see Walk the Line, about the life of Johnny Cash. I only knew a handful of his songs, but you don’t need to know them to like the movie. I sometimes give actors a hard time, but in this case, Joaquin Phoenix was awesome. He played and sang the part like a champ, like he was born for the part. That’s not the case because he couldn’t sing or play prior to the movie. That’s talent. I am also told the lovely Reese Whitherspoon sang all of her...
Read MoreEyes
Rochester, NY 12:05 PM Holiday weekends are always socially active. The newspaper in Rochester wrote that the night before Thanksgiving was the biggest going out night of the year. My age has caught up with me. I stayed in Wednesday and Thursday and Friday was reserved for a pretty mellow house party with some people I hadn’t seen in a few months. Saturday morning was a meeting to go over the marketing section of my book proposal. The meeting was great, with about 20 minutes spent on the proposal and the rest of the 3 hours talking about life, politics, spirituality, money, business, and a...
Read MoreTurkey
Rochester, NY 11:56 PM You have to love a holiday centered around family, food, and football. I type this with a tryptophan buzz after scarfing down a traditional late night turkey feast. My day was spent writing and then heading next door to my aunt and uncle’s at 3:30. We snacked and watched the beginning of the Dallas game. One of the best inventions of recent memory has to be Tivo/DVR. Dinner always used to get in the way of me watching the Cowboys. Not this year. We hit pause on the game and game back to it much later, and fast forwarded through the commercials. There is a lot to...
Read MoreFly Pod
Web 10:35 AM I just completed an interview for www.TheFlyPod.com, a website that hosts MP’s on various topics. They asked me a lot about the days leading up to the journey and what I’ve learned. This will be different because you’ll hear me talking, rather than reading. It is still strange to get requests for this kind of thing, but if they ask, I will do it. It should be on their site in the next week or two. I will put up a post when it is ready.
Read MoreContagious
Charlotte, NC 9:44 AM As my lunch companion said yesterday, passion is contagious. I sat with Fred Story, one of my first interviews, and as of right now, the first chapter of the journey. We got caught up on what’s been happening with each of us over the previous 18 months. His passion is making music and he is making a lot of it. He showed me one of the TV shows he is working on. It is a 65 show kids’ series that will be running in Australia in the near future. I can see my niece’s singing and dancing to the music Fred and his team created. They also wrote a song for the Charlotte...
Read MoreTalk
Salisbury, NC 10:20 AM Last night was the first time in a while that I was nervous for a talk. I was at Catawba College, a school NE of Charlotte. My nerves were not because of the subject or the talk; my nerves were caused by the unknown makeup of the audience. My host, Kurt, told me that there may be some students in attendance along with some people from the community, some of them retired. In speaking, I try to tailor the subject to the audience. In this case, my audience could have been an 18 year old and an 80 year old. My preparation was much different. I met Kurt on campus and we went...
Read MoreNC
Charlotte, NC 7:22 AM Man, it’s been a whirlwind. Charleston was great, but I always leave there with a cloudy brain. My cuz and I got a lot of work done. He’s helping me make a video that a speaking agent wants to see. That could lead to more talks. I left CHAS on Friday for the Reed household. They are in Ridgeway, SC and live right on Lake Wateree. We all went to high school together and were in Charlotte at the same time. Their business has taken off and allowed them to move into a huge house on the water. We did a little fishing but mainly caught up and played with their son,...
Read MoreStudio
Charleston, SC 11:20 PM It’s been a busy day. I said my goodbyes in Raleigh at 9 AM and found my way to 40 and 95 headed towards Myrtle Beach. My talk was set for 1:30 and I had plenty of time. The weather is incredible here, 80 and sunny and the drive was excellent. I had a phone interview at 10 with a new acquaintance in Michigan. It turned out to be a great focus for the road. I arrived for the talk early and got set up in the auditorium. It seemed the talk went well. We had a good audience and the best part is always the people that stay and talk to me afterwards. Their questions...
Read MoreD
Raleigh, NC 12:02 AM I am constantly amazed by how fast children grow up. I spent the evening catching up with Davis, my friend from when we were kids’ son. I think his mom said he is 17 months. Last time I saw him he was in a car seat next. Now he is walking/running all over the place. His little smile lights up the room. It’s been good to be here and see everyone, but the trip is too short. I got in from Gettysburg at 4 and did some work and played with Davis. Bob, his dad, got home at about 5:30 and we had dinner which was tasty spinach lasagna. It was more D time and then he...
Read MoreDrive
Gettysburg, PA 7:35 PM As a driver, you can’t ask for much better than today. The sun stared at me the whole way and the leaves that were left on the trees glimmered in yellow and orange. I did not need heat or AC, and the sun roof was cracked for some of the way. After paying for gas in NY and my post-Katrina trip, I was amazed to see gas at $2.19 in Pennsylvania. It looked foreign to me, but I gladly anted up. The sun and the sights were made much better by the sunglasses my friend King gave me for my birthday. I cannot explain how the glasses do it, but the colors just leap out at you. I...
Read MoreChichester
UK 10:25 AM I dropped off Charles 30 minutes ago. That guy had a lot of energy and wanted to see as much of Rochester as he could. Yesterday was spent at Letchworth State Park, walking around the waterfalls and checking out the leaves. He loves trains and we saw the rail bridge high above the gorge. It was a lot of fun and we got some good pictures. After the park I took him too Marketplace Mall where he did some shopping. I also made sure he tried out a garbage plate, which is a greasy burger minus the bun over home fries and mac salad. We didn’t go to the original, Nick Tahoe’s....
Read MoreHost
Rochester, NY 1:30 AM It’s been a blast showing a foreigner around Rochester. Charles arrived on time from England, at 5:30 yesterday. The poor, as he says it, chap, had no idea where he’d be staying in Rochester. I never emailed him back and told him he’d be staying with me. The whole flight over I bet he was wondering if he’d have to find a hotel. I think he was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a room at house on Lake Ontario. He took a walk on the beach this morning while I worked. Last night he met the folks and we introduced him to sweet potatoes. He enjoyed...
Read MoreVisitor
England 12:45 PM I peck away at the keys, taking a break from the book for a few minutes. My time to write will be short over the next few days as I have a visitor from jolly old England coming in. I met Charles on my journey, in Key West, FL. We stayed at the same hostel there and I introduced him to Cuban food. He’s tried to meet up with me a few times in the States since, but my schedule is not exactly firm. He narrowed it down a few weeks ago and is on a plane as we speak. He should fly in this afternoon. I think I’ll get him to eat a garbage plate, some pizza and wings, show...
Read MoreEdits 2
Rochester, NY 12:42 AM I’m sitting in the living room, in one of the rockers. The 11th inning of the World Series is on. The White Sox are up. I don’t care who wins, but I’ve been watching. It has been a very exciting few days. My meeting on Thursday of last week with the editor went very well. We met at Spot Coffee for about an hour. I gave her two chapters to look at, the astronaut and the sports columnist. My nerves were going crazy as I waited for her to show up. This was the first time I had given anything of the book to be read and critiqued. I bounced all around the room. I...
Read MoreTalk
Newark, NY 10:03 PM I just completed a talk to a company’s management group. There were 20 of us in there and we ran from 4:30 until about 7:55. I thought it went well. The group seemed to be into it, especially at the end. They were bouncing a lot of ideas off of each other. Seeing them engaged and talking made me wish I had let them talk more and earlier. That is something I will tailor to each talk from now on. The goal was ideas and we got them, but I didn’t give it enough time. All in all, we made progress and came up with some things they didn’t have before I walked in. People...
Read MoreLove of the game
Gates, NY 9:40 PM I just got back from a high school football game. My friend is one of the assistant coaches for the offense. I hadn’t been to a game this year and the sectionals/playoffs began today. I told him I’d try to make it, weather permitting. I don’t have kids, so if it rains and I’m not playing, I’m not going. It turned out to be a perfect night for football. The day was grey, misty and around 60. The night temp was close to 50 but it felt colder because it was damp. I went to dinner with my folks. They go every Friday with their friends. I am asked often,...
Read MoreOff the Road
Rochester, NY 9:37 PM I am back in NY. It is grey, misting, and 55 degrees. I am psyched to be back. This cram as much as you can into as few days as possible has taught me it would be hard to be a musician, traveling from city to city. I just did 3,500 miles in 14 days. I slept in 8 cities. I saw a lot of people. I was on a radio show. I gave a talk to a business. But man, I didn’t get to enjoy it. I was always repacking and driving. Next time I hope to be able to space it out. Next time needs to be once this book gets done. Then I can gather research for #2. So, I was up at 7 AM, hit...
Read MoreTypical
Little Rock, AR 9:23 AM Late as usual. Supposed to be in the car now. Goal was 9 AM. Longest leg of the journey today. 10 hours to Cinci. Stayed out too late with the boys. Beers, darts, football. Looks like sunny skies. East and then north. Time to stare at dotted lines…
Read MoreHonk
Cincinnati, OH 10:22 PM After 10 hours of highway, I am in Cinci. Ever since I made the drive north from Little Rock during my college days, I’ve loved the drive through this city. The highway takes you right through downtown. When Riverfront ballpark was around, you’d drive right next to it. I’ve been a Reds fan since I was young and it was cool to think about Pete Rose playing in there. I never made it for a game though. The lights shown bright tonight. I’m staying at old family friends. I stayed with them last time I was here. They were friends with my parents ever since I was...
Read MoreThe Rock
Little Rock, AR 7:30 PM I am back in my old stomping grounds. I took I-40 over from Memphis yesterday afternoon. I had made that drive tons of times during my college days. The sun was setting in the right spot where there was a steady glare for most of the time. Fall is upon us, as it was too cool for the sunroof. Today was an early day. My talk was at 8:30 AM, so I was up and at it early. I went over my PPT and made sure the clothes I ironed the night before were ready. I didn’t sleep that well, which is normally the case when I have a talk the next day. I arrived tot he Credit Union...
Read MoreWorn Out
Memphis, TN 1:25 PM I am sitting on the couch at my brother’s place outside of Memphis. What a place it is. It’s easy to relax at a place that has 4.5 bathrooms and enough space to fly a plane through. I got here on Thursday night and have been whipped by the energy of my two young nieces. I am noticing that whenever I am here, I am tired and I snack a lot. The energy of kids is easy to catch, but when it is bed time for them, mine doesn’t come too much later. We’ve been having a great time. I’ve been going for walks with them, painting, drawing, and had a game...
Read More30 or 15
Atlanta, GA 10:22 AM Yesterday was a day of contradictions. I drove over to Atlanta and did my first radio show. This was not a 3 minute blurb in between the music, this was a one hour sit down session talking about passion. There was a lot of ground to cover. According to the station and some listeners, it went pretty well. Leading up to the time when they counted down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 my heart was pumping and my throat dry. I hoped I wouldn’t pull a Bobby Brady and have my voice crack right out of the gates. But Bernard was calming and into the journey, and that it made it easier. I’m...
Read MoreMNF
Charlotte, NC 9:09 AM I sit at my cousins in Charlotte. Baby Jaime is at my feet, walking around playing with a tupperware thing. There was a full house last night, my cuz, his wife, Jaime, his father in law, and his parents. And me. There was a chance that I was going to get to go to Monday Night Football, but tix were impossible to get. There were a few people working on it, but no dice. I came over here, had a good stir fry dinner, and then went to BBG to watch the game. The Panthers looked pretty good, but their D is weaker than expected. I crashed on the couch in the computer room and...
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