Race...

Race...

I planned to leave for SLC Thursday morning at 9am, and then saw the winter storm warning. My business partner and I looked at the weather map at noon and guessed that if we left at 9pm Wed we could beat the storm in.

So we booked a hotel and pulled into town a few minutes ago. I'm feeling a little smug because although there are no snowflakes falling yet, here is a picture of the current weather map:
I'm in a hotel nestled between the big blue clouds which is the snowstorm marching in from Nebraska. (If you know where O'Hare is, I'm right on the SE edge of it.)

The coffee I drank for the trip up is wearing off (yawn) so I'm signing off.

How is it?...

How is it?...

Here we are living a few weeks shy of 2010 and my airplane seat today was 14D, which was right behind 12D.

Get your boogie man on.

In other news, a hardshell f-style mando case fits crossways in an overhead luggage rack on a 727. It is kind of amazing what traveling with a mando case does to your status in an airport. Banjo players make eye contact and smile at you.

I'm in Sarasota for a 4 day training class in Appreciative Inquiry. The GoM is lapping about 50 yards from my hotel window making the cool December weather more or less irrelevant.

Eagle Marsh...

Eagle Marsh...

I'm in Ft. Wayne on business. Been here since Wednesday night.

Before you say, "So sorry to hear it..." I want to tell you about Eagle Marsh. My hotel is in classic hotel row within whining distance of the Interstate. But last night while I was looking for nearby restaurants on Google maps I saw this big open space. So after dinner I took a walk and discovered this rather large wetland that has been reclaimed in the last few years. I think the satellite image on the map was taken before the wetland was reclaimed.

It is about 1/2 mile wide by 2 miles long, and it is a beautiful space filled with lots of interesting wildlife. I spotted a couple of herons and a great egret. There was another bird that I could not identify. I had a very nice sunset walk.

The website provides a lot of information about the reclamation project, and the history of the valley. Turns out this was a major transportation route in the early exploration of this region.

Home again...

Home again...

I'm back in my hometown after paying tolls in three states yesterday and today. I always turn my furnace down when I travel, so the house is cold! I'm nuking the rice bag to give me some localized warmth while the temp is coming back up. Drive was mostly uneventful and the snow wasn't too heavy. Listened to a couple of podcasts from TAL and the Moth. Great stories. Plus a four-hour explanation of the Enneagram by Richard Rohr. Fascinating.

Road trip...

Road trip...

Everyone is buzzing about the CEOs of the big three driving from Detroit to DC. Good for them, I say, even if they had to be shamed into it.

Of course we'll never know for sure if they are cynical or sincere. Do we get to judge that?

Speaking of cynical... A couple of posts caught my eye earlier today. This retelling of an old Ford/Toyota joke would be funny any other day of the week.

The comment about the oracle isn't funny. In about 1982 someone asked W. Edwards Deming which companies would be practicing his philosophy in 50 years. He responded with a growl "The ones that are left."

Then if that isn't enough, check out this list of the 10 worst companies of 2008. I'm not sure if my favorite quote is from Roche (“We are not in business to save lives, but to make money. Saving lives is not our business.”) or Chevron (“We can’t let little countries screw around with big companies like this.")

What do you think?

On a less cynical note...

In my own corporate life, I've launched a new blog. Check it out. A prize to anyone who reads the first posts, understands them, and doesn't fall asleep. I'm also dipping my toe in other social media like LinkedIn and Twitter.

Positive thoughts...

Positive thoughts...

I've spent most of the day waiting to get on a plane from Boston. I'm at the gate now and the plane is delayed due to weather. The catch? I have a very tight connection in Cincinnati to the last flight home.

I'm hoping positive thoughts will get them to hold the plane for me and that I'll still get to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Update @ 11:23: Between positive thoughts and the fact that there were 8 of us on the delayed plane that wanted to catch the same flight, they held said flight for an extra 5 minutes. There was a run through the airport (which was only marginally necessary). So I'm home and heading for a soft landing.

Safe arrival...

Safe arrival...

I arrived safely and on time in Boston. Unlike my last trip to the next-door neighbor to Our Fair City this one was uneventful; I have my new driver's license.

I return late Thursday evening.

Vote!

Travel report...

Travel report...

I arrived in Baltimore ("Fair Baltimore, the beautiful city..." a great song that Pete used to sing kept running through my head as I was driving around town.) yesterday morning after leaving the house at 4:30am. Flight was uneventful, and my meeting - which ran from about 11:30 to 7:30 - was worth the trip. I'm in Newark, DE this morning; heading up to S. NJ this afternoon and back to visit my old friend Dave in PA tonight. Tomorrow I'll visit a customer in York before returning to Baltimore for one last meeting in the afternoon and a flight home late Wednesday night. Whew...