The Anderson Airport Curse?

Now that I'm home, I feel I should fully disclose the weekend...

While peacefully writing my last blog entry at the airport, Northwest Airlines canceled my flight. I didn't notice this until it was too late to re-route, so I had the privilege of staying one more night in Arlington. The next morning, the flight was delayed, but I finally made it home around noon.

As frustrating as this could have been, my dad picked me up at the airport and I got to spend a great evening with my parents and sleep with them. What a great time! As much as it could have turned out to be frustrating or aggravating, God turned it into a wonder positive blessing! Now, I've got a week of work to do while I wait to hear back about my interviews!

Promotion Premonition?

After observing Jessica write a blog entry when waiting in an airport, I decided I could drain my battery doing the same thing. After all, there's only so much that you can get out of a free USA Today while traveling, right?

I am sitting in Reagan National Airport (Washington DC) waiting for my flight. It will total 4 1/2 hours if the flight leaves on time. I don't mind waiting so much because I usually bring along something that I can do off-line, but today is different. Here's why:

I have just finished interviewing for a job. That's right, after 19 years at the same company, I've decided to seek a consulting position at a company here in Arilington. These people are leaders in Lean / Six Sigma process management - consulting with companies all over the globe as well as the federal government. The interesting thing for me is that it is EXACTLY the kind of work that I love!

Following the slow work week of July 4th, I changed my resume on Monster-dot-com because I had just been certified as a Lean Master. This lead to a flurry of activity. If you ever aspire to be a financial analyst - just post something on Monster... according to the recruiters, you can make a thousand dollars a day using someone else's money with no training while working from home part-time! I'd investigate the opportunity, but then again I'd have to become a financial analyst so I've decided to stay poor an over qualified. Anyway, one of the responses was a call from George Group.

That initial call lead to a more detailed call the next week which lead to a technical call the following week and has culminated on this flight to Arlington for face-to-face interviews today. In the week before this trip, I have been studying this company and their publications. After last weekend, my brain officially topped-out and I've had to scale back, rely upon God and the talents He has given me because more learning is not possible.

Therefore, I intentionally left all of my (heavy) study books at home and only brought my notes and summary pages. Now that the interview is over and the USA Today has been read, there's not much else to do but blog - hence this entry.

It's an intriguing possibility to assume a consultant's role. If I end up in airports like this, I might actually read more and blog more just to pass the time. So if I translate that thought, it might say: "If I get busier, I might have more time." In the words of Johnny Depp, "It's a funny ol' world, in't it?"

I have been strangely quiescent during this time. Ordinarily, I would be nervous and stressed out, trying too hard to make a good impression. During this period of time, I have updated my resume with a much more professional version and changed my online profile. I've written down a lot of history, quantified accomplishments and tuned the words of my public personna to more accurately and succinctly reflect my career and personality.

I arrived with this updated information as well as examples of my work and a CD of presentations and articles that I have created. None of it was used, the interviewers all used my old, unpolished, verbose resume and seemed to be just fine with that. Clearly I am in Virginia due to efforts not of my own making. Clearly God is guiding me!

Does this mean I'll be given an offer to become a consultant and leave Seagate? I don't know. I confess I'd be disappointed if I don't get the job, but I won't be devastated like I have been in the past. I actually have a couple of other calls from other companies as well and my current job is getting into very interesting things. Through it all, I have a wonderful sense of peace!

It is so much more rewarding to really give these concerns over to God. As I say this, I wonder why I haven't done it before. In fact, I wonder if I'm really giving over control to God (will I indeed be devastated if I don't get the job). So far, I believe I'm OK and of course, God is great!

I've intentionally avoided the discussion of consulting work in this blog. I've intentionally avoided the names of the companies as well. I want to focus on my observations and especially the blessing of God's leadership. I highly recommend it. God's peace in times of stress - any time of stress - is simply wonderful. I will update again soon. Which ever way things go, all is well and I am positively blessed!

Michael!

At Julia's suggestion months ago, I bought a couple of Michael Buble tickets. The show was Saturday night and it was absolutely fabulous! We went to the Moody Blues last weekend and it was great (I have been a big Moodies fan for decades and it was the third time I'd seen them in concert). But Michael Buble was simply a great show!

We arrived downtown to park about an hour early and we strolling towards the theatre when THERE HE WAS! He was just walking around outside. A couple of people recognized him and started to follow him taking pictures and swooning. Michael headed towards his bus and then disappeared.

I pointed my handy phone camera in that direction and caught this picture. With a few apologies for the old, low resolution images - he's the guy in the distance in black.

It was a lovely evening, so DeAnna and I just hung around listening to the people recalling how they had "seen him" and he was wearing a T-shirt! (Woo Hoo!) Around 7:30pm, we began to notice a crowd of people just down the block and one woman came running from that direction. She looked like she was on pills and she was breathlessly repeating, "It's him, it's him, it's him!"

So we walked over to where the small crown was gathered and there was Michael taking pictures with people and throwing the frisbee with one of the band members. He'd throw, then take a few photos, then catch and throw and take a few more pictures.




I got pretty close to him and he was very friendly and open to the fans, but not an engaging conversationalist. I didn't see an autograph signing, but then again, his CDs were on sale inside and they'd already been signed! It was fun to see how the crowd reacted.



We went inside and sat down. After another hour and a half of waiting (there was a Canadian lady that sang for a while before Michael Buble started), the music started ("I'm Your Man") and the stage lit up! I was terribly impressed with the showmanship and the stage - you could tell it was extremely well designed and the stage itself continued to impress throughout the entire show.

After a couple of songs, Michael paused and brought up the lights of the audience. "I'd like to announce the winners of the audience contest and ask that they join me up here on stage!" The crowd gasped. He called out two names and they made their way up to the stage. He kissed the lady on the cheek and then handed the guy his microphone and shuffled to the other side of the stage (out of the spotlight). Then the guy kneeled down, took a ring out of his pocket, raised Michael's microphone to speak and proposed to the lady. The crowd went berzerk and Michael was really having a great time. After they shuffled the visitors off the stage, Michael explained that the 'dude' had met him on the street outside and asked if they could work this out. "But I'm NEVER doing this again!" he said. "I'd never get any singing done!"

The rest of the concert was fun and the singing was wonderful! Here's one more grainy picture of the stage with MB all across the background. Michael had commented that he had new songs, a new set and a new attitude and appreciation for his fans. You could tell he wanted to give you your money's worth!

Oh by the way, during the concert, his new song, "Everything" started up and Michael sang the wrong words! He yelled "STOP!" and the band shut down. The audience had just given him a huge cheer for the song and now was silent. "I have to remember the words to everyone else's songs and I can't even remember the words to my own stinkin' song!" he said. The band started up again and Michael bent down to audience members near the stage who started the song for him! Then he took over and the crowd sang along with him as if to help him along. Afterwards, we all gave him a standing ovation.

It was a lot of fun, and if you ever get the chance to see him in concert, you won't be disappointed!

Trips, Gadets and Such

I know it's been a long time since I updated this BLOG. I keep on pushing Julia to update hr BLOG, but that's just the pot calling the kettle black... Do as I say, not as I do....

TRIP TO OKLAHOMA
What a great experience to visit Julia and Jessica and John! I arrived on a Friday night at the Anderson's new house and got the tour - as well as the game! The house is just beautiful! I am so proud of John and Jess. You can view the house on Jessica's BLOG. I was able to help evaluate their HDTV situation and show them the difference between regular a DVD and an upconverting DVD - you should look into it if you don't know the difference! Then there was the Wii...

I've never been a video game player - certainly not as active as John! But I found the game really interesting and fun! I'm assuming that most of you have heard of the Wii (from Nintendo). The hand-held controller is wireless and is sensitive to motion in every conceivable direction. This allows you to play golf by acting like you are really swinging a golf club! I golfed and played tennis among other things. When Jessica joined-in, we did some boxing! It was unexpectedly fun.

The best part of the trip was actually visiting and chatting with John and Jessica. I was able to hang around and also spend some time with each of them individually. They are a fun and intelligent couple. They are beautiful together with a heart for their families, friends and their jobs. I am so proud of them. Keep praying for their effort to have kids. They will make GREAT parents!

Then there was Julia! Fresh from Rome and London, I got to see her entire compliment of pictures from 3 weeks abroad. No one else in my world has such an interest in history and culture - it's fascinating to hear Julia talk about her observations and emotions. Julia has a BLOG with some entries and pictures. You should visit! I must say that I am the proud owner of a small piece of history. Julia brought me a discarded tile from an ancient Roman fresco. How cool is that?!?!?

Julia looks so good these days. She's clearly a success at Randy's (where she's a manager) and she's entering her senior year at OU studying Archaeology/Anthropology. Since this subject is so foreign to me, I just love to hear about it. When Julia describes jumping into an ancient tomb, turning a boring assignment out of the trenches into a new discovery, or volunteering for many different jobs just for the experience - I am filled with pride.

Julia has a wonderful sense of adventure and spirit of determination that I admire. I wish I had her ability to conceive a big effort and keep plugging until it happens. I can't wait to see how it all comes out. It looks like Julia will continue to be a lot of fun at dinner party discussions!

CELL PHONES
I can proudly announce the pending end of my Cingular contract! I've been comparing cell-phone networks as well as new cell phones lately in anticipation. Whatever I choose, it will likely NOT be Cingular. I realize that there will always be dropped calls and spotty coverage, but I've been dealing with these issues far to much in the places I live. So far, T-Mobile is winning. That's primarily because of their nifty selection of cell phones and their willingness to talk with me to compare services.

Verizon (while seemingly omnipresent on the east coast) doesn't offer much beyond their wonderful network. That's kind of like driving a Yugo on the Autobahn - sheesh! What a dowdy, single-minded offering of cell phones! The other network providers aren't doing much better for one reason or another. Sprint/Nextel is acclaimed as bad all around. Alltell rides on the back of the Sprint - as does Ocean and a handful of others. I'm looking forward to the FCC decision to open up the airwaves. That may force American providers to adopt the more user-friendly cellular industries of Europe and Asia. Imagine being able to choose any cell phone you want and then choose the network provider you want - all without competition-inhibiting long-term contracts!

HYBRID CARS
The time is fast approaching when the old Grand Prix will simply cost too much to maintain. It's been a great car, relatively inexpensive to maintain and best of all.... IT'S PAID-OFF!!! So what will replace it? Any car buyer that is not considering gas mileage these days is a fool! Since I'm a consummate commuter, I need a car that drives well in traffic as well as avoids the escalating costs of the gas pump. The result? A Hybrid!

When you approach car-buying in this way, the choices become really limited. I'm not going to be trading-in my 22 MPG sedan for a 25 MPG SUV! I want a quantum leap in performance. This limits the field even further! When we're talking 35 MPG or higher in traffic, the Honda and Toyota offerings are all that's left. The Prius (which is reported to get 60 MPG in traffic) is the clear winner.

I test-drove a Prius the other day. It has a very high 'geek' factor (which is appealing to me). The body style takes a little getting-used-to, but if you drive one, you don't have to look AT it... This process will continue until the Grand Prix dies or I win the lottery, so I have no immediate plans to buy a new car. It's fun to look and compare!

COMPUTERS
My company laptop has been my friend for over 3 1/2 years, but it is on it's last legs. As of this writing, it's doing fine. But it's out of warrenty and will not be fixed if something goes wrong. As a result, I've been surveying the new offerings. There are some pretty exciting models, including ones with built-in 803.11n, Bluetooth, EDGE and 3G capability. For those who don't otherwise know, that means you can carry around your laptop and it will connect to the internet in normal ways as well as through the cell-phone signals - virtual ubiquitous connectivity! This Dell looks very interesting...

HDTV
The HDTV wars continue at my house without resolution. No one seems to step up to the plate with a compelling package of HDTV, internet, phone, etc. So far (at least at my location), DISH Network is the winner, but I'm not enthusiastic about their combo packages that would save me money. I wish I had Cox Cable like John & Jessica.

CHURCH
We've continue to visit churches in search of a fellowship home. Our most recent round of regular attendance has been at Hosanna! and we're looking into their involvement classes. Summertime is a down time for many organizations due to family vacations and such, however, their "bikers for Jesus" program seems to meet quite often!

JOB
I've been investigating several job options inside the company as well as the open job market. I've found that I have a keen interest and passion for LEAN processes. As a result, I've been positioning myself in doing several LEAN Projects! Sadly, it doesn't look like my management is as enthusiastic. So far, I've been able to pursue my interests, but I fear those days are numbered. God may be opening up new things for me, so I continue to investigate. It's not bad, but it could get frustrating.

HOUSE
DeAnna has applied 2 gallons of paint to the hallway and we're moving into the living room. It's looking nice, but taking pictures is really difficult. I'll try to get some updates posted soon

Thanks for reading. Live each day worthy of the blessing that God gives!