The "I" has it!

Yes, it was Sir Norman Foster's London "Gherkin" building occupied by Swiss Re insurance. Gotta love cities that make an effort to really push new architectural forms. This is also a great contrast to the Lloyd's building not more than 100 yards away.

Prize? Think "jars of pickles"! Nah. I, I'll stand you dinner next time you are over!

BIG clue ...

Mystery Building

... cucumber slices anyone?

Photo Quiz: Reflections

Here's a shot, taken in London, of a building with some interesting reflections on the facade caused by sunlight bouncing off something nearby. What do you think might cause these shapes? Answer in a day or two.

Sage Advice?

Chatting to someone younger than me (aren't they all?) on the plane, this guy asked me "what's the one piece of advice you'd give to a new MBA just starting their first job?"

I'd have to say "manage expectations". In terms of both personal and professional success, it's the one key thing that's always in play. Sure, there are other things you could think of - help people develop themselves; know yourself; teamwork; etc. - but if I had only one choice it would still be that.

Managing expectations allows you to know how to win and sets the proper framework within which others will judge you and what you get done. Of course, there's a lot to learn about how to do this and how to adapt the methods for doing so to different situations, but none of this negates the fact that this is still one of the most important skills to acquire and develop.

Just wish it hadn't taken me quite so many years to figure it out!

Tightrope Walking

That was close. In theory, I was supposed to have a two hour lay-over in Chicago before my San Jose flight left. But, as always when dealing with Chicago's ORD, life's never that simple. Some "weather" this morning meant that the in-bound flight to GRR was an hour late. Add to that a ground hold, applied 50 feet from the runway threshold, of another 55 minutes and all of a sudden things looked very dodgy indeed. Long story short, I made the connection with 10 minutes to spare, but only because the outbound to SJC was, you guessed it, 10 minutes late!

I'm definitely not paid enough for this, especially as the customer meeting was less than satisfactory. (New manager; very conservative; not willing to engage, 'Nuff said.)

Reflections in Blue

Amazing - a flight itinerary going into and out of Chicago and both legs worked flawlessly. It was 78 degrees in Chicago and humid, quite remarkable for what's still March.

Busy couple of days planning for a sales meeting we have in Las Vegas in April plus a customer visit.

Last week of the Q, and frankly we are scrambling. Too early to declare defeat, though!

Dead-deer Sex

Now there's a headline I never thought I'd get to use. Amazingly enough, it also appears to be true. A Wisconsin man is being charged with exactly that crime - having sex with the carcass of a dead dear - and if you follow the link you'll find some very interesting court documents describing how, in the opinion of the circuit judge, the Wisconsin law prohibiting sex with animals can apply whether or not they are alive.

Bambi, whatever you do, stay clear of Wisconsin ...

Back on the Road Again

Off to Michigan next week via Chicago. At least now spring is officially here the chances of getting stuck at O'Hare are reduced, though not eliminated completely. Indeed, the NWS is predicting low snow levels here in the Bay Area Monday night which might herald much colder conditions up towards the Great Lakes. So, although I may get there OK, getting home may be another matter!

Will spend the weekend paying my dues to both the bookings gods and the weather gods. We could use both sets of deities smiling upon us as the events of next week unfold.

Q-End Push

Why does any given quarter always have to go down to the wire? I mean, just once I'd like to get to the week before a Q-close with the number done and the luxury of building backlog, but somehow it never seems to go that way. And let's be clear, this quarter will be no different. Right now (22nd) we are about 35% of the way to the 1Q goal.

That row boat may yet come in handy ....

Le Mans: Looking Good for 2007

I just saw that Adrian Newey (Red Bull Technical Director and generally well-respected F1 designer) is looking to enter the 24 hours at Le Mans this year as a privateer driving a Ferrari 430, so long as they can earn a slot of course. In addition, the field looks set to host Johnny Herbert driving, of all things, the Prodrive Aston Martin, and Jacques Villeneuve who is racing the new Peugeot entry.

With luck, SpeedTV here in the USA will cover it again this year so definitely a date for the armchair racing diary!